Rocky Balboa

Rocky fights in small gyms and collects debts for loan shark Tony Gazzo. Mickey Goldmill, the old gym owner, thinks he's wasting his talent. Rocky has a crush on Adrian, the shy sister of his friend Paulie, who works at a pet shop, and slowly the two start dating.

Champion Apollo Creed loses his opponent for the bicentennial fight on New Year's Day 1976 and decides to give a local fighter a shot. He picks Rocky. Mickey becomes his trainer, and Rocky trains by punching sides of beef at the meat plant where Paulie works. The night before, he admits to Adrian he doesn't expect to win: he just wants to still be standing at the final bell. At the Spectrum he knocks Apollo down early, takes a beating and makes it to round 15. Apollo wins by split decision, but all Rocky wants is to find Adrian.

After the fight, Rocky has a retina injury and the doctor tells him to quit. He marries Adrian, burns through the money, tries doing commercials and takes bad jobs. Apollo, stung by people saying the first fight was fixed, taunts Rocky in public until he gets his rematch.

Adrian, pregnant, doesn't want him to fight again. The baby comes early and she falls into a coma. Rocky spends his days at the hospital. When Adrian wakes up, she meets their son Robert and tells Rocky to win. On Thanksgiving the rematch goes to round 15 again. At the end both men go down. Apollo can't get up, Rocky beats the count and becomes heavyweight champion of the world.

Rocky defends the title again and again and becomes a celebrity. James "Clubber" Lang calls him out in public, and Mickey admits he's been picking easy opponents. Before the fight, Lang shoves Mickey, who collapses. Rocky is knocked out in round two and Mickey dies soon after.

Apollo, who was calling the fight, offers to train him in Los Angeles, at the gym where he started, with trainer Duke. Rocky has to get back the hunger he used to have, the eye of the tiger, and learn to fight with speed. Wearing Apollo's stars-and-stripes trunks, he knocks Lang out in the rematch. The agreed price is one fight between the two of them, no crowd.

In Rocky IV, Apollo comes out of retirement to face Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in a Las Vegas exhibition. Rocky is in his corner, Apollo tells him not to throw in the towel, and he dies in the ring. Rocky gives up his title to fight Drago in Moscow on Christmas 1985. He trains in a snowy cabin with no machines while Drago has a lab and steroids. He wins by knockout in round 15 and wins over the Russian crowd.

Back from Moscow, Rocky learns he has brain damage and has to retire. An accountant has lost all the family's money, and they move back to South Philadelphia. Rocky reopens Mickey's gym and trains young Tommy Gunn, who soon dumps him for promoter George Washington Duke. Meanwhile, Rocky neglects his son. Tommy becomes champion but gets booed, and ends up facing Rocky in a street fight that Rocky wins.

In Rocky Balboa he's a widower: Adrian died of cancer, and he runs a restaurant called Adrian's, where he tells fight stories to customers. A computer simulation saying he'd beat champion Mason Dixon leads to an exhibition in Las Vegas. Rocky gets his license back, lasts all ten rounds and loses by split decision. He leaves to a standing ovation and visits Adrian's grave.

Years later, Adonis Johnson shows up at the restaurant. He's Apollo's son from an affair, and he wants Rocky to train him. Rocky pushes back but gives in, and trains him old school. During camp, Rocky collapses and learns he has lymphoma. He doesn't want chemo, remembering what Adrian went through. Adonis talks him into fighting it together.

In the corner for the fight against Ricky Conlan in Liverpool, Rocky wants to stop it before the last round, but Adonis begs to go on. He loses by split decision, just like Rocky against Apollo. At the end, the two of them slowly climb the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Now cancer-free, Rocky watches Adonis become heavyweight champion. Ivan Drago walks into the restaurant: he lost everything after the Moscow defeat and raised his son Viktor to fight. Rocky refuses to work Adonis's corner against Viktor. Adonis wins by disqualification but gets badly hurt.

Rocky comes back to help, takes Adonis to a training camp in the desert and gets him ready for the rematch in Moscow, which Adonis wins when Drago throws in the towel. Rocky watches from outside the ring and lets his fighter have the moment. Afterward, he goes to Vancouver, finds his son Robert and meets his grandson.

Sylvester Stallone wrote the first script right after watching unknown Chuck Wepner last almost 15 rounds against Muhammad Ali in 1975, though he denies Wepner was the inspiration. The name comes from Rocky Marciano. Stallone wrote the script and insisted on playing the part. The role earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the first film and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for Creed. A Rocky statue stands near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.