Fans eagerly anticipating Gladiator 2 are asking: Is Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius related to Maximus? Ever since Pascal’s casting in the Gladiator sequel was confirmed, fans have been discussing and speculating online about who he is playing. Now, following the reveal of Pascal’s character’s name and with the hotly anticipated film only four months away from release, the curiosity about his character has only deepened. So, is Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius connected to Russell Crowe’s Maximus in any way? Was this character in the first film? Is Acacius the bad guy of Gladiator 2?
Here is everything you need to know about Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius.
Is Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius in Gladiator 2 related to Maximus?
Yes, Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius is connected to Maximus from the first movie. Acacius is said to have been a junior officer who trained under Maximus.
This information was revealed in a recent Vanity Fair interview, where Pedro Pascal said that Maximus played a big role in the man Acacius would become, but that Acacius was not exactly like Maximus and was very different from him.
Was Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius in the first Gladiator movie?
No, Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius was not in the first Gladiator movie. However, he was an off-screen character due to an established relationship with Russell Crowe’s Maximus before the latter died in the first film.
Acacius is not only connected to Maximus directly as he was an officer under his command but he is also connected in another manner. According to Screen Rant, in the upcoming film, he is in a romantic relationship with Lucilla, who was established in the first Gladiator movie to have been a former lover of Maximus.
Is Marcus Acacius the villain of Gladiator 2?
It is currently unknown if Marcus Acacius is the main villain of Gladiator 2.
This will only be certain once the film is released. However, he is expected to be an antagonist for a significant portion of the film’s runtime.
As detailed in the above-mentioned Vanity Fair article, Acacius will have an antagonistic dynamic with Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus for much of the film, due to their differing viewpoints and outlooks. This dynamic is complicated by Marcus’ romantic relationship with Lucius’ mother Lucilla.
