Who is Macrinus in Gladiator 2? Denzel Washington character explained

We're first introduced to his character Macrinus when he purchases Mescal's Lucius for his stable of gladiators, after he is mightily impressed with his rather barbaric way of fighting mutated baboons.

After he takes Lucius under his wing, we slowly learn more about him and his assorted schemes and ambitions, and as the film develops he becomes increasingly central to events – eventually playing a major role in the dramatic ending.

But who exactly is Macrinus? Is he based on a real historical figure? Read on for everything you need to know.

Who is Macrinus in Gladiator 2?

In the film, we are first introduced to Macrinus when he purchases Lucius (then known as Hanno) – after witnessing him biting a mutated baboon in a gladiatorial battle.

Initially, we don't know too much about him, but it's clear that he's an arms dealer with a stable of gladiators and that he has a certain degree of credibility and influence in Rome.

After the purchase, Macrinus initially leaves his trainer and right-hand man Viggo (Lior Raz) to train Hanno up, but he keeps a close eye on him and is consistently impressed by his skills as a warrior.

Eventually, they reach a deal that Hanno/Lucius will fight in gladiatorial battles for Macrinus and he will secure him with a chance to kill General Acacius.

As the film goes on, more details about Macrinus and his nature are teased out. For one, we see that he is a master manipulator who very much has co-emperors Geta and Caracalla under his thumb, and at various points we see him make moves to gain their trust and make them see him as an ally – even though it is clear he has his own designs on power.

Meanwhile, he later reveals – during a conversation with Connie Nielsen's returning Lucilla – that he was previously a slave serving under Marcus Aurelius, and that this experience has at least in part informed his current worldview and goal to overthrow the emperor and take over Rome for himself.

While Lucius still believes in the dream of a Roman Republic – a better version of the empire in which there is fairness and no corruption – Macrinus scoffs at this idea, clearly believing that the dream of Rome as once put forward by Marcus Aurelius and Maximus is nothing but a fiction, and that there is no chance of unity.

This essentially becomes the driving force of the conflict of the film: those who believe a better, fairer, more democratic vision of the future is still possible against those like Macrinus, whose own experiences have led them to believe that it's everyone for themselves and that idealism is futile.

One other aspect of Macrinus to mention is that – according to Ridley Scott – he was written as bisexual. There are hints of this in the film itself, although Washington revealed in a recent interview that a scene in which he kissed another man was removed from the final cut of the film.

Was Macrinus a real historical figure?

Yes – there is a real historical figure called Macrinus, albeit the version in the film is a heavily fictionalised version only loosely inspired by the real person.

The real Macrinus was not involved with gladiators at all, but was a political player operating in Rome who did briefly succeed Caracalla as emperor – as is portrayed in the film (although the circumstances differ greatly).

His background in real life was in the equestrian class (the name given to the social order below the senatorial class), and he slowly rose up the ranks to a position high in the emperor’s circle, managing civil affairs in Rome.

Another aspect which appears to have been fictionalised for the film is that there is no evidence to suggest that Macrinus had known Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris's character from the original film) in real life, or had been a slave under him.

In fact, little is known about his early life at all, beyond the fact we know he was born in what is now Algeria and trained as a lawyer before moving to Rome. There, he impressed Plautianus, the head of the Praetorian Guard during the reign of Septimius Severus, and continued to maintain favour in the years to come – including under Geta and Caracalla.

As for whether Macrinus killed Caracalla, this aspect of the film appears to be loosely based on real life. According to historians, the emperor was stabbed to death by a disgruntled soldier – but there are suggestions that he was ordered to do so by Macrinus, who was scared that the increasingly paranoid Caracalla would turn on him.

And indeed, Caracalla's death certainly worked out well for Macrinus, who ascended to the throne three days later with the backing of the senate. He was the first emperor who did not come from the Roman aristocracy or senatorial class, and adopted the name Severus during his time as emperor.

But his reign did not last very long: barely a year from 11th April 217 AD to 8th June the following year.

Various tensions that developed during his time on the throne saw him make an enemy in Elagabalus, the grandson of Caracalla's aunt, Julia Maesa. This eventually led to him fleeing the scene of a battle, after which he was captured and executed, with Elagabalus succeeding him as emperor and serving for the next four years.

Who plays Macrinus in Gladiator 2?

In the film, Macrinus is played by Denzel Washington – an actor who will need no introduction to most moviegoing audiences.

A bona fide Hollywood legend, Washington previously collaborated with Ridley Scott on the 2007 film American Gangster, and also had starring roles in a number of films by his late brother Tony Scott – including Crimson Tide and Man on Fire.

His most famous credits include roles in Malcolm X, Philadelphia and The Hurricane, in addition to his Oscar-winning turns in Glory and Training Day.

He's been nominated for a total of nine acting Academy Awards – Jack Nicholson and Laurence Olivier are the only men who have more – with other nominated roles including in Cry Freedom, Flight, Fences and most recently The Tragedy of Macbeth.

He's also frequently collaborated with directors Spike Lee and Antoine Fuqua – including playing the lead role in The Equalizer films – and has had much success in theatre, including numerous stagings of Shakespeare plays.

While promoting Gladiator 2, Washington announced that he was set to have a role in the next Black Panther film, while he has also expressed interest in working with directors Steve McQueen and Paul Thomas Anderson in the future – explaining that he's had conversations with both about collaborating with them.

Read More:

• How accurate is Gladiator 2? True history explained
• Gladiator 2 review: A sturdy sequel that revels in its more ludicrous qualities
• Will there be a Gladiator 3? Latest news on possible sequel

Gladiator 2 is now showing in UK cinemas.

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