Did Gladiator II's Lucius And Marcus Acacius Actually Exist?

Like its predecessor, a movie that got history completely wrong, “Gladiator II” is also short on facts and goes even deeper into the realm of make-believe. It would have been very difficult for Lucius Verus II to become a gladiator for the simple reason that he died when he was a child. He was indeed the son of Empress Lucilla Augusta (who is portrayed by Connie Nielsen in both films) and Emperor Lucius Verus I. They had three children, but only a daughter survived into adulthood. In the original film, Lucius Verus II is portrayed as a 12-year-old co-emperor with his wicked uncle Commodus. In reality, Verus died before Commodus came to power.

With that bit of knowledge you can be sure Verus never went into exile in North Africa, much less fought it out in Rome’s Coliseum. Additionally, Lucilla wouldn’t have been around in the sequel. Years earlier, her brother, the Emperor Commodus, had her banished to the island of Capri after he learned she had masterminded a foiled plot to murder him. Commodus (at least true to the version played by Joaquin Phoenix in the first film) eventually had her killed. In “Gladiator II,” she’s still quite alive and has hooked up with Marcus Acacius not knowing that he and her son are mortal enemies. While Lucilla was at least real, if not alive at the time the film is set, her love interest never existed.