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| “ | The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story! Now the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena? | „ |
| ~ Commodus' plan against his sworn archenemy Maximus. |
| “ | Lucius will stay with me now. And if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die. If she decides to be noble and takes her own life, he will die. And as for you, you will love me as I loved you. You will provide me with an heir of pure blood, so that Commodus and his progeny will rule for a thousand years. Am I not merciful? AM I NOT MERCIFUL?! | „ |
| ~ Commodus trying to dominate Lucilla |
Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, also known as Emperor Commodus, is the main antagonist of the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator and the overarching antagonist of its 2024 sequel Gladiator II.
He is the only son of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as well as his initially-apparent heir. While he greatly desires to be loved by both his family and the common-people, Commodus is a cruel and arrogantly ruthless sociopath who thinks of himself as a god as well as lusting after his own beloved sister Lucilla; this in turn essentially made him the black sheep of his family because of his selfish and unspeakably appalling nature. He is very unpopular with the crowd.
Once his father denies him his birthright to the throne, Commodus disposes of him and takes his place as the corrupt Emperor of the Roman Empire. He then targets Maximus Decimus Meridius, the Roman soldier his father planned to appoint as his replacement, thus becoming his archenemy in the process. He is also the estranged uncle of Lucius Verus.
He was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, who also played the Joker in the DC Black film series and Napoleon Bonaparte in Napoleon.
Quick Answers
What is the relationship between Commodus and Marcus Aurelius in the movie Gladiator?
How does Commodus view himself in the film Gladiator?
What is the main antagonist's role in Gladiator and its sequel Gladiator II?
What are the characteristics of Commodus, the villain in Gladiator 2000?
Biography[]
Commodus before killing his father
In 180 A.D., at the conclusion of the Marcomannic Wars, Commodus arrives in Germania to celebrate, hoping that his now frail father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, will appoint him his successor as Roman emperor. Aurelius, however, does not consider Commodus fit to rule, and appoints general Maximus as regent in order to make Rome a republic again. Before making his decree public, Marcus Aurelius informs Commodus of his decision, and the prince - who has always felt unloved and ignored by his father - flies into a rage, pulling his father's face against his chest and asphyxiating him to death.
After mourning his father's death, the new Emperor asks Maximus for his loyalty, but the general suspects foul play and refuses. Soon after, Commodus has Maximus arrested and orders him executed at dawn. Maximus manages to escape and makes the long journey to his farm in Hispania on horseback, but arrives too late; Commodus' men have burned it to the ground and murdered his wife and son.
Meanwhile, Commodus returns to Rome to a cheering crowd and is met by his senators, who have grave concerns about his competence after he expresses apparent apathy over a plague outbreak. Commodus orders 150 days of gladiatorial combat, ostensibly to commemorate his late father, while in reality attempting to distract the populace from the Senate's corruption and the rampant plague epidemics.
Commodus' famous gesture, which he gives when deciding the fate of defeated gladiators
A few days later, Commodus watches as a troupe of gladiators fight in the Colosseum - depicting the battle of Zama itself. When the team portraying Carthage defy expectations and win, Commodus comes into the arena to personally congratulate them, along with his young nephew Lucius. The leader removes his helmet to reveal that he is in fact Maximus, alive and well, and vows to avenge his family by killing Commodus. As the Praetorian Guard prepares to kill him, the crowd chants "Live", so Commodus reluctantly allows Maximus to live.
Next, Maximus is pitted against the formidable Tigris of Gaul, an undefeated gladiator. After a fierce and lengthy duel, Maximus is able to gain the upper hand, but spares his opponent's life despite the crowd's urging with Commodus' approval that he finishes him off. Angered, Commodus berates him, even taunting him with harrowing details of his family's death. Undaunted, Maximus turns around and walks away. This act of defiance, along with his victory over Tigris, makes him more popular than the Emperor himself.
Commodus' sister Lucilla and the chief senator Gracchus secure a meeting with Maximus, and he obtains their promise to help him escape Rome, rejoin his soldiers, topple Commodus by force, and hand power over back to the Senate. Commodus suspects Lucilla of betraying him and threatens to kill Lucius unless she tells him about the plot. He then dispatches his men to arrest and/or kill the conspirators. Gracchus is quickly apprehended, while a contingent of Praetorians is sent to Maximus' quarters. Maximus reaches the rendezvous point but falls into a trap; his ally Cicero is killed and he is captured.
