The following contains spoilers for Gladiator 2, now playing in theatersEmperors Caracalla and Geta are important characters in Gladiator 2 and are directly inspired by two real life Roman Emperors. Gladiator 2 is a massive-scale film, with several plotlines and character machinations playing out against one another. For Gladiator 2‘s cast of characters, this means several individual storylines and motivations that run afoul of one another. For most of the film, the overt villains are the Emperors Caracalla and Geta, whose warmongering has given Macrinus an opening and set about a festering revolution.

In real life, Caracalla and Geta were indeed brothers who ruled Rome together for a short time before one of them turned on the other. However, beyond the names and some similar details, the real life version of the two was a far cry from the more vain and sheltered versions seen in the film. Here is how Caracalla and Geta from Gladiator 2 compare to their real life counterparts.

Who Are Emperor Caracalla & Emperor Geta In Gladiator 2?

Caracalla And Geta Really Did Rule Together, If Only For A Few Years

Caracalla and Geta are two of the antagonists in Gladiator 2, fitting into the film’s narrative neatly while taking direct inspiration from real life. In Gladiator 2, Caracalla and Geta are the Emperors who have taken control of Rome in the sixteen years that have passed since the events of the first Gladiator. While Lucius has a rightful claim to the throne, his disappearance allowed for Caracalla and Geta to assume control of the Empire. Although there is a lack of a direct descendent of Marcus Aurelius on the throne, it is implied they are stll connected to him.

While the two weren’t twins as depicted in
Gladiator 2
, [Caracalla and Geta] were indeed brothers who were entrusted with ruling over Rome together.

Caracalla and Geta are based on real Roman Emperors, who were given power and tasked with ruling alongside one another. In real life, the brothers came to power in the year 211, over thirty years after the death of Marcus Aurelius. While the two weren’t twins as depicted in Gladiator 2, they were indeed brothers who were entrusted with ruling over Rome together. The pair also had a fierce rivalry, which came to a violent head in both real life and the film.

How Caracalla & Geta Came To Power In Rome

Caracalla And Geta Came To Power Decades After Marcus Aurelius

In Gladiator 2, the exact specifics of how Geta and Caracalla game to power is left to the imagination. However, it’s clear they rose to power in part because of the power vacuum left after the deaths of Maximus and Commodus. Desperate to hide Lucius from those who would kill him, his mother Lucilla ensured he fled the city. While Rome initially adhered to Maximus’ wishes, it didn’t take long for corruption to spread once more through Rome. This is personified by Geta and Caracalla, who live in luxury while ordering armies to die for their ambitions.

In real life, Geta and Caracalla were more involved in Rome’s expansionist war efforts. Septimius Severus led several campaigns into Africa and Britain, with his sons taking part in the latter. The elder of the two, Caracalla, served as his father’s second-in-command. Geta served a more bureaucratic role. Notably, Septimus’ military ambitions seem to have inspired the cinematic versions of his sons, and likewise caused problems for the Empire by putting undue burden on the citizens with their expansionist ambition. When Septimius fell ill in 211 and died, he passed rulership to his sons.

What Is Wrong With Caracalla In Gladiator 2?

Caracalla Is Very Unstable In Gladiator 2 For A Very Specific Role

The younger twin in Gladiator 2, Caracalla is portrayed as the more unstable of the brothers. While he suggests the tensions between him and his brother have always existed to an extent, Geta implies to Macrinus that Caracalla has become more dangerously recently due to syphilis having a clear effect on his mental faculties. This leaves Caracalla as a vicious and unpredictable character, quick to anger and even quicker to lash out.

While the Caracalla of true history is considered a cold hearted and harsh Emperor, he wasn’t quite the unstable version that appears in Gladiator 2. Some of his more bizarre choices, such as naming his pet monkey as Counsul of Rome, didn’t happen. Instead, that was inspired by Emperor Caligula, who tried to install his pet horse into that position. Instead, the real life Caracalla was considered a poor Emperor because of his ruthless approach to rule, with a willingness to have thousands slaughtered to consolidate power. In fact, he seems more like the film’s portrayal of the pragmatic Geta.

How Do The Twin Emperors’ Lives Compare To Gladiator 2?

Caracalla Did Kill His Brother, But In A Very Different Way

The twin Emperors are major figures in Gladiator 2, but are ultimately manipulated by the film’s true central villain Macrinus. Despite their efforts to control the Empire with an iron fist, the pair are shown to be losing a grip on the city when they had Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius executed in clear view of the public. With Rome rioting in response, Macrinus convinces Caracalla to kill his brother and take full control of the Empire. Initially using Caracalla as a puppet king for his commands, Macrinus ends up killing Caracalla when Lucius’ leads a revolt of the Gladiators.

Caracalla did become the sole Emperor of Rome after his brother’s death. Many historians believe that Geta’s murder at the hands of the Praetorian Guard was at the behest of Caracalla. Caracalla then ordered all of Geta’s associates and allies of his brother to be executed, and became an infamous tyrant. Caracalla ruled until 217, with his true given name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus being used as a moniker for free men across the Empire. Caracalla was eventually assassinated by a frustrated soldier under the orders of the real life Macrinus, who did succeed Caracalla as Emperor.

How Gladiator 2 Remixes History For Dramatic Effect

Gladiator 2 Reimagines The Roman Emperors For A Specific Thematic Purpose

Many elements of Caracalla and Geta’s lives are changed for Gladiator 2. In a major departure from real life, the cinematic Caracalla was recast as a pampered and high society son of Rome, rather than the hardened soldier and ruthless commander his real life inspiration was. This is most likely because the remixed character plays into the themes of the Gladiator films, which portray an out-of-touch ruler versus a more worthy heir to the throne in the grounded Lucius.

Elements of Caracalla’s true history are recreated for the film, but some aspects (such as his strong military support and birth dame) were given to a more heroic character. It’s an interesting way to take inspiration from history for a non-historical story, with Macrinus also given a radically different backstory and history in the film than his real life equivalent. It highlights how Ridley Scott and his fellow filmmakers use history in Gladiator 2 as an inspiration instead of a strict retelling.