The Gladiator not very tough

It's crazy action month in March, (maybe because of March Madness?) but, instead of basketball there's been a lot of violent movies on TV. It must have to do with one of the coolest ever made FINALLY being on Cinemax... 300!! They've shown Ben Hur, Fight Club, Braveheart, Die Hard, Spartacus, and Gladiator, with even Passion Cove :O But while watching these films, remembering how some of the main characters die, I have to think...Maximus kind of is a weakling. He of course is in Gladiator with Russel Crowe who won Best Actor and the movie won Best Picture to everyone's surprise and embarrassment, but I think it's a damn good movie. However, if you haven't seen the movie and want to, or, if you haven't seen any of these movies and want to I will give away some spoilers, so be careful! In any case, Maximus must fight his way to Rome, impress the crowd and exact revenge. When he does get the chance, he fights the Emperor Commodus. Before they fight Commodus stabs Maximus in the back, crippling his left arm, and maybe stabbing his lung, but not sure. After the fight, he's so weak from blood lose, even though they patched it up so no one could see the blood coming out, he still dies after the battle is over! O.o I mean come on... John McClane survived 4 movies!!! William Wallace was hanged, stretched, had his intestines taken out, and was STILL alive even before they chopped his head off. It took about 20 arrows to kill King Leonidas. Spartacus was hung up on a cross, so he died eventually, though you never really see it. Tyler Durden gets his brain blown out, but he was never real anyway... I forget if Ben Hur dies, but if he did, he could have survived a little stab to the back! It's a great movie, Gladiator, and a great ending (tears in my eyes everytime >.<) but one stab and he's stumbling around? Maybe if it was more obvious where he was stabbed, or if he was stabbed during the fight with Commodus because he was hurt, that would have made sense, but I guess I'll never know. I could probably try and think of other tough guy movies where the hero dies in a lot more appropriate way, but I don't want to say Russel Crowe isn't a tough guy :P