Quick LinksGladiator II’s Trailer Revealed Lucius’ Father Modern Trailers Constantly Reveal Too Much
Everyone hates it when their friend, family member, or someone they follow on social media accidentally spoils a big twist in a new movie. It causes anger and frustration to course through your veins, and you wish you could go back in time to before you heard the big reveal. But what happens when a plot twist is spoiled by the movie’s own marketing team? And, worse yet, what if it’s done on purpose? Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The film is over two decades in the making, with various rumors speculating if and when the film will move into production since the original was released in 2000.

Fans are adamantly avoiding any and all spoilers online, wanting to experience Gladiator II with open expectations. As a result, they may dip into a trailer or two at the most. But not even those are safe anymore. The first trailer for Gladiator II was controversial for its odd music choice. But, the second trailer riled up fans far worse, for spoiling a twist that had decades of speculation at its back.

Spoilers Ahead for Gladiator II!

Gladiator II’s Trailer Revealed Lucius’ Father
Release Date November 22, 2024 Cast Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz Expand

Lucius’ (played by Paul Mescal in Gladiator II)’s parentage was one of the biggest mysteries in Gladiator. Portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark in the original, Lucius was the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and an unknown father. It was presumed by the fan base that the father was a Roman general or councilor. But, fans have long speculated that Maximus could have fathered Lucius, as the film hinted at a long-past romance between the pair. The subject has been at the center of endless debate online, and fans were ready to have their answers revealed when they watched Gladiator II in theaters.

But, the marketing executives at Paramount have said, ‘Why wait? We’ll reveal that before you even watch the movie.’ The latest trailer for Gladiator II blatantly showed that Maximus is in fact Lucius’ father, and fans aren’t happy that the mystery was preemptively ruined. Once the trailer was released, social media was overburdened by fans complaining that the trailer revealed way too much about the new movie. But why did the trailer give away such a big and obvious spoiler?

Related Paul Mescal Explains Gladiator II’s Major Trailer Spoiler Paul Mescal unpacks the major spoiler in Gladiator II’s latest trailer.

There are two prevailing theories as to why Paramount spoiled the biggest mystery in the Gladiator franchise. The first suggests that there are bigger twists to come in the movie. The first trailer already revealed that Lucius will face down Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius in the Colosseum, with some presuming this to be the final fight in the film — emulating the battle between Maximus and Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in Gladiator. But, there is always the potential for this fight to be turned on its head. Maybe Lucius and Acacius team up.

Maybe that battle isn’t even in the final cut (and will be released in Ridley Scott’s Ultimate Director’s Final 20th Anniversary Edition 4K Blu-ray Cut). By revealing Lucius’ parentage and seemingly spoiling the “biggest” twist in the film, Paramount could be lulling audiences into a false sense of security, ready to drop a major bombshell when the movie is released. That’s the optimistic approach to the spoiler. But, more realistically, it likely comes down to a frustratingly growing trend in the industry.

Modern Trailers Constantly Reveal Too Much

Movies are no longer the prevailing source of entertainment. Just like how video killed the radio star, social media, YouTube, and the general rise of the internet and online content has left movie studios and distributors fighting harder and harder to earn the attention of prospective audiences. Back in the day, trailers were mainly seen in theaters before a screening and occasionally on TV. But, a film’s promotion is almost inescapable nowadays. Endless waves of trailers, teasers, clips, BTS footage, featurettes, and special feature interviews are released way before the movie ever reaches audiences in a desperate attempt to cut through the billions of hours of content available online.

Within the endless plethora of entertainment lay spoilers aplenty. It wasn’t just the reveal of Lucius’ father that has been revealed in Gladiator II’s trailers, as fans have complained about seeing the battle between Lucius and Acacius, as well as learning far too much about Denzel Washington’s ambitious Macrinus.

Related Gladiator 2 Early Reaction Reveals if Long-Awaited Sequel Lives up to the Legacy The historical epic sequel will be even “bigger, rawer, and more violent” than its predecessor.

So why don’t they make trailers like they used to? Well, trailers have always relied on some kind of shock value. In the past, advertising your movie’s use of beautiful Technicolor was enough. But nowadays, with social media and home entertainment dominating our lives, studios need to include big reveals to entice audiences to leave their homes and go to theaters. It’s a precarious matter that studios get wrong more than they get right.

Almost every MCU movie, as well as Blade Runner 2049, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and even Interstellar, had some of their biggest reveals spoiled in the trailers. Why the creators of Gladiator II’s trailer chose such a massive reveal for the promotional material is beyond comprehension. But, it is another victim of movie studios slowly losing the battle to more readily available forms of entertainment. Gladiator II is hitting the big screen on Nov. 22, 2024.