Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of the Roman Empire (Caesar). He was murdered by his son, Commodus, because Marcus had instead appointed Maximus to be his successor. ... He was portrayed by the late Richard Harris in the 2000 film Gladiator.

Is Gladiator based on Marcus Aurelius?

Gladiator's Maximus was not based on a real person

But the movie did include historical elements: the whole gladiators-as-spectacle element was real, as were emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, the latter of whom really did compete as a gladiator.

What happened to Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator?

Marcus Aurelius was not murdered by his son Commodus; he died at Vindobona (modern Vienna) in 180 AD from the Antonine Plague. ... Although Commodus engaged in show combat in the Colosseum, he was not killed in the arena; he was strangled in his bath by the wrestler Narcissus.