Xerxes finally reaches a cave and bathes in an otherworldly liquid, emerging as the 8-foot tall 'God-King'.

Darius's naval commander, Artemisia, claims that Darius' last words were, in fact, a challenge and sends Xerxes on a journey through the desert. Darius's son, Xerxes, witnesses his father's death and is advised to not continue the war since 'only the gods can defeat the Greeks'. Queen Gorgo of Sparta tells her men about the Battle of Marathon, in which King Darius of Persia was killed by General Themistocles of Athens ten years earlier. It grossed over $337 million worldwide from a $110 million budget. The film was released to mixed reviews, with critics praising the action sequences, music, cinematography, visual effects and Green's performance but criticizing the story and overstylized gore. The film's score was composed by Junkie XL, being the first film in an ongoing partnership with Snyder. It was released in 3D and IMAX 3D on March 7, 2014. The cast includes Lena Headey, Peter Mensah, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Andrew Pleavin, and Rodrigo Santoro reprising their roles from the first film, alongside Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Hans Matheson, and Callan Mulvey. It is a sequel to the 2007 film 300, taking place before, during, and after the main events of that film, and is loosely based on the Battle of Artemisium and the Battle of Salamis. 300: Rise of an Empire is a 2014 American epic action film directed by Noam Murro from a screenplay by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, Xerxes.

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