10 Villains Who Were Completely Screwed By Movie Adaptations

8. Commodus -€“ Gladiator

The villain of Ridley Scott's Gladiator is an incestuous, daddy killing monster, vain to the extreme, sexually deviant and utterly amoral.

In the hands of Joaquin Phoenix, Commodus is animalistic, repellent and grotesque €“ the ultimate counterpoint to both Russell Crowe's virtue and the quiet poise of his on screen father Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris.)

Not content with attempting to kill General Maximus out of jealousy, he also kills the Spaniard's wife and son, tries to seduce his sister, kills his lovely old man, and then when he finally gives Maximus the opportunity to get his revenge, he delivers a slow-burning fatal wound designed to ensure his own victory in the arena.

The Truth

Though he did make a habit of stabbing opponents before battles in the expensive games he set up, Commodus wasn't half as bad as Phoenix's version. Crucially, he didn't snuff out his dear old dad, who actually had a heart attack, and though he did spend way too much money on lavish gladiatorial games, he didn't attempt to diddle his siblings (of which he had 12.)

Commodus actually co-ruled with his father, from a very young age, and he was educated as a scholar, rather than a warrior, as Ridley Scott imagined, and while he was definitely a bad leader - hating piffling things like administration and intelligent leadership - he was popular with the army and common folk.

His vilification largely ignores the fact that Commodus was more likely just badly suited to being Caesar, and reimagines him as a malevolent, consciously evil figure driven by perceived inadequacy and jealousy, as well as a dark undercurrent of animalism, both in terms of his lack of morals and his sexual appetite.

There's also very little evidence that he indulged in Miley Cyrus like tongue antics.