Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Maximus

Gladiator could have been titled Maximus the Gladiator…but that would have been overkill. We know who the gladiator is: there is only one possible candidate.

This is his movie. He's the first character we meet in the film, and he's definitely the good guy. His troops admire him, the emperor admires him, Lucilla admires him, Proximo admires him, the other gladiators admire him, and the crowd admires him.

And so do we.

The film is about fall from grace, the tragedies he suffers, and his ultimate triumph. Sadly, that triumph is bittersweet. We don't want Maximus to die, but his death saves Rome, and he's ultimately reunited with his family…which is what he's wanted all along.