Rocky IV and Overcoming Adversity

Rocky faced his most dangerous opponent in the fourth installment of the franchise, released in 1985. Recently, a director’s cut was released to fill some gaps that had fans confused, and even added more development to Rocky and his antagonist. Meanwhile, the film gave fans some memorable tracks for karaoke or singing along in the car for years to come.

Rocky IV gave fans a match-up that was ripped from the Cold War headlines. After witnessing the death of his friend and mentor, Apollo, Rocky faces Ivan Drago, a Monmouth boxer from the Soviet Union. Watching the death of Apollo has motivated Rocky to step back into the ring to face his most dangerous opponent. Yet, he fought for the will to win.

The fourth installment offers lessons of faith that were parallel to our journey.

Religious Imagery

Rocky held Apollo after Drago knocked him out in cold blood (literally). As Drago issued his evil warning to the world, Rocky tried to help his friend and mentor until medical help arrived. Sadly, Apollo died. The scene gives us a parallel of what we see in many churches with Mary holding his dead son.

Perseverance and Resilience

Rocky fans always look forward to the iconic training montage. While preparing for the Christmas match-up in Russia, Rocky trained his hardest with Paulie, Tony, and Adrian all in his corner.

The song “Heart on Fire” plays in the background as Rocky burns with determination as Rocky prepares for the biggest fight of his life.

During the fight, Rocky took every blow from the superhuman boxer who used steroids to get ahead. Rocky would eventually go to distant, stay on his feet, and prevail with a 15-round knockout to win.

Knowing Oneself

God believes in us, yet we must learn to believe in ourselves. As Christ reminds us in the Gospel of Matthew, “if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move” (Matthew 17:20).

Rocky has been shot down time and time again when it came to achieving his potential, yet he kept going. He did it because he knew his worth.

One scene that stands out in the film is following his press conference to challenge Drago. As he returned home, Rocky confronted Adrian about his plans to challenge Drago for a Christmas Day match. He is in disbelief that he would pursue so soon, as Apollo’s death was fresh on their minds. Yet, Rocky was determined to face him.

Faith and Change

Like many movies in the beloved franchise, Rocky can be seen praying before the big fight. As Rocky went toe to toe with his soulless opponent, he didn’t just fight a machine-like opponent; but he had to overcome the hostility of the crowd.

By the time the momentum shifted, the crowd began cheering for Rocky, who never backed down from the most anticipated fight. The crowd went from cheering for Drago to Rocky.

As he was addressing the crowd, Rocky delivered another iconic line of the franchise. "If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change." This line hits to the core about daily repentance when