Gladiator: Why Maximus Has A Wolf In Battle (& What Happened To It?)
Why does Russell Crowe's Maximus Decimus Meridius fight alongside a wolf in Gladiator, and what ultimately happens to the animal in Ridley Scott's movie? Arguably the most famous Roman Empire portrayal in modern cinema, plenty has been said about Gladiator's historical accuracy. In Hollywood terms, Gladiator is a relatively faithful portrayal of its chosen period, but many a historian has taken umbrage with Gladiator's laissez-faire attitude toward factual accuracy.
Historical fidelity (or the lack of it) doesn't stop Gladiator being a visual spectacle — and few sequences impress quite like the opening battle. Still a respected Roman General at this point, Maximus leads his army to victory against the local Germanic tribes — an impressive feat of strategy, even if he is conquering a vastly more rudimentary military. Throughout the battle, Maximus has a pet wolf running by his side, fighting fiercely like a four-legged soldier. Maximus is, of course, betrayed after the battle by Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus and barely escapes execution. His pet wolf, however, is nowhere to be seen. What happens to the creature, and why was Maximus taking one onto Germania's battlefield in the first place?
Related: Gladiator True Story & Historical Accuracy: How Much Really Happened
Dogs were among many varieties of pet Romans kept, but the wolf held special significance within the empire's culture. According to Roman mythology, the city was first founded by Romulus who, along with twin brother Remus, was born through divine intervention and saved by a she-wolf after the king ordered both boys killed. Due to the wolf's maternal role in Rome's origin, the creatures became symbolic of both loyalty to the empire, and of war, since Romulus and
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