Gladiator II, the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning film, hits theaters later this fall. Of course, some of the branded merch has been revealed, including a popcorn bucket and cup shaped like the iconic gladiator mask from the 2000 film that grossed over $400 million worldwide at the box office.

However, the popcorn bucket recently generated an online dust-up. MF Doom fans have reacted strongly to the Gladiator II popcorn bucket that looks strikingly similar to the late rapper’s distinctive metal mask, which became part of his persona.

The Gladiator II popcorn bucket and cups were revealed on October 8 to tease the movie’s November 22 release.

People immediately took to social media and started comparing it to MF Doom’s iconic mask, with comments like: “The Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket doubles as a MF DOOM mask,” “I can’t unsee MF Doom in the new Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket” and “MF Doom’s estate should get a cut of this.”

One commenter even quipped: “They got MF Doom in the new Gladiator?” (MF Doom passed away on October 31, 2020, at age 49.)

The Real Story Behind the Mask

Many fans of MF Doom or Gladiator might not realize that the mask worn by Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus, in the original film actually inspired the rapper’s iconic look.

In a recently resurfaced interview by Daniel Ma on Nerdtorious.com, conducted around the release of MF Doom’s sixth album Born Like This, the rapper explained how the film inspired his iconic mask:

“You know the movie Gladiator? Well around that time, they started selling these ‘gladiator masks’ that were replicas from the movie. So, what it was is that a friend of mine told me he saw this mask that would be perfect for the DOOM character. I trusted him, even though it was kinda expensive.

“…There was this top piece on it, too, that my friend just tore off. He took off the stick and everything else and just kept the faceplate. You know how construction hats have a plastic thing on the inside that you can tighten? Well, he just took one of those and fastened it to the mask. So, he rigged it up for me. Since then, I chromed it out, added a ruby to it, too. That’s how the mask came about.”

Smart Hype or Taking a Chance?

Overall, MF Doom’s fans might have been slightly bewildered by the Gladiator II popcorn bucket, but then had fun with the promo item on social media.

One MF Doom fan posted on X: “I thought this was an MF Doom promo.” Another wrote: “Absolutely 0% people buying this for the Gladiator and 100% people buying this for MF Doom.”


Although the original Gladiator film inspired MF Doom, this serves as a reminder for distributors and marketers creating merchandise for musicians, films or other brands. Before producing items or wearables, it’s a smart idea to research likenesses, images and phrases for copyrights or trademarks to avoid infringing on someone else’s intellectual property.

Although the need to protect IP isn’t called into play until someone infringes on it, suppliers, distributors, decorators and business service providers should keep an eye on the market to remain vigilant. For example, suppliers are urged to file a patent application before public disclosure.

RELATED: New Ruling Could Make Design Patents Harder To Obtain

“If you wait to file, you may waive your rights or limit the remedies,” said Justin Miller, Esq., a patent attorney with Larson & Larson, at the 2019 PPAI Product Responsibility Summit.

  • In a landmark legal victory for the promo industry in 2018, a federal court jury ruled in favor of ETS Express after the supplier was sued for alleged trademark infringement by Can’t Live Without It, LLC, dba S’well Bottle.

Of course, this crossover might get even more people to the box office when Gladiator II comes out.