AHC: Lepidus takes power from the Second Triumvirate

So, according to most historians both ancient and modern, it was really only Antony and Octavian who had any chance at coming out on top of the power struggles that took place after Caesar's death and the defeat of the conspirators. Lepidus, the third member of the Triumvirate, was seen as somewhat unintelligent or unlucky by comparison, and thus is seen as having been written out of the narrative from an early point.

However, is there any way for Lepidus to come out on top of the Third Triumvirate? Perhaps Agrippa dies young and/or Antony isn't weakened by the Parthian campaign, resulting in a longer war between Octavian and Antony driving the people of Rome away from both of them? Can Lepidus use his office of Pontifex Maximus to his advantage in the same way as Caesar? Is there any way for him to ally with Sextus Pompey, and does/would doing so help him? How does Lepidus restructure the Republic, and is it as successful at preventing civil war as the Principate?
 
There was a lot of stuff Lepidus could have done to increase his power, hold onto Spain, take hold of things in Italy, stir trouble for Octavian, ally with Sextus, defeat Sextus on his own, seize Gaul as Octavian did etc. He could have done all of that, but he didn’t, becuase he was the person he was, weak, indecisive, petty, indolent and unpopular. You want Lepidus to gain more power? You’d have to turn Lepidus into someone else, there’s a reason why Octavian never even bothered to have him killed, he wasn’t worth the effort.
 
I think you need to take away Octavian first... With Octavian dead and Antony in Orient, Lepidus has the way open for becoming the first man in Rome and likely he was smarter and more able than we give him credit today (but neither him and Antony were equipped for going against a master of propaganda like Octavian)
 
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