Summary

• Themistocles proves himself a great leader in 300: Rise of an Empire, drawing inspiration from historical events like the Battle of Salamis.
• Despite being evenly matched, Themistocles ultimately gains the upper hand in his final battle against Artemisia, killing her in self-defense.
• With Queen Gorgo's help, Themistocles leads the Greek army against the Persians after Artemisia's death, ending the film on a victorious note.

300: Rise of an Empire tells the story of the Greek army commander Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) in his battle against Artemisia (Eva Green) and the Persian army. Throughout the film, Themistocles proves to be a great fighter and leader. His skills are significant enough that some even question if he is part god, to which he never gives an outright answer. While the film draws inspiration from historical events like the Battle of Salamis, it takes liberties with the narrative for dramatic effect. These cinematic differences mean leaving Themistocles' fate open-ended, allowing for interpretation rather than strict adherence to historical s.

300: Rise of an Empire is the sequel to Snyder’s hit 300 from several years prior. However, unlike traditional sequels, this film has storylines concurrent with its prequel. Though fans of the genre received the movie well, it is often considered not as good as its original. 300: Rise of an Empire tried to rival 300: Rise of an Empire's returning characters, specifically comparing Themistocles to King Leonidas, the hero of 300. Themistocles is often perceived as more calculated and placid, lacking the compelling fervor attributed to Leonidas. Despite this, Themistocles is still a powerful character in both fiction and real life.

Themistocles Kills Artemisia At The End Of 300: Rise Of An Empire

Though Evenly Matched, Themistocles Finally Gets The Upper Hand

Themistocles' main antagonist throughout the film is Artemisia, a highly-skilled warrior trained under the Persian King Darius the Great. Themistocles reveals that he dedicated his entire adult life to preparing for battles against Persia, specifically against Artemisia, in defense of Greece. With their duels and battle tactics, it is clear that Themistocles and Artemisia are comparable fighters. In their brief face-to-face meetings, they openly acknowledge each other's capabilities. In one moment, as Artemisia holds Themistocles at swordpoint, he suggests that she values his life because he is her only worthy adversary. This statement gives her pause, conceding to its truth.

The two are so evenly matched throughout their final battle that neither Themistocles nor Artemisia can gain the upper hand. In one drawn-out moment, they each have a sword to the throat of the other in a stalemate. After cornering Artemisia and giving her one last chance to surrender and order her ships to disengage, Themistocles emerges victorious. In self-defense, he plunges his sword through her gut, killing her. Artemisia drops to her knees, reflecting the Greek army’s anti-slavery sentiment repeated throughout the film, “We chose to die on our feet, rather than live on our knees!”

Themistocles Helped Lead The Greek Army Against The Persians After Artemisia's Death

Queen Gorgo And The Greek Army Arrive As Reinforcement

During their final battle, Themistocles and Artemisia noticed the arrival of the Grecian fleet led by Queen Gorgo. While the Greeks gained reinforcements, the Persian army was left without a skilled leader after Artemisia's death. After he kills Artemisia, Queen Gorgo s Themistocles, helping him fight the Persians. Though Queen Gorgo’s fighting skills are only briefly shown in the film, she is a competent warrior who works well with Themistocles. The two of them kill several opponents in the last shot of the film.

300: Rise of an Empire was originally titled Xerxes, then 300: The Battle of Artemisia.

300: Rise of an Empire ends on a cliffhanger, with the battle still raging as the film concludes. It is implied the Greeks will win the war, as their reinforcements arrived and the leader of the Persian army dead. In this final scene, Themistocles is no longer directing his army alone but is now assisted by the queen, the ruler of Greece after her husband King Leonidas’s death. The film's last shot shows Themistocles approaching the camera and yelling a battle cry, as if to defeat the audience as well.

What Happened to The Real Themistocles After The Battle Of Salamis

The Real Past Of Themistocles Is Unfortunate

In an attempt to make the film more cinematic for modern audiences, 300: Rise of an Empire and 300 contain historical inaccuracies and missing details. Like most on-screen battles, the fights in 300: Rise of an Empire are well-choreographed and spectacularly bloody. Despite this dramatization, the film does depict historical people and battles, specifically the Battle of Salamis. As shown in the movie, Themistocles was able to lure the Persian ships through the Straits of Salamis, damaging their vessels and marking a turning point for the Greek army in the war. After the battle seen in 300: Rise of an Empire, Themistocles returned to his position in Athenian politics.

After some time, Themistocles' ideas for Athenian protection and superiority alienated him from other Greek leaders. (via Britannica) This estrangement eventually led to his exile, where he traveled to Argos to seek refuge. The Spartans further ostracized him there, implicating him in a treasonous political plot and causing him to flee Greece entirely. Once settled in Anatolia, Themistocles began working for the Persian King Artaxerxes, a descendant of Xerxes the Great, who is depicted in 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire. He continued working for the Persian government until his death.

Though 300: Rise of an Empire lacked the box-office infamy of its predecessor, there have been Snyder might also be developing a 300 prequel show. In either case, it is clear that the franchise, which started in 2007, is still planning to expand. Given the parallel storytelling between the events in 300: Rise of an Empire and 300, it is likely any new content will touch on Themistocles's post-film actions and fate.