Jealous of Maximus' growing popularity, Commodus challenges him to a duel in the Colosseum. Before the fight, he stabs Maximus on the side to put him at a disadvantage. During the fight, however, Maximus manages to evade Commodus' blows and disarm him. Commodus orders the Praetorians to give him a sword, but they rebel against him and stand aside, having felt disgusted at Commodus for injuring Maximus beforehand to cheat. He produces a hidden stiletto, but Maximus turns the blade back into his throat, killing Commodus and bringing his short-lived reign of terror to an end, while at the same time avenging the deaths of Marcus Aurelius, Maximus' family, and all of the people who were killed or ordered to be killed by Commodus.
Legacy[]
Commodus finally gets his well-deserved comeuppance when he is ultimately killed by Maximus in their final battle, with the deaths of both Maximus' family and his emperor - also Commodus father - being avenged at last.
Shortly after Commodus' death, Maximus collapses on the ground and succumbs to the wound inflicted by Commodus earlier on. He passes away in the arms of Lucilla within the arena, thus joining his deceased wife and son in the Elysium, but not before asking for the political reforms that Marcus Aurelius had wanted - henceforth allowing Rome to carry on their previous Emperor's legacy instead of Commodus' reign. As for Commodus' corpse, no one approached it after the fight and instead they all took Maximus' body away to bury him as the hero he was. This ultimately shows that Maximus would be remembered as a hero who saved Rome and more popular than the nefarious Commodus, thus ruining the latter's image and legacy altogether.
However, this dream would be delayed for 16 years, as the twins Caracalla and Geta somehow became Co-Emperors of Rome, continuing Commodus's reign of terror posthumously. The name of Commodus was carved into the list of names of those who died in the Coliseum, whereas Maximus's name was scratched out; despite this, the legend of Maximus was kept alive by the gladiators, and was resting in the Roman collective consciousness. The twins were manipulated and separately assassinated by Macrinus, who planned to throw Rome into chaos as revenge for Marcs Aurelius putting him into slavery decades ago; however, Lucius - son of Lucella and Maximus - defeated and killed him and ended the bubbling conflict to restore the path to an equal and free Roman people.
Personality[]
| “ | You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: Wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family and to you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son. | „ |
| ~ Commodus to his father Marcus Aurelius. |
Commodus was power-hungry and cruelly ruthless to the core; his sole ambition was to be worshipped by all of Rome as a god among men. His own father, Marcus Aurelius, saw that he "is not a moral man" and thus largely ignored him to the point of becoming determined that Commodus would never become Emperor.
It quickly became clear that Maximus was the son that Marcus Aurelius truly wanted, something which Commodus was very aware of at the time. Commodus constantly tried to ruin the image of Maximus, putting himself in danger and sacrificing other people's life as a cost. During the film, Commodus began to show his true reason about destroying Maximus' image. Which he nearly did by ruining Maximus life. He really saw why Marcus Aurelius preferred Maximus over him: Maximus was loyal, brave, rational, careful and strong, while Commodus was dishonourable to the core; Commodus' cheating ways got the best of him before and during the final fight with Maximus. He wounded Maximus before the fight since he was afraid that otherwise Maximus would quickly kill him. Also, after Maximus disarmed him during the fight, Commodus was too afraid to recover his own sword and started desperately ordering Quintus and the other Praetorians to give him another sword which he didn’t get.
As for his relationships, the only people he ever loved were his father and his sister, Lucilla. After the love for his sister began to turn into an insane dominance, lust and an incestuous relationship, after that and knowing that her brother was responsible for Marcus' death, Lucilla saw her brother as the monster he truly was. Even his love for his nephew became moot after he threatened to kill him if Lucilla refused to reveal the truth of her plot to overthrow him, let alone his attempts to mold his nephew into becoming as ruthless and cruel like him. He became emotionally distraught as he murdered his father showing some remorse for what he did. This also shows that in spite of what he did, Commodus still cared for his father and wanted him his love on top of being somewhat insecure.
