The Rocky and Creed movies are full of iconic characters, but many of them are boxers, so are the 10 best characters who aren’t boxers, ranked. The Rocky franchise has spanned nine films as of the writing of this article, with the two series building up a massive world populated by all kinds of characters. However, Rocky and Creed are series about boxing, meaning that most of the characters who get focus are also boxers. Despite this, there are plenty of great characters who don’t box in the Rocky and Creed movies that deserve the spotlight, and here are the 10 best.
Starting with the 1976 original, the Rocky series has turned into a massive multimedia franchise that has lasted nearly five decades, with the series following up on the repercussions of Rocky Balboa’s original fight with Apollo Creed. Since Rocky went the distance in this final fight, all kinds of other Rocky stories have been told, with a spin-off series following Apollo’s son even becoming a big hit after it started with 2015’s Creed. There are plenty of great boxers in Rocky and Creed, with characters like Drago, Lang, and Anderson being some of the most remembered parts of the franchise. However, the series goes far deeper than its boxing characters.
10 Jacob “Stitch” Duran
First appeared in Rocky Balboa
Jacob “Stitch” Duran doesn’t get much development in the Rocky and Creed movies, but he is still one of the franchise’s best non-boxing characters. Stitch first appeared in Rocky Balboa as the cutman for Mason “The Line” Dixon, but by the time the first Creed movie rolled around, he had joined the Creed team. Stitch is one of the most important characters in the franchise, as his decision to cheat and tell Adonis how many fingers the referee was holding up allowed Adonis to stay in the fight. If he hadn’t kept Creed in the fight, the events of Creed II and Creed III simply wouldn’t have happened.
9 Ludmilla Drago
First appeared in Rocky IV
Ludmilla Drago is another incredibly interesting Rocky character who isn’t a boxer, as she is one of the franchise’s few unsympathetic villains. Drago starts out as the wife and promoter of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, but where she truly becomes interesting is Creed II. In Creed II, Ludmilla’s disapproval of her son is what motivated Viktor and Ivan throughout the film, with her reaction to the final fight being tragic. The upcoming Drago spin-off movie is sure to explore Ludmilla more, to the excitement of many Rocky fans.
8 Tony “Little Duke” Evers
First appeared in Creed
Tony “Little Duke” Evers is one of the trainers on Adonis’ team in the Creed movies, with him being an incredibly fun side character in the spin-off series. Evers is actually the son of Apollo Creed’s original trainer, Tony “Duke” Evers, with this connection making his dynamic with Adonis Creed incredibly interesting. Little Duke’s relationship with Adonis is bigger than ever before in Creed III, and hopefully he will continue to be developed in future installments.
7 Mary Anne Creed
First appeared in Creed
Mary Anne Creed is one of the longest-lasting Rocky characters, with her first appearing in Rocky and last appearing in Creed III. Mary Anne Creed is the wife of Apollo Creed and the mother of Adonis, with her playing a big role in Adonis’ arc in the Creed movies. Mary Anne Creed’s death in Creed III is one of the franchise’s most tragic moments, but her development as Adonis’ mother in the Creed trilogy sets her up as one of the series’ best non-boxing characters.
6 Robert Balboa Jr.
First appeared in Rocky II
Robert Balboa Jr. is the son of Rocky and Adrian, and while it took him a while, he soon became one of the franchise’s best characters. Robert (also known as Rocky Jr.) was notoriously hated by fans in earlier Rocky movies, with audiences specifically pointing out the flaws in his Rocky V storyline. However, Robert quickly redeemed himself when an adult incarnation was introduced in Rocky Balboa, with his relationship with his father being at the heart of the story. This strained relationship returned in Creed II, with Robert’s return at the end of the film being one of the franchise’s most heartwarming moments.
5 Paulie Pennino
First appeared in Rocky
Paulie Pennino is the brother of Adrian and one of Rocky’s best friends in the original Rocky series, with the lovable sidekick being another one of the franchise’s best characters. Paulie gets many of the best lines in the early movies, with his hilarity and warmth being greatly missed in the Creed films. Paulie’s actions in Rocky V severely hurt the character’s reputation, but it wasn’t enough to tarnish how much fun he was in the earlier Rocky films.
4 Bianca Creed
First appeared in Creed
Bianca Creed is the wife of Adonis Creed in the Creed series, and her romance with Adonis as well as her ambitions makes her another one of the best non-boxing characters. The story of a music producer going deaf is incredibly interesting on its surface, and the further each Creed movie goes into the story, the better her character gets. Bianca’s relationship with Adonis only gets stronger throughout the films, with their dynamic being one of the best parts of the series.
3 Mickey Goldmill
First appeared in Rocky
Mickey Goldmill is Rocky Balboa’s original trainer, and his importance to the franchise’s legacy will never be forgotten. While plenty of other trainers have appeared in the Rocky and Creed movies, none of them have been able to live up to Mickey, with his energy and attitude defining his character in the three films he appears in. Mickey’s death in Rocky III is the franchise’s first major death scene, establishing a tragic trend that has continued in the various sequels.
2 Amara Creed
First appeared in Creed II
Amara Creed is the daughter of Bianca and Adonis in the Creed movies, and Creed III quickly launched her up the ladder of the best non-boxing characters in Rocky and Creed. Amara is a deaf child who wants to grow up to be a boxer like her father, although this desire divides Bianca and Adonis in Creed III. However, Amara’s unwavering support of her father as well as how she handles her own struggles at school make her an incredibly interesting character, with the Amara Creed storyline possibly turning her into a boxer in the future of the Creed series.
1 Adrian Balboa
First appeared in Rocky
Out of all the non-boxing characters in Rocky and Creed, Adrian Balboa is by far the best. Adrian is the heart of the Rocky franchise, and if she were not in the original film, it is doubtful that it would have been successful enough to spawn the litany of sequels that it has. Adrian is developed throughout the first five Rocky movies, but it is incredibly hard to top her role in Rocky’s life in the first film. Adrian Balboa is a fantastic character, and her legacy is what makes her the best character in the Rocky and Creed movies.
rocky
- Release Date:
- 1976-11-21
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- Runtime:
- 2hr
Creed
- Release Date:
- 2015-11-25
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- Rating:
- PG-13
- Runtime:
- 2h 13m
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- Summary:
- A spinoff of the popular Rocky boxing drama franchise, Creed focuses on Adonis Johnson (Jordan), the son of Rocky Balboa’s (Stallone) rival-turned-friend Apollo Creed. Adonis, interested in becoming a championship fighter, travels to Philadelphia and asks Rocky to be his trainer.
- Budget:
- 75 million
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- Sequel(s):
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