The teaser for Rocky IV sees Ivan Drago giving more of an insight into himself than the movie ever allows him. Rocky IV is often considered something of a black sheep of the series, which isn’t due to its quality – it’s wildly entertaining – but because it’s so different stylistically. It’s a 1980s movie through and through, from its visuals to its many, MANY montage sequences. The story sees Rocky face off with Dolph Lundgren’s towering Russian boxer Ivan Drago after the latter killed Rocky’s friend Apollo Creed in the ring.
Following the glittering excuss of Rocky IV, every subsequent entry – including the Creed movies – would dial things back and maintain a more grounded feel. Even Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote and directed the 1985 sequel, is returning to the project with an upcoming director’s cut with the title Rocky Vs Drago. This new cut will remove cheesier elements like Paulie’s Robot while adding brand new footage and re-editing key scenes.
Ivan Drago is one of the most iconic villains of the series, with the film being Dolph Lundgren’s real acting debut following a wordless appearance in Bond adventure A View To A Kill. Drago towered over Rocky in every meaning of the word, with the character basically being a walking metaphor for the Soviet Union. Drago only has about nine lines in Rocky IV, and outside of exclaiming to his puppet masters “I fight to win, for me. For me!” in the finale, little insight is really gained into the man himself. Surprisingly, the movie’s teaser sheds more light on Drago.
Rocky IV’s teaser trailer sees Ivan Drago talking about himself, and how after he defeats Rocky, the world will come to know his name. It’s an excellent trailer that does the duel task of building hype without really spoiling anything. While Lundgren’s accent is a tad ropey, it offers an intriguing glimpse into Drago by the man himself, who is basically a monosyllabic machine in the final movie.
Little was revealed about Drago’s post-fight life following Rocky IV, though given his high-profile defeat, it would be easy to imagine he wasn’t looked on kindly in the Soviet Union. Creed 2 decided to bring the character back, acting as a trainer to his boxer son Viktor as he prepares to fight Apollo’s son Adonis Creed. The sequel successfully brought back the iconic villain while finally humanizing him, and showing that beneath the harsh exterior there was a man crushed by his own “failure” and who wants his son to surpass him.