People have their free agency. You can't control what other people do, the goal is to control what you do. More on reddit.com

Not to say it couldn't have happened, but the Historia Augusta is generally regarded as a questionable historical source. It contains many provable falsehoods, and other items that are unverifiable in other sources. So take what you read there with a grain of salt. The wiki has a pretty good breakdown of some of the more obviously false sections: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustan_History#Historical_value More on reddit.com

I agree about the Gracchus line also, kind of demeaning to Lucilla's character that she deserved trust just because of her bloodline and not because of the integrity of her character and how she proved to be trustworthy and leader- worthy in the past. But Ancient Rome didn't really see women as powerful individuals in society so it makes sense. They were very much seen as an extension of the dominant male figures in their lives. But tbh that goes really against Lucilla's entire character from the first movie anyway, she was the strong one orchestrating everything for the men lol. What bothered me also in that scene was the fact that neither character brings up the fact they tried this plan before with Maximus and umm it didn't work. I was hoping they'd remember him or at least reference that he died as a result of the exact same plan failing. Instead they just reference Marcus Aurelius as if Maximus didn't exist and gave his life to protect Lucilla and her son? I know we later get to see Lucilla remember him but it is like the movie kept flipping from wanting to stand on its own to going back to borrowing plots from the first one without linking things appropriately. This to me, created zero emotional substance which was the essence and magic of the first movie. I think Lucius' right to lead Rome through his bloodline is justified though. He has good genes from both his parents and grandfather and he proved that in his ability to lead and by not succumbing to revenge and killing Acacius. He has the strength and integrity of both Maximus and Lucilla in him, two characters who Marcus Aurelius believed could lead Rome. I do wish they focused more on our characters than all the unnecessary action, especially Lucius and Lucilla. Lucilla was always the heart of both movies and I felt we needed more time with her and Lucius. I wanted to see them both reflect on Maximus more and their grief but seemed like the creators were maybe afraid to go there. I enjoyed the movie a lot but man, it had the potential to be another masterpiece if certain things were fleshed out more. More on reddit.com

Marcus Aurelius was emperor for about 20 years. Which meant that he was essentially dealing with matters of state and the empire for the entire period his children were growing up and they really never knew each other. As a result, Marcus knew his children resented him because he was never present and they realized they weren't important enough to pull him away from his duty as emperor. More on reddit.com