Shortly after, Paulie passes away and Rocky's relationship with his son becomes strained due to Robert distancing himself from any contact with him, leaving him alone again. A few years later, he meets Adonis Creed, the illegitimate son of his old friend, Apollo Creed, who asks him to come train him.
Rocky also cares deeply about his son, Robert, with whom he has a difficult relationship since Robert resents Rocky's fame and feels that he lives constantly in his father's shadow. Despite his son's standoffish attitude, Rocky works to overcome the obstacles between them.
Robert was born in Rocky II and supported his father in Rocky III and Rocky IV. The most notable evolution of their relationship came in Rocky V when they started to grow apart; this was the direct result of Robert being jealous of Tommy Gunn and the attention that Rocky was giving him.
Nevertheless, they began patching things up, with Robert standing beside his dad as he got in the ring once more to fight Mason "The Line" Dixon. Even still, Rocky and Robert would continue to grow distant throughout each other's lives, with Robert no longer around during the events of Creed.
The movie marked the first time that Sylvester Stallone's Rocky did not appear, as he remained out of the main story. This made sense based on Creed 2's ending, which reunited Rocky with his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia).
Balboa resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and married Adriana "Adrian" Pennino in 1976. They were married for 26 years. The two have a son, Robert Balboa Jr., who unlike his father goes by Robert.
That said, it still found time for drama, represented by the death of Apollo Creed. We watched Apollo grow throughout the “Rocky” series from cocky villain to mentor, and he quickly became Rocky's closest friend.
Rocky doesn't appear in Creed 3 because the story was too dark for Stallone: “That's a regretful situation because I know what it could have been. It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would've taken it.
The franchise has carried on into the Creed movies and even lost Rocky himself along the way, but the questions remain how did Adrian die in Rocky and why she was killed off. Unfortunately, Adrian from Rocky is written to have lost a battle with cancer off-screen in the time between Rocky V and Rocky Balboa.
After returning home, Rocky and Adrian discover they are bankrupt after Paulie was fooled into signing a "power of attorney" over to Rocky's accountant, who squandered all of his money on real estate deals gone sour and failed to pay Rocky's taxes over the previous six years.
Adrian's death improved the original story of Rocky Balboa by providing a richer and more heart-wrenching narrative centered around grief and purpose. Adrian's absence allowed for the exploration of Rocky's relationship with his son, creating one of the best aspects of the movie and a fitting end for the character.
Development for a sixth Rocky film began after Stallone expressed regret of the outcome of Rocky V, which was viewed as a disappointing conclusion to the end of the franchise.
Rocky has suffered from brain damage caused by the head-trauma he received at the hands of Ivan Drago.. Because of his injuries, Rocky is forced to officially retire from boxing. His home and belongings are sold to pay the debt and the Balboas move back to their old working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Below, we look back on the franchise as a whole — from Sylvester Stallone's Oscar-winning original to Michael B. Jordan's 2023 directorial debut — and rank every “Rocky” and “Creed” movie from worst to best. Okay, we said there are no bad “Rocky” movies but “Rocky IV” comes pretty close.
Rocky tries to retire again, and the audience sees how Paulie becomes increasingly jealous that Rocky has money and fame now. Instead of asking Rocky for a job like one usually would, he tries to challenge Rocky to a fight and tear him apart verbally while drunk.
Chuck Wepner: Honouring the real-life 'Rocky' who floored Muhammad Ali. The 83-year-old Chuck Wepner stands 6ft 5in tall, with broad shoulders and heavily knuckled hands; bone calluses serve as reminders of a life spent punching. His vocation as a fighter scarred other parts of his body, too.
The 77-year-old made rare comments when opening up about his late son, Sage Stallone, in his new documentary “Sly.” The actor recalled working with his eldest child on “Rocky V” when they played father and son. Sage died at the age of 36 in 2012 from a form of heart disease.
Ivan Drago: Drago was a Soviet boxer who was trained to be a killing machine. He was incredibly strong and had a powerful punch. Rocky faced Drago in a 15-round fight in Rocky IV, and it was one of the most brutal fights in boxing history.
Rocky's brother-in-law Paulie tried to defend Rocky by pointing out that Tommy betrayed him to satisfy both his and Duke's greed, but this only incites an angry Tommy to punch Paulie in the face, much to Rocky's distraught.
Rocky (1976) - Rocky takes place between November 1975 and January 1, 1976, which was the date of the first Creed vs. Balboa fight to celebrate America's Bicentennial. Rocky was said to be 30 the first time he faced Apollo Creed and he lost the fight in a split decision after going the full 15 rounds with the champ.
