Warning: Spoilers ahead for Gladiator 2!Pedro Pascal portrays General Marcus Acacius in Gladiator 2's cast list. While he's had a steady acting career for years, Pascal gained notoriety after his stint portraying Prince Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. From there, he became a pivotal figure in shows like Narcos, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us.

Pascal also acquired roles in both the DCEU and MCU, thanks to Wonder Woman 1984 and his Pedro Pascal's 2025 releases.

General Marcus Acacius' Death In Gladiator 2 Explained

Pedro Pascal's Character Didn't Survive The Events Of Gladiator 2

Before General Acacius could carry out his rescue of Lucius, he and his loyal ers were captured and accused of treason. With Macrinus' grand plan in Gladiator 2, Denzel Washington's character convinced the emperors to "let the gods decide" what to do with Acacius by putting him in a gladiator fight against Lucius, his stepson. At this point, Lucius was still hellbent on avenging his wife's death at the hands of Acacius, in addition to his stewing hatred pointed toward Rome's rulers.

While fighting Lucius in the Colosseum after being deemed a traitor, Acacius didn't intend to kill his stepson, so he backed off a bit while trying to get his true motives across to Lucius. The star gladiator bested his opponent and was ordered to kill Acacius. When Lucius refused to finish the job, the Praetorian Guard stepped in to execute Pascal's Acacius, shooting him with numerous arrows from all directions while Lucilla watched on in horror.

Pedro Pascal's Gladiator 2 Fate Continues A Character Death Trend

Pedro Pascal's Characters Have Been Dying Since 1999

General Acacius certainly wasn't the villain that Lucius thought he was. In fact, the men had similar views of Rome, but Gladiator 2 didn't give Lucius and Acacius any chance of working together. Sadly, Acacius' Gladiator 2 fate continues Pedro Pascal's unfortunate character death trend, which has been going on for the past 25 years. From small guest appearances to prominent roles, Pascal's characters keep dying on screen.

For fans of Pedro Pascal, it's safe to assume that the characters he plays might not last long. To date, Pascal has portrayed 10 characters in movies and TV shows that featured an on-screen death. Not only was his first on-screen death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer after his character turned into a vampire, but Pascal's first movie death coincidentally occurred in Bloodsucking Bastards, which featured Pascal as a vampire. The actor will next appear in The Last of Us season 2, so anyone familiar with the story direction will have an idea of whether or not the death trend will continue.

General Acacius' Death In Gladiator 2 Repeats What Happened To Pedro Pascal In Game Of Thrones

Pascal's Game Of Thrones Character Died In A 2014 Episode

Oddly enough, Pedro Pascal's demise as General Acacius in Gladiator 2 was not the first time one of his characters was killed in an arena. In 2014, Pascal's Game of Thrones character, Prince Oberyn Martell, was killed in an arena during a duel. The Game of Thrones season 4 episode "The Mountain and the Viper" saw Tyrion Lannister's trial by combat turn into a duel between Oberyn and The Mountain. Oberyn's Game of Thrones death had much in common with Pascal's Gladiator 2 fate, except Acacius wasn't killed by his competitor.

"Gladiator 2 included a different kind of twist when it came to Pascal's character death with Lucius' reluctance to execute Acacius in the arena."

The Mountain got the better of Oberyn with immense strength, gouging the man's eyes out of his crushed skull in one of Game of Thrones' most brutal deaths. Before that, however, Oberyn seriously injured The Mountain with a poison-laced spear. Interestingly, Gladiator 2 included a different kind of twist when it came to Pascal's character death with Lucius' reluctance to execute Acacius in the arena. Either way, it still ended with a dead Pedro Pascal character. Here's hoping that Pascal survives in The Mandalorian & Grogu and The Fantastic Four.