Some could argue that Commodus became evil because his father abused him. However, given that his father knew he was far from an honourable man to begin with, this is highly unlikely. Also, when he lamented his father didn't love him enough, his father sympathized for him and even tried to embrace him before being asphyxiated to death, showing he loved Commodus for all his faults to some extent.
Overall, Commodus's evil deeds far outweigh any tragic events that he experienced during his life. He is merely a monster who uses rejection as an excuse to usurp the throne. Worse, he tormented his sister all because in his eyes, she was an object that had to love him the way he wanted her too without any objection.
Quotes[]
| “ | Commodus: You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues. Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage. Perhaps not on the battlefield, but there are many forms of courage. Devotion to my family, to you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son. Marcus Aurelius: Oh Commodus, you go too far. Commodus: I searched the faces of the gods for ways to please you, to make you proud. One kind word, one full hug, where you pressed me to your chest and held me tight, would have been like the sun on my heart for a thousand years. What is it in me you hate so much? Marcus Aurelius: Commodus! Commodus: All I've ever wanted was to live up to you, Caesar. Father. Marcus Aurelius: Commodus, your faults as a son is my failure as a father. (Commodus breaks down in front of his father completely, kneeling down to hug him) Come. |
„ |
| ~ Commodus breaking down in tears in front of his father before killing him. |
| “ | Father, I would butcher the whole world... if you would only love me! | „ |
| ~ Commodus as he kills his father. |
| “ | How dare you show your back to me! Slave, you will remove your helmet and tell me your name. | „ |
| ~ Commodus demands Gladiator reveals his identity, not knowing he is Maximus. |
| “ | Your Emperor asks for your loyalty, Maximus. Take my hand, I only offer it once. | „ |
| ~ Commodus to Maximus. |
| “ | They tell me your son screamed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross. And your wife moaned like a whore when they ravaged her... again... and again... and again. | „ |
| ~ Commodus taunting Maximus over the deaths of the latter's wife and son. |
| “ | If you're very good, tomorrow night I'll tell you the story of emperor Claudius who was betrayed by those closest to him, by his own blood. They whispered in dark corners and went out late at night and conspired and conspired but the emperor Claudius knew they were up to something. He knew they were busy little bees. And one night he sat down with one of them and he looked at her and he said, "Tell me what you've been doing busy little bee or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood." And the emperor was heartbroken. The little bee had wounded him more deeply than anyone else could ever have done. And what do you think happened then, Lucius? (Lucius: I don't know, uncle.) The little bee told him everything. | „ |
| ~ Commodus telling Lucius the story of Emperor Claudius' betrayal, knowing his sister Lucilla has betrayed him. |
| “ | Lucius will stay with me now. And if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die. If she decides to be noble and takes her own life, he will die. And as for you, you will love me as I loved you. You will provide me with an heir of pure blood, so that Commodus and his progeny will rule for a thousand years. Am I not merciful? AM I NOT MERCIFUL?! | „ |
| ~ Commodus to his sister Lucilla. |
| “ | You loved my father, I know. But so did I. That makes us brothers, doesn't it? Smile for me now, brother. | „ |
| ~ Commodus to Maximus before stabbing him. |
| “ | Quintus, sword! Give me your sword! Sword, give me a sword! | „ |
| ~ Commodus' last words. |
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- Despite being a epic historical drama, Gladiator takes many historical liberties with the real Commodus:
- In real life, Marcus Aurelius died of old age and illness instead of being murdered by Commodus.
- The real-life Commodus was also mentally unstable, an inept ruler, and delighted in fighting within the Colosseum but was a popular Emperor due to his large scale competitions and there is no evidence he was as sadistic as his film counterpart.
- Although the real-life Commodus was killed by a gladiator named Narcissus, it wasn't in the Colosseum or by stabbing nor was it revenge. Commodus was assassinated by his mistress Marcia and two of his top generals after they discovered and was drowned in his bath in the royal palace.
- Jack Gleeson, the actor who played Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones, mentioned that Commodus and Hexxus, the main antagonist of the animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest, were the two villains that impacted him the most as a child, and also the main inspirations for his portrayal of Joffrey in the TV Series.
See also[]
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 Villains
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