Creed is an outstanding boxing movie, yet I hold it in even higher regard due to how it improved one of my favorite Rocky movies: legacy movie sequels were commonplace, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World to Mad Max: Fury Road.

However, I have never been more pleased to be Rocky and Creed movies match the level of the latter trilogy, Michael B. Jordan's reboot managed to take the franchise into a new era while taking one of my favorite Rocky movies, Rocky IV, and retroactively improving it.

Rocky 4 Was Always One Of My Favorites (But It Had A Lot Of Flaws)

Rocky IV Is An Interesting Case Study

Overall, Rocky IV is a movie that probably should not work. It contains jarring tonal shifts, being simultaneously one of the most emotionally impactful Rocky movies and one of the silliest entries. The cartoonish elements of the film are prevalent, though ittedly less so in Stallone's Rocky IV director's cut. In the theatrical cut, however, there are elements like the robot in Rocky's home, the over-the-top exaggeration of Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed, and the not-so-subtle political commentary stemming from Rocky and Drago's clash. Each of these elements contributes to Rocky IV's flaws, but, somehow, the film works.

Rocky IV has several memorable scenes, a combination of the silly and the grounded that bizarrely come together to make one of the most purely enjoyable Rocky films. The emotional stakes are higher due to Apollo's death, the pure adrenaline rush of the training and boxing scenes has never been better, and there are some genuine moments of fantastic writing involving characters like Adrian, Paulie, and Apollo. While the goofier elements do not allow Rocky IV to quite reach the heights of Rocky or Rocky II, it stands tall as one of my favorite films in the series.

Creed & Creed II Made Rocky 4 Much Better In Hindsight

The Creed Trilogy Would Not Exist Without Rocky 4

What makes me so thankful for the Creed franchise then, is that it somehow takes both the lesser and greater elements of Rocky IV and improves upon all of them. Apollo's death was always one of the hardest-hitting moments in the Rocky series, and Creed only made that more emotional. With Creed pinning more of a traumatic spin on Apollo's death with how it affected the likes of Mary Anne, Rocky, and, of course, Adonis, the film makes Rocky IV that much more integral, primarily driven by Ryan Coogler's approach of maturity, grounded realism, and, above all else, legacy.

Not only does this exploration of legacy in Creed massively benefit Rocky IV, but so too does Creed II's Ivan Drago return...

The idea of the Creed legacy is, without a doubt, what makes the first Creed so impactful. The idea of legacy and what one leaves behind only tends to heighten upon their death, as Creed explores via Apollo's ing in Rocky IV. Adonis taking on his father's legacy in the final moments of his fight with Ricky Conlan would be nowhere near as thrilling if Apollo had lived past Rocky IV. Not only does this exploration of legacy in Creed massively benefit Rocky IV, but so too does Creed II's Ivan Drago return.

I will it that, despite my love for Creed, the concept of Creed II worried me. Bringing back the Dragos could easily have gone wrong, yet Creed II nailed it. The depiction of Viktor being pushed into his father's fight in order to regain the love from his absent mother immediately humanized him, while Ivan Drago's feeling of failure after his defeat to Rocky was exceptionally handled. The silly, over-the-top, purely evil villains from Rocky IV were turned into actual people with feelings, flaws, desires, and connections. Immediately, Rocky IV's flawed elements are given a dose of sincerity thanks to Creed II.

Creed II Treated Ivan Drago Better Than Rocky 4 (Including The Director’s Cut)

Ivan Drago Became A Real Character In Creed II

As I have alluded to, Creed II is much better than in Rocky IV, both the theatrical and the director's cut. While the director's cut of Rocky IV gives Drago slightly more to do, his depiction is mostly the same. Across both iterations, Drago is a cold, calculated boxer who wants to win at all costs and cares little about the death of Apollo Creed. Against Rocky, he is then the emotionless robot the hero of the film has to overcome and as close to a stereotypically evil character as the Rocky franchise gets.

The Ivan Drago spin-off that is planned in the Creed franchise will only further improve upon his redemption arc in Creed II.

Creed II changes this massively. Drago becomes a father in Creed II, and while he is harsh in how he pushes his son, he is doing it to regain a sense of honor and love from not only his country but his wife. The steps Creed II takes to make Drago more human are ones that I did not expect the film to make, but I am overly glad it did. Thanks to Creed II, as well as its predecessor, Rocky IV only gets better for a number of reasons.