The shared Rocky and Creed movie franchise would have been very different if Sylvester Stallone didn’t kill off Apollo Creed in his 1985 sequel Rocky IV. As Stallone prepares the upcoming director’s cut of the film, entitled Rocky Vs. Drago, the action icon shared on social media that he regrets his decision for Apollo (Carl Weathers) to die in the ring at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). If Stallone could do it all over again, Apollo would have survived the film and the flashy ex-champion would have ended up wheelchair-bound. This would have drastically altered the course of the franchise, including Michael B. Jordan’s heavily praised modern entries.
Thanks to Carl Weathers’ charismatic performances, Apollo Creed became one of the most beloved and multidimensional characters in the Rocky films. As the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo handpicked Rocky Balboa for a shot at the title—despite being an unknown slugger from Philadelphia—just because he liked Rocky’s nickname, the “Italian Stallion”. Creed was humiliated when the untested Balboa went 15 rounds with the champ, setting up the rematch in Rocky II which Apollo lost. When Balboa suffered his own humiliation at the hands of Clubber Lang (Mr. T) and tragically lost his mentor in Rocky III, Apollo stepped in to train his ex-rival himself and instill the “eye of the tiger” in his former rival. The Balboa-Creed alliance proved unbeatable, as Rocky regained the world title, but Apollo’s own pride forced him to face Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and the towering Russian killed him during their fight.
With the benefit of more than 35 years of hindsight, Sylvester Stallone is adamant that writing out Apollo Creed and losing Carl Weathers’ star power was a mistake that hurt the Rocky franchise in the long run. Stallone made two more movies in 1990 and 2006 before the saga was rebooted with Creed in 2015, with a much older Rocky now serving as the mentor to Apollo’s son Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan. Both returned in 2018 for Creed II, which saw Adonis fight the son of the man who killed his father. Stallone believes that if he hadn’t made the decision to kill off Apollo, the remaining entries in the franchise would have played out very differently, and it’s likely that the Creed films may not have happened at all.
How Rocky IV Would Have Been Different If Apollo Lived
![How Rocky (& Creed) Would Be Different If Stallone Didn’t Kill Apollo](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Training-Montage-Rocky-IV.jpg)
Apollo Creed surviving the beating Ivan Drago administered wouldn’t have changed the broad strokes of Rocky Balboa’s actions in Rocky IV. Balboa would have still felt the need to avenge his best friend, and would have still likely surrendered the heavyweight title in order to face Drago in their unsanctioned Christmas Day fight in Moscow, Russia. It’s possible that instead of Adrian (Talia Shire) arriving in Russia late to inspire Rocky, it could have been Apollo himself to arrive and give his old rival the extra boost he needed.
As mentioned, if he had the chance to go back and make changes to the film’s script, Stallone would have left Creed paralyzed rather than dead. That means Apollo might have remained in the hospital, or in his home, to recuperate and watch Rocky avenge him on the television. If the former champ did manage to make his way to ringside, it likely would have changed how Drago behaved in his fight against Rocky. Perhaps he would have taunted Apollo, giving the “Italian Stallion” an opening to chop the Russian down and knock him out. It’s possible Stallone may also have downplayed or even dropped Rocky IV‘s jingoistic “USA vs. Russia” rhetoric in favor of focusing on Rocky and Apollo’s brotherhood.
Changes To Rocky V If Apollo Have Lived
![Rocky And Tommy Gunn in Rocky V](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Rocky-And-Tommy-Gunn-in-Rocky-V.jpg)
Unlike its predecessor, Rocky V would have been completely different had Apollo lived, because Creed would have more than likely been an integral part of the film. Carl Weathers’ involvement may have even changed the critically panned film for the better. Sylvester Stallone’s dislike of Rocky V is publicly known, but with Apollo back in the picture it’s quite possible that the film’s storyline—which follows Balboa as he trains Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison), who ultimately betrays him—might never have happened, in favor of a renewed focus on Rocky and Apollo’s friendship.
