Apollo Creed's Rocky IV Death Had Doctors Convinced Carl Weathers Was Actually Hurt
The "Rocky" franchise includes some of the biggest and best U.S. sports movies of all time. It's a highly influential, successful, and endlessly fun property, although the films themselves aren't necessarily the most realistic cinematic portraits of boxing out there. "Creed III" might've brought the franchise fully into anime territory, but with their over-the-top feats of athleticism, larger-than-life characters, and last-minute power-ups, the "Rocky" sequels have always had a touch of anime to them. One need look no further for the proof than the training montage from "Rocky IV," a sequence so perfectly cartoony and yet so thrilling you can almost see Rocky go Super Saiyan.
At the same time, the franchise can hit hard. For one, there are heartfelt moments of emotion — after all, the original "Rocky" is really more of an indie drama than a cartoony sports movie — and even when these films go over-the-top, their boxing matches tend to remain brutal and visceral. If you don't believe us, just ask Carl Weathers, whose onscreen death as Apollo Creed in "Rocky IV" even scared his own doctors.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter to commemorate the release of "Creed" in 2015, Weathers said they had doctors on the "Rocky IV" set in case of a real injury, "and people filming thought that I had been actually hit on that one." Apollo's death also happens to be Weathers' favorite scene in the movie and one of his two all-time favorite moments in the "Rocky" franchise (the other is Apollo's look when Rocky gets up one last time during their fight in the first film). "When Apollo Creed twitches on the ground after the fight," the actor said. "There is still that fighter in him and that muscle memory in him where he is still trying to move, and it's gone."
If he dies, he dies
"Creed III" may have implemented anime tropes and ideas like the fights in the void and the anime rivalry better and more directly, but decades before Adonis and Damian went from friends to enemies and back again, Rocky and Apollo had the best relationship in the "Rocky" franchise.
Over the course of the first four films, Rocky and Apollo go from opponents in a gimmick fight to genuine enemies, colleagues, and even friends. Apollo might've been the franchise's first-ever antagonist, but by the time we get to his death in "Rocky IV," we've grown to know and care about the character — not just as a boxer but as a good friend of Rocky's and someone the Italian Stallion now looks up to.
When Rocky hesitates to throw in the towel during Apollo's deadly fight with Drago, we know the years of friendship and rivalry that indecision carries, and we understand why he thinks Apollo would want to continue the fight even if it kills him. Their relationship was a crucial part of the first few "Rocky" movies, and one that could even transcend generations.
Besides, when it comes to Apollo's death scene, how can you not believe, even for a second, that Carl Weathers could seriously have gotten hurt shooting the scene? It's not just his acting that sells it; it's the combination of choreography and Dolph Lundgren's menacing stature and punches as Drago that truly makes the scene impactful and more than a little terrifying.