You have proved your valor yet again, Maximus. Roma Victor! Let us hope, for the last time. There's no one left to fight, sire. There is always someone left to fight. There he is. Rome salutes you and I embrace you as a brother. Maximus, we must save Rome from
the politicians, my friend. Can I count on you
when the time comes? How can I reward Rome's
greatest general? Let me go home. Home? Well, no one's earned it more. I am Proximo. I did not pay good money for you for your company. I paid it so that I could profit from your death. And when you die, and die you shall... Don't die. ...your transition shall be to the sound of Some of you are thinking you won't fight. Spaniard, why don't you fight? We all have to fight. Some that you can't fight. They all say that until they're out there. Gladiators, I salute you. Thrust this into another man's flesh, and they will applaud and love you for that. And you, you may begin to love them for that. The gods favor you. Red is the gods' color. You will need their help today. Ultimately, we're all dead men. Whatever comes out of these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Sadly, we cannot choose how, but we can decide how we meet that end, If we stay together, we survive. in order that we are remembered as men. All you do is kill, kill, kill. The crowd don't want a butcher, they want a hero. We want them to keep coming back. So don't just hack them to pieces,
remember you are an entertainer. Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you're here? Who is he? They call him the Spaniard, sire. Spaniard! Spaniard! Spaniard! Spaniard! I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. They honor you. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you'll win your freedom. I will win the crowd. I will give them something they've never seen before. Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them, and
they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom, and still they'll roar. Rome has changed. It takes an emperor to rule an empire. Of course, but leave the people their... illusions? Traditions. The beating heart of Rome
is not the marble of the Senate. It's the sand of the Colosseum. I will give the people a vision of
Rome, and they'll love me for it. He'll bring them death, and they will love him for it. I will give the people the greatest vision of their lives. Why doesn't the hero reveal himself
and tell us all your real name? You do have a name. My name is Gladiator. How dare you show your back to me? Slave! You will remove your helmet and tell me your name. My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix Legions, What would you have me do, Caesar? loyal servant to the true
emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. Are you ready to do your duty for Rome? Yes, Father. You will not be emperor. Which wiser, older man is to take my place? My powers will pass to Maximus Father. I would butcher the whole world, if you would only have loved me! What am I going to do with you? You simply won't die. Today I saw a slave become more
powerful than the emperor of Rome. And now they love Maximus for his mercy. So I can't just kill him, or it
makes me even more unmerciful. Fire. Are we so different, you and I? You take life when you have to, as I do. I have only one more life to take. Then it is done. It's somewhere out there. My home. Do you believe you'll see them again when you die? I think so. But then, I will die soon. They will not die for many years. I'll have to wait. But you would? Wait? Of course. My wife and my son are already waiting for me. You'll meet them again. But not yet. I knew a man once, a noble man. A man of principle who loved my father, and my father loved him. Maximus. This man served Rome well. He knows too well how to manipulate the mob. Marcus Aurelius had a dream that was Rome, Proximo. This is not it. This is not it! Once all of Rome is yours , you'll
just give it back to the people? Tell me why. Because that was the last wish of a dying man. I will kill Commodus. The fate of Rome I leave to you. He is defying you. His every victory is an act of defiance.
The mob sees this, and so do the Senate. Marcus Aurelius trusted you. His daughter trusts you. I will trust you. I'm Maximus, the savior of Rome! Maximus. Maximus. They call for you. The general General. who became a slave. Spaniard, Spaniard. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. A striking story. Now the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do. There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus Aurelius. Go to them. Now we are free. I will see you again. You're home. But not yet. Not yet.
