Ridley Scott's extended cut of Gladiator makes Commodus into an even more sinister villain. In Gladiator, Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, memorably portrayed by Russell Crowe, is selected to succeed the dying Caesar Marcus Aurelius, only for Marcus to be murdered by his son Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who also has Maximus' wife and son executed. Phoenix's conniving and treacherous Commodus has gone down as one of the greatest villain performances of its era.
https://screenrant.com/gladiator-director-cut-commodus-improve/