Some movie franchises have a special kind of villain. The heroes of the Star Wars saga are terrorized by Sith Lords. The heroes of The Matrix movies are tormented by Agents. And the hero of the Rocky franchise – and its spin-off Creed franchise – have to take on intimidating boxing opponents in each movie’s climactic fight.
Starting with Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa has faced such memorable villains as Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago over the years, while his protégé (and Apollo’s estranged son), Adonis Creed, has since faced a couple of unforgettable opponents of his own.
Tommy Gunn
Played by real-life boxer Tommy Morrison, Rocky V villain Tommy “The Machine” Gunn is characterized as the anti-Rocky. Much like Balboa himself, Gunn rises through the ranks as an underdog (under Rocky’s tutelage, no less). Gunn gets jealous of always being in Rocky’s shadow, which leads him to angrily challenge his aging mentor to an unofficial street fight in the finale.
While it doesn’t look good for Rocky, he manages to defeat his old protégé as the neighborhood cheers him on. Gunn is a one-dimensional character and Morrison gives an over-the-top performance, but he’s hateable enough for the final fight to feel like a triumphant victory.
Mason Dixon
Years after Rocky V seemingly killed the franchise, Sylvester Stallone returned to the role of the underdog boxer for Rocky Balboa, a sort of sequel-turned-reboot – or “requel,” as the new Scream movie termed it – about an older Rocky coming out of retirement past his prime to face up to a challenge.
That challenge is extended by Mason “The Line” Dixon, the current heavyweight champion of the world played by Antonio Tarver. As usual, Dixon challenges Rocky to a fight out of spite, because he doesn’t feel he gets the same respect that Rocky had when he held the same lucrative title.
Ricky Conlan
Tony Bellew’s casting as “Pretty” Ricky Conlan in the first Creed movie continues the Rocky V tradition of casting a real boxer as the opponent. The world’s light heavyweight champion, Conlan challenges young Adonis Creed to a boxing match because he doesn’t believe he can live up to his family name.
Conlan’s arrogance makes him easy to root against, and his insistence that Donnie is “a false Creed” creates an internal conflict that deals with Apollo’s iconic legacy (both on- and off-screen).
Clubber Lang
Despite having to live up to Carl Weathers’ unforgettable performance as Apollo Creed, Rocky’s opponent in the first two movies, Mr. T managed to make an icon out of Rocky III’s villain, James “Clubber” Lang. Lang is full of memorable one-liners that Mr. T knocks out of the park, like “I don’t hate Balboa – I pity the fool.”
After fighting Rocky in the last two movies, Apollo becomes a mentor in the third one. Rocky goes rogue in the final fight with a controversial rope-a-dope approach. He lets Lang beat him to a pulp and taunts him, which rattles Rocky’s opponent enough for him to get the upper hand with a brutal whirlwind of rapid punches.
Viktor Drago
In Creed II, Adonis takes on Viktor Drago, the son of the boxer who killed his father in the ring in Rocky IV. “Ivan Drago’s son fights Apollo Creed’s son” is a gimmicky premise that shouldn’t work at all – it’s like making a Batman, Jr. v Superman, Jr. movie – but, somehow, it works beautifully in the Creed sequel.
Florian Munteanu – now known to Marvel fans as the sinister machete-armed henchman Razor Fist from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – gives an unforgettable turn as Viktor, who proves to be just as relentless and intimidating as his dad.
Apollo Creed
Carl Weathers’ Apollo Creed is the first opponent that Rocky faced in a climactic fight scene. In the first movie, Apollo is a fading champion who challenges the underdog to a fight as a publicity stunt. Rocky doesn’t let the pressure get to him; he trains for his fight with Apollo with the same commitment and conviction that he brings to every fight. Ultimately, Rocky loses the climactic boxing match, but he’s embraced by Adrian. He doesn’t mind the failure because she loves him, which reinforces the central theme of the movie. This isn’t really a movie about boxing; it’s a love story.
Rocky and Apollo had a rematch in the sequel that culminated in a more glorious finale. They go for a few tiring rounds, both ready to pass out, and on the count of nine, Rocky just about manages to stumble to his feet while Apollo collapses from exhaustion. Rocky wins by knockout and becomes the new heavyweight champion: “Yo, Adrian – I did it!”
Ivan Drago
Dolph Lundgren’s bad guy from Rocky IV, Ivan Drago, is the series’ easiest villain to root against because he kills fan-favorite Apollo in the ring at the beginning of the movie. The death of Rocky’s nemesis-turned-mentor gives him a personal motivation to win the climactic fight against Drago.
Drago towers over Rocky. Lundgren is one of the only people in the world who could make Sylvester Stallone look small. In the traditional montage sequence, Rocky’s humble training in the woods is contrasted with Drago’s high-tech gym full of personal trainers.