The death of Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed, following a bruising match against Russian boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
Drago himself was a walking and (occasionally) talking symbol of the Soviet Union, though the sequel gives some insights into his mindset. Rocky IV was also a star-making role for Lundgren, who went on to other action favorites like Showdown In Little Tokyo and Universal Soldier. The Rocky franchise received its first spin-off with 2015's Creed, which follows Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed, who tries to follow in his father's footsteps as a fighter. The ing of Apollo and the impact it had on Adonis and Rocky was a major part of the movie, with Creed 2 expanding on this even further. This follow-up saw Adonis facing off against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), the son of Ivan, who returned as Viktor's trainer.
Creed 2 took a big risk bringing announcement of a Drago spin-off move so exciting, as it can complete his character's redemption.
Ivan Drago's Can Complete Creed 2's Drago's Redemption
Story details for Drago are being kept quiet, though it's known screenwriter Robert Lawton will pen the story. It feels reasonably safe to assume the story will further explore the relationship between Lundgren's - who had a fake Van Damme feud - Ivan Drago and Viktor as the latter continues his boxing career. This spin-off could also further flesh out what happened to Drago in the years following Rocky IV when he had to care for his son on his own and live with the sense of shame he felt after Rocky's victory.
There's a lot of rich material a Drago spin-off could explore, and it's the Rocky franchise's best option to test out further stories. The movie can also explore the human side of Drago that emerged at the end of Creed 2. Drago was tough on Viktor throughout his life and essentially used him as a means to redeem himself, so the spin-off can dig into the reconciliation between the two men and - like Rocky Balboa was about the title character finding a life beyond boxing - Ivan moving on from his past.
