For the first time in 47 years, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) wasn’t in his own franchise, but fans lamenting the absence of The Italian Stallion in Creed 3 shouldn’t write off a return in Creed 4 – after all, his story has ended three times before in other Rocky movies. Creed 3 saw Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) take on his fiercest challenger yet in Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a former childhood friend turned contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. For the first time in two Creed films, Rocky wasn’t in his protégé’s corner, and Donnie had to fight the man he once considered a brother alone.
Creed 3 was about letting the past die and looking to the future, and while some fans aren’t getting their hopes up for Stallone returning as Rocky in Creed 4, the movie leaves a couple of ways to complete his arc in the future. After not attending the funeral of Donnie’s adoptive mother (and Apollo Creed’s wife) Mary Anne, as well as not appearing at Donnie’s side when he retired, it would take something meaningful to get Rocky to come back. However, looking at the way Rocky’s story has ended in past Rocky films only to come back swinging shows the temerity and fighting spirit of Philadelphia’s most famous underdog.
Rocky V Seemingly Ended Rocky Balboa’s Story For Good
Like Adonis begins Creed 3, Rocky is recently retired in Rocky V, but unlike that film, he’s not living in the lap of Los Angeles luxury. The Italian Stallion is on hard times, but he’s able to stage a comeback by taking boxing maverick Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) under his wing and repairing the precarious relationship he has with his bullied son Robert (Sage Stallone). While Rocky 5 is considered the franchise’s worst movie due to poor creative choices like Tommy turning on Rocky, and turning Mickey into an apparition, it nevertheless endeavors to give Rocky a fitting sendoff full of the same heart that has always defined him.
In the movie’s final moments, after Rocky has beaten Tommy in a back alley brawl and regained some integrity in the eyes of his son, Rocky and Robert climb the famous Rocky Steps to look at his statue. In the shadow of his legacy, Rocky gives the boy his Rocky Marciano (the boxer on whom Rocky is based) cuff link, a token from his old trainer, signifying the importance his son now has in his life. With his fighting days behind him and a desire to redirect all of his boxing energy into the relationship with his family, it seems like a solid way to end Rocky’s story for good.
Rocky Balboa Gave Sylvester Stallone’s Franchise A Great Ending
After Rocky V, Rocky Balboa gave Rocky an ending worthy of Stallone’s career, even if it did come sixteen years later. Rocky returns to the ring after being retired, hoping to prove that despite his age he’s still got what it takes, not unlike Stallone himself. His quest becomes particularly moving as his loved ones begin to pass away, including his beloved wife Adrian and his brother-in-law Paulie, leaving him to face his most brutal and undefeated opponent – time. In a way, Rocky Balboa’s feel-good ending with the champ back on top against the much younger Mason “the Line” Dixon (Antonio Tarver) is the perfect way to ring Rocky’s bell.
Not only is Rocky Balboa considered a better movie than Rocky V, but it’s also considered on par with the original Rocky for showcasing one of Stallone’s best performances of the character he’s helped mold and shape for more than half his life. Rocky Balboa was nearly Stallone’s final film, but as Rocky says in the film, “it’s about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward,” so The Italian Stallion returned for a seventh installment in the franchise, Creed. In that spinoff of the Rocky franchise, Rocky seeks redemption for his involvement in Apollo Creed’s death by helping his son Adonis become the next champ.
Creed II Was Another Fitting Conclusion For Rocky’s Story
After training Donnie to victory in Creed, Rocky returns for Creed 2, and it seems like Rocky might finally be down for the count. At this point, Rocky has already battled cancer, but he can’t let Apollo’s son face Viktor Drago, the son of the man who killed Apollo in the ring, alone. This time, it’s not just Donnie giving the Drago family payback but Rocky too, who can’t forgive his Rocky IV opponent. Ironically, it isn’t Adonis who beats Viktor on skill alone but the actions of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lungren), who realizes that ego and glory aren’t worth his son being killed in the ring.
Creed 2 ends with Ivan and Viktor training together for fun and not fame in Ukraine, while Rocky visits Vancouver and makes amends with his once again estranged son, Robert. The pair reconcile enough for Robert to introduce his father to his grandson, Logan, and it seems like finally, the Balboa family might have a chance at peace. The Rocky franchise leaves its titular character understanding that his family is his greatest legacy, even if he forgot it along the way, while Adonis carries on the Creed legacy with a family of his own.
Will Rocky Balboa Return In Creed 4?
Despite Rocky’s story ending on a positive note in Creed 2, and the fact that he wasn’t involved in Creed 3, there are still a few ways Stallone can return in Creed 4 if he and Jordan choose to collaborate again. Stallone has publicly made comments denouncing the darker turn that Creed 3 took and indicating that if Creed 4 continued with such themes, he wouldn’t want Rocky to be part of something anathema to what he feels the franchise stands for, but there’s an even deeper caveat to his participation. Producer Irvin Winkler has owned the rights to Rocky for 47 years, causing Stallone no end of distress.
At this point in his career, Stallone is holding any future appearances as Rocky ransom until Winkler relinquishes the rights, and draws his line in the sand with his explanation for Rocky missing from Creed 3 as a means to instigate a way to eventually pass the rights on to his children. Speaking to SiriusXM, Stallone stated, “Now if Michael B. Jordan, if we come up with a story, I’ll do Creed 4 with him, as long as the other fella’s not involved.” At this point, Stallone and Rocky’s legacies are very much intertwined, and it will take a meaningful gesture on Winkler’s part to get him to come back.
Why Rocky Should Return In Creed 4
Rocky should return in Creed 4 if Stallone still feels like the character has something significant to contribute, especially since he created Rocky Balboa and deserves to say when he’s hanging up his gloves rather than be killed offscreen. Coming back to the franchise would also mean that he’d somehow, against the odds, succeeded in getting the Rocky rights, or otherwise come to a compromise because of the promise of the theoretical movie’s story. It’s possible that Creed 4 is already leaving Rocky in the past, particularly if it chooses to focus on Diamond Dame as the new protagonist, but that doesn’t mean Rocky doesn’t warrant more than a cameo.
If Rocky 7 can’t get made, particularly with Stallone’s hectic streaming schedule between Tulsa King and his upcoming reality show, then Rocky should come back in Creed 4. There’s something inherently exciting about knowing that it would mean a victory for Stallone, who has become so synonymous with his underdog hero that fans can’t help but want to see him triumph. With it clear Stallone would still be willing to extend the role, the idea of him returning to the franchise is one that could benefit the larger Rocky franchise in a lot of ways.
