You likely know the name Commodus as the bad guy from Gladiator, the Best Picture winner from 2000. Played as a pervy psychotic by Joaquin Phoenix, Emperor Commodus is portrayed as a man with ...

That’s why Commodus’ murder of his father hits harder than any sword fight. And now, years later, with Gladiator 2 just aired, it’s the perfect time to revisit this brutal classic.

Commodus’ reign got off to a disastrous start when he made a huge rookie mistake. The problem wasn’t that he killed his own father, Marcus Aurelius. He had to.

Son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, Commodus ruled as sole emperor for 12 years (A.D. 180-192), his reign marred by perpetual scandal. The emperor had disturbingly little esteem for traditional ...