Carl Weathers Got An Unexpected Tribute During A 2024 Super Bowl Commercial
It's been less than two weeks since the untimely death of beloved actor and director Carl Weathers. The beloved star of movies like "Rocky," "Predator," and "Happy Gilmore," Weathers died of natural causes on February 1, 2024. It was too soon for the generations of viewers who've grown up watching him on the big and small screen, but at least he did have enough time to film a Super Bowl ad for FanDuel, a sports gambling app.
The original ad follows former NFL player Rob Gronkowski in the desert, who finds himself rescued by a sly Carl Weathers riding in on a motorcycle. It would've been a straightforwardly fun advertisement a few weeks ago, but now it's been complicated a bit by Weather's untimely departure. It's the sort of thing that could be seen as a little ghoulish if handled poorly, which might be why the follow-up advertisement features an explicit tribute to the man. "Thank you, Carl," reads the memorial at the end of the ad. It's a quick but touching moment, and one of the only times where a Super Bowl ad has memorialized one of its actors.
You gave it your all, Gronk.
The two ads tell the story of a struggling Rob Gronkowski, who's devastated by how he missed a big field goal at the gambling event "Kick of Destiny" last year. Poor Rob is beating himself up for his failure, but Carl Weathers is there to help him get a second chance. In the second ad, Rob tries the field goal again and squanders his second chance, but the ad doesn't want us to see it as a tragedy. Not only does John Cena's character make a lot of money off Rob's failure, but Weathers is watching on TV, and he's just proud of Rob for trying his best.
"Thank you, Carl" – FanDuel pays tribute to the late Carl Weathers in their #SuperBowl Kick of Destiny spot pic.twitter.com/KVAmSzTNWl
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 12, 2024
It's a role for Weathers that's funny, sure, but it's also weirdly touching and unexpected. It encapsulates so much of the charm and subversive humor we've come to know the actor for. It may have been risky to still include Weathers in these ads so soon after his death, but this was at least as sweet a farewell as we could've hoped for. Who knew a gambling ad could warm the heart so much?