What if there was no Marcus Aurelius? The earliest signs of the decay of the Roman Empire start with him, due to the amount of wars fought by him and the plague that happened to occur during his reign. Who would gain the throne if he didn't?
What I want to know:
-Would the new Emperor accelerate, slow, or prevent the roman decline?
-What would be their response to the plague?
-What would be their stance on early Christianity and Judaism?
-What would be their response to the revitalized Persian empire that Aurelius defeated OTL?
-Would they continue the pattern of the "five good emperors" or would they similarly bring that period to an end?