Both Gladiator and its sequel, Gladiator 2, center around the dream of Rome, begging the question of what exactly this dream entails. The dream of Rome is first mentioned by Marcus Aurelius in the first film, an ideal that is passed down to Gladiator‘s Maximus Decimus Meridius. The entire story of Maximus from this point hinges on two aspects: fulfilling Aurelius’ dream of Rome and avenging the deaths of his wife and son, both of which Maximus seemingly achieves by the time of Gladiator‘s ending.

https://screenrant.com/gladiator-2-dream-of-rome-explained/