Ridley Scott’s Gladiator famously kills off Maximus (Russell Crowe) at the end, but the original plan for the ending was very different. The pivotal 2000 historical drama follows the betrayed general, Maximus, on a quest for revenge against Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the usurper emperor of Rome, who murdered his wife and son. Maximus rises up as the most popular gladiator in the Roman Empire, winning the love of the people and setting him on a collision course with the man who took everything from him.

https://screenrant.com/gladiator-movie-maximus-death-ridley-scott-reason/