Its no secret that the emperors in Ridley Scotts epic Gladiator series are off their chariots, to say the least. Joaquin Phoenix’s emperor in the first Gladiator was absolutely mad, and in Gladiator II, twins Geta and Caracalla are equally unhinged. According to Scott, though, thats not just a plot device to serve the story; instead, he says theres a very real historical reason that those in power are what he calls so “f**king crazy.”