Gladiator is a graphic with movie more than one character acting out of revenge, but a revenge connected to love. This strange aspect of the storyline is an example of why this movie is excellent. The first account of this confusing concept is in the beginning of the movie by the hands of Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. The scene takes place in the Roman camp after the decisive victory against the Germanic tribes. Marcus Aurelius is breaking the news to Commodus, his son and heir, that he is unfit to rule. Commodus becomes and emotional tells is father how all he wanted was his love and approval. He then embraces his father and suffocates him while doing so. The action is Commodus taking immediate action so that he may become emperor, but it was not painless for him. All of the drama within this scene is why love becomes an unexpected motive in a murder. One might argue that Commodus kills his father out of hate and not love, but his words on how he just wanted to make his father proud prove otherwise.

The second account of a character seeking revenge because of a love interest is Maximus in the rest of the film. Two scenes in particular stand out in their ability to show love in his revenge. The first being when Maximus returns to his home to find his wife and son brutally murdered by Commodus' command. Maximus is completely devastated and no longer wishes to live himself. We know from earlier in the film that all Maximus wanted was to go home to his farm and family. Now that Commodus has taken everything that Maximus knew and loved he seeks vengeance. Although he may have made the decision get revenge shortly after in the film, this scene sets the stage for why he must fight.

 The next scene is when Maximus is having a heartfelt discussion with his gladiator ally Juba, played by Djimon Hounsou. Their talk consist of sharing who their families are and how much they miss them. The two of them believe that they will be reunited with their families after death. Juba states that he will die much sooner than his loved ones, but he is willing wait for them. After this, Maximus then mentions that his wife an son are already waiting for him. Juba tells Maximus he will meet them again, but not yet. The statement is clearly alluding to the fact that Maximus still has a job to do and his family is with him every step of the way.