Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Gladiator II!Gladiator II's rave reviews, with early buzz for an Oscar nomination swirling.

In an interview with Variety, Scott discussed Macrinus' death scene, and its thematic connection to Gladiator II's larger story, and how the character's journey makes his arc, and fate, perfectly fitting. Scott talked about how the character earns the fate he receives, still having a bit of gladiator in him, and how his warrior death is fitting with his roots, and the journey he takes as a character. Check out Scott's comments on the matter below:

I think he earned the right to die that way. 100 percent. What a bad guy. He still had a little bit of the gladiator in him, and was a good warrior. You see that come out with Paul’s character, he fights dirty... One of them had to die.

What This Means For Macrinus' Gladiator II Fate

In Many Ways, His Arc Comes Full Circle

One of the most interesting of Gladiator II's characters, Macrinus was a former slave and prisoner of war, who became a gladiator, earned his freedom, and ascended to the upper echelons of Rome's political elite. Flamboyant and extroverted, Macrinus has designs on running Rome for himself, and his conflict with Lucius eventually boils over into a fight to the death, with the villain meeting his end at the hands of the protagonist. As Scott's comments suggest, he still has the warrior fight in his blood, and this leads to the epic battle with Lucius at Gladiator II's end.

Gladiator II marks Scott's second collaboration with Washington, following 2007's American Gangster.

The interesting development to note here is that Macrinus' Gladiator II story mirrors successful real-life fighters who become civilized through wealth and success, and lose some of the fight that made them so dangerous. However, he is also still a fighter at heart, and one who isn't afraid to fight dirty, something he would no doubt have been forced to do during his time as a gladiator, where the only rule was not to die. And his "backstreet brawl" with Lucius juxtaposes perfectly with his regal and ostentatious appearance, which gives him a more interesting dynamic.

Our Verdict On Macrinus' Gladiator II Legacy

Compelling & Vicious, He's The Perfect Villain

Whilst he may not be as unhinged as Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus, Macrinus is just as malevolent, but has a maniacal charm to him that makes him a more than worthy adversary. The difference is that Macrinus has the brawn and fighting skill of a gladiator, but I think he also shares a lot of similarities to Game of Thrones' Littlefinger, the master of puppets who is manipulating events from behind the scenes. This makes him a layered and textured villain, and one who received a perfectly fitting death to give Gladiator II the perfect climax.

Source: Variety