Monkeys Play A Much Larger Role In Gladiator 2 Than You Ever Imagined

This article contains spoilers for Gladiator II.

There are plenty of animals in "Gladiator II," from a war rhino ridden by the Colosseum's undefeated champion, Glyceo the Destroyer (Chris Hallaways), to the hungry sharks lurking in the waters during the arena's staged naval battle. But it's the primate kingdom that truly rules this sequel. One monkey puts protagonist Lucius (Paul Mescal) on the path to his destiny, while another plays a pivotal role in a plot to destroy twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).

The first monkeys to enter the picture are a troop of baboons, which are unleashed on Lucius and other captives from the conquered kingdom of Numidia. This was a real form of capital punishment in Ancient Rome known as damnatio ad bestias ("condemnation to beasts"), though it was more typical to use animals like lions, leopards, and dogs. Scott told the New Yorker that he was inspired to include the monstrous, muscular baboons after being disturbed by a video of baboons attacking tourists in Johannesburg. "Baboons are carnivores," Scott pointed out. "Can you hang from that roof for two hours by your left leg? No! A baboon can."

The baboons in "Gladiator II" demonstrate their carnivorous nature immediately by ripping out the throat of Numidia's defeated leader, Jugurtha (Peter Mensah). This enrages Lucius, who embraces his inner baboon. He goes on all fours, grapples bare-handed with one of the creatures, and even bites a bloody chunk out of its arm. This move impresses Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who decides to buy Lucius on the basis of his monkey-chomping abilities. Later, Macrinus' gladiator trainer identifies Lucius as the one who "eats monkeys," and his fellow gladiators jokingly reference the fight by making hooting noises around the dinner table.

The baboon fight is the first arena combat we see in the movie, and it certainly leaves a mark. But the wildest monkey moment in "Gladiator II" is based on a real, and ridiculous, Roman legend.

Caracalla is the weaker-minded of Rome's two emperors in "Gladiator II." Syphilis is gradually eating away at his brain, making him impulsive and irrational. The one true emotional anchor in Caracalla's life is his pet monkey, Dondus, who wears a dress and goes everywhere with him. Dondus was played by a real capuchin monkey called Sherry, in her first ever movie role. Hechinger told HeyUGuys that he had to go through "monkey training" in the days leading up to the start of filming. Every morning he would go to Sherry's "little palace," feed her, and begin to develop a bond with her so that "by the time we were walking onto the set there was a sense of unity between the two of us."

The young emperor's love for Dondus is so intense that the Machiavellian Macrinus convinces Caracalla to murder his brother by telling him that Geta is a threat to Dondus. Then, in his first act as sole emperor of Rome, Caracalla names Dondus as first consul — the highest position in the Roman Senate. This action further diminishes the already-unpopular Caracalla in the eyes of the revolting Roman public, and convinces the other senators to ally themselves with Macrinus, who has been named second consul.

There's nothing in the history books to indicate that Caracalla had a beloved pet monkey. In fact, the real Caracalla was very different from the giggly syphilitic monkey lover in "Gladiator II." His lasting reputation was that of a brutal tyrant who used the military to bend Rome to his will. Instead, the story of an insane and unpopular emperor bestowing political power on a pet is lifted from a popular legend about Caligula and his darling horse, Incitatus. Roman biographer Suetonius wrote of reports that Caligula "designated [Incitatus] to the consulship." Historian Cassius Dio, meanwhile, claimed that Caligula had only planned to make Incitatus a consul, though "he would most certainly have done this, if he had lived longer."

Like many scandalous stories about Roman emperors, this one entered the history books by dint of being simply too good to fact check. In lieu of any real evidence for Incitatus' consulship, the current popular theory among historians is that Caligula simply made a joke about his senators being so useless that an animal could do a better job.

Perhaps he had a point. After all, Dondus is a sharp dresser, and she can hang from a roof for two hours by her left leg. How many politicians can do that? Hail, First Consul Dondus.