Rocky was diagnosed with brain damage after the Drago fight and this plot point might have remained so that both Rocky and Apollo would have been physically and emotionally dealing with the aftermath of surviving Ivan Drago. Rocky V with Apollo in the mix could have explored both beloved characters facing forced retirement, and the toll that takes on two warriors who were born to fight. How this version would end in a traditional Rocky movie fight isn’t clear, unless Tommy Gunn does get involved and somehow causes a rift between Balboa and Creed. Stallone also feels that the Balboa family would have “embraced” Apollo, but Creed also has his own family as well and exploring the Balboas and the Creeds might have been the direction Rocky V could have gone.
What Would Rocky VI Be Like If Apollo Lived?
![Rocky Balboa](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Rocky-Balboa.jpg)
In 2006’s Rocky Balboa, the titular boxing legend was coping with the fact that he still had “stuff in the basement” that he could only exorcise with one final fight, in an attempt to prove to others—and himself—that he still had what it takes. Further, Rocky’s personal drama was coping with the death of Adrian and his estrangement from how grown son, Robert (Milo Ventimiglia). Since this was an exploration of how an older Rocky is coping with loss and reassessing his own self-worth, it’s reasonable to assume Stallone could have kept the film largely the same but with a big difference—Apollo Creed could have returned to train Rocky for his last fight ever with Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver).
In Rocky Balboa, it’s Duke (Tony Burton), Apollo’s former mentor, who comes back to train Rocky. Apollo taking that role instead would have been even more poignant, especially in regards to what opinions Creed would have about the aging brawler facing the current heavyweight champion of the world. Apollo might have thought Balboa was crazy—but then he always thought so—while secretly being envious that his old rival was getting a final chance to prove himself against Mason “The Line” Dixon. Rocky’s last chance would have been Apollo’s as well, and with Balboa and Creed working together one last time, the film’s crowd-pleasing nostalgia factor would have gone through the roof.
Would The Creed Movies Have Happened If Apollo Lived?
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Sylvester Stallone believes that if he didn’t kill off Apollo in Rocky IV, the Creed movies might not have happened at all. However, it’s likely that Creed was too good an idea not to make. Creed deftly melded Rocky nostalgia while modernizing the franchise around a younger fighter, played by one of Hollywood’s brightest rising stars at the time. If Apollo had lived through all of the Rocky movies, the first question Creed would have had to answer is whether Apollo is still alive or if he died before the events of the spinoff series. If it’s the latter, then the movie could have happened mostly the same way, with the biggest change to Creed being when Apollo died and how it affected Adonis if he knew his father growing up.
However, if Carl Weathers as Apollo joined Sylvester Stallone as Rocky in Creed, it would have made the film even more dynamic. Perhaps Apollo refuses to train his son, which makes the younger Creed seek out Rocky Balboa as his mentor. Imagine how much better of a fighter Adonis Creed would be if he mastered his father’s sweet science as well as Rocky’s hard-hitting counter punching. Perhaps the movie could have begun with an older Apollo passing away, setting the stage for his son to go into the family business somehow. There’s a multitude of ways Stallone and company could have reworked the film to make it work.
Since Creed II involved Ivan Drago returning with his own son, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), Apollo’s presence could have made the film more of a must-see, as the aging legend came face-to-face with the man who nearly killed him 33 years earlier. Apollo’s fear that Adonis could suffer the same fate or worse, potentially effecting his relationship with Rocky in the process, would have punched up Creed II‘s drama to the max. Ultimately, Sylvester Stallone is right that the Rocky movie franchise took a big hit when he killed off Apollo Creed, and the latter Rocky and Creed movies may have been even better if the “Count of Monte Fisto” and the “Master of Disaster” himself had been a part of them all.
Key Release Dates
Creed 3
Release Date:2023-03-03