Rocky is one of the longest-running movie franchises and it has been a staple of cinema since the original film hit theaters in 1976. Rocky Balboa has become an iconic figure in pop culture, and audiences have been able to follow him from a young nobody boxer to the world champion.
The new Creed movies follow a similar formula and focus on Adonis Creed, who convinces Rocky Balboa to train him. In the franchise's many tense boxing matches, fans have seen Rocky and Creed face off against powerful opponents. Many of these foes leave just as much of an impression on audiences as the heroes. On March 3, 2023, Creed III released to critical acclaim.
8 Mason Dixon (Rocky Balboa)
Rocky Balboa is an odd movie - it follows an older Rocky, who's now widowed, coming out of retirement once more to fight the reigning heavyweight champion in an exhibition match after Rocky beat him in a computer simulation. Mason Dixon, played by Antonio Tarver, is a criminally underutilized character.
Between a premise that doesn't really make a lot of sense and a lack of screen time for Dixon, he doesn't really hold up to some of the other Rocky villains. He is interesting, but the story is clearly more focused on Rocky's grief from losing Adrian than his fight with Dixon.
7 Tommy Gunn (Rocky V)
A big part of the Rocky franchise has been the titular character's relationship with his trainer Mickey and his relationship with Adonis. However, it gets forgotten that before Adonis, Rocky took on the up-and-coming boxer Tommy Gunn, played by Tommy Morrison, in Rocky V. Tommy moves to Philadelphia just to seek out Rocky, and the two develop an interesting relationship.
That friendship is what makes Tommy's eventual betrayal and signing with promoter George Washington Duke so shocking. Although the two never meet in the ring, they have a street fight outside a bar after Tommy punches Paulie. Tommy is an underrated villain, likely because he's in a rather forgettable movie in the franchise, but he's a big part of the reason why Rocky is reluctant to train anyone else.
6 Ricky Conlan (Creed)
The Creed films have been successful spin-offs for the franchise, and while Michael B. Jordan's sensational performances are at the heart of it, the films have found a way to continue creating tantalizing villains for Adonis to fight. Ricky Conlan, played by Tony Bellew, is the first villain he faces. Conlan provides quite the challenge.
At the time of their fight, Conlan is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and he's looking for one last hurrah before he has to begin a prison sentence. He wins the fight by a split decision, but Adonis goes the distance with him, and the two square up for one of the best fights in the franchise.
5 Clubber Lang (Creed III)
By Rocky III, Rocky is halfway out the door and ready for retirement. However, he was dragged right back in by Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T. Lang is an up-and-coming boxer who is undefeated at the time he challenges Rocky. Clubber beats him in only two rounds and takes the title of heavyweight champion.
While the fights between Rocky and Apollo Creed were legendary, the fight with Lang is the first time that Rocky truly felt outmatched. Lang's brute strength and tenacity in the ring, as well as his outgoing personality, positions him as one of the better villains to appear in the franchise.
4 Viktor Drago (Creed II)
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There is a long history between the Creeds and the Dragos, and that history made its way to the next generation of boxers in Creed II. Viktor Drago, played by Florian Munteanu, is an extremely underrated villain in the sports movie franchise, as he's cast in the shadow of his father Ivan. He looks to avenge his fathers' loss to Rocky by defeating Adonis and becoming the new heavyweight champion of the world.
Viktor would've beaten Adonis the first time around, but he was disqualified for hitting Adonis while he was down. However, his pure strength and stamina was made abundantly clear in this fight. He's one of the most challenging matches for either main character in the franchise, but Adonis holds his own in Russia, just like Rocky did.
3 Ivan Drago (Rocky IV)
Apollo and Clubber Lang were undoubtedly tough opponents for Rocky, as they both brutally injured him in the process. However, he never faced off against anyone as tough as Ivan Drago, who was played by Dolph Lundgren. Drago is built up as a machine who's much bigger and stronger than any other boxer. His fighting style relied on pure power.
Drago kills Apollo in an exhibition match, which sets the stage for a tense brawl between him and Rocky in the Soviet Union. Years later, Drago comes back after training his son to fight Adonis and maybe even kill yet another Creed.
2 Damien Anderson (Creed III)
Many of the opponents for both Rocky and Creed seem to make every fight more personal than just a boxing match, but there's probably no villain in the franchise who is more personal than Damien Anderson. Damien is Adonis' former friend who went to jail for 18 years due to gun charges, and he comes back in Creed III with a vengeance.
Unlike most opponents who look to fight for their own glory, Dame wants to take back everything Adonis has built for himself, claiming that it's all rightfully his. Though he's late to the boxing scene, he's got extreme power in his punches and doesn't always fight fair.
1 Apollo Creed (Rocky, Rocky II)
It's a bit unfair to call Apollo Creed a villain because his character is so much more than that. He's the main antagonist of the first two Rocky films, originally picking Rocky to fight him because he's a nobody boxer from the streets of Philadelphia. After Rocky goes the distance with him, he challenges Rocky to a rematch and slanders Rocky's name on TV. In the rematch, Rocky wins to officially become the new heavyweight champion.
Despite their long history, the two become very good friends after Apollo trains Rocky when Mickey dies. When Drago kills Apollo, Rocky avenges him in the ring. Later on, he trains his son Adonis to become the new heavyweight champion. The relationship between Rocky and Apollo is the driving force of the whole Rocky franchise, and their arc from enemies to friends is at the heart of every movie.