1. Who is the BBT in Gladiator? Commodus isn’t introduced until after the first scene and its aftermath and isn’t revealed as an antagonist until he kills Marcus Aurelius (or at least until MA tells Maximus he will be leader over Commodus at which point it is implied). The beginning of the movie introduces Maximus the farmer vs Maximus the servant of Rome. Which is sort of the main conflict.

I feel link the Empire of Rome itself is the real BBT because it created Maximus having a duty to Rome, created slavery, created Commodus having entitlement to power/power/, created corruption, etc. With Commodus being a proxy, but it seems too messy. Any thoughts?

2. A song of ice and fire. I assume this falls outside of a normal structure being a series. But how does the BBT-emissary thing work here? We are introduced to the others/white walkers in the prologue and they look to be the eventual BBT. But how did they create the smaller antagonists in any way? How can Cersei or Tywin or Ramsay be emissaries of the white walkers when the white walkers haven’t been around for 1000 years and have nothing to do with them? The only possibility is there is a BBT above the white walkers responsible for all of this but then they have never been revealed. Basically how can we reconcile this series with the BBT rules?

Thanks!!

Right – it’s just having her be behind it all (while present) without showing her hand. After 23 years of reading mysteries, I finally find out it’s not as easy to write one!