It's not an exaggeration to say that the ROCKY movies were inconsistent in presenting memorable opponents for Sylvester Stallone's "Italian Stallion" to face in the ring. The first ROCKY and its sequel gave us Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), who went from rival to respected friend, and ROCKY III gave us a straight-up cartoonish villain thanks to Clubber Lang (Mr. T), but Tommy Gunn from ROCKY V and whoever ol' Rocko fought in ROCKY BALBOA were comparative disappointments.
While the most recent spinoff CREED was satisfying to see Apollo's illegitimate son Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) bonding with the aged boxing legend and former friend of his father, the movie can't really be accused of having a particularly remarkable adversary for the young competitor.
So it's no surprise that a CREED follow-up may be turning to (arguably) the most recognizable contender in Rocky's cinematic history — Russian punching machine Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) from ROCKY IV.
Stallone himself has strongly hinted that there would be a Drago connection in CREED 2. Given the current political climate and Russia's role in it (parse that however you like), it would be a great opportunity to put some boxing gloves on that international tension and pound it out on the screen.
Stallone's ROCKY IV foe (and fellow Expendable) Dolph Lundgren is nearly 60, so it doesn't seem likely he'd be the one facing Jordan's character. Granted, that's about the same age as Sly when he returned to action in ROCKY BALBOA, and Dolph could still probably handle himself just fine, but Stallone's social media comments like "History will always repeat itself in one form or another" and "Sins of the father" point to something more familial for CREED 2.
For those who have somehow never seen ROCKY IV, the movie finds reigning champion Rocky Balboa living large when his buddy Apollo Creed is urged out of retirement into an exhibition match with Ivan Drago, an intimidating boxer from the USSR (the movie is set in 1985, before the dissolution of the Soviet Union).
Rocky's concerns over the bout turn out to be valid as Creed is killed in the ring by the ruthless Drago. Rocky then challenges the imposing Russian to a fight, and trains (ooh, montage!) using old-school methods while Drago prepares with cutting-edge technology before the two duke it out on Christmas Day in Moscow.
With that history in place, putting Adonis Creed against the son of the man who took the life of his father seems like a perfect set-up. That angle remains speculation at this point, but apparently Stallone is writing CREED 2 himself (he penned the screenplays for all the ROCKY movies besides CREED). And he's no stranger to tapping nostalgia (and nationalism), so it doesn't seem like a stretch to think that we'll see another generation of Russian antagonist in Kid Drago (possibly trained by the original Ivan).
So who could play this theoretical mighty offspring, a new Russian specimen of biological superiority?
A few ideas: Alexander Ludwig of "Vikings" has the physicality, and would look fitting with the Drago family flattop. Tom Hopper ("Black Sails") is a bit older but a towering 6'5", and while Lucas Till (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) doesn't have the height, that jaw would certainly be believable as coming from Lundgren lineage.
Let us know below who do you think would rule the ring as the son of Ivan Drago!
As for the previous Cast This column for a new Captain America, most of you were against the idea of replacing Chris Evans as the character of Steve Rogers, preferring instead to take a page from the comics and have one of his existing Marvel Cinematic Universe colleagues pick up the shield and carry on the mantle of Cap:
1. Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) 2. Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) 3. Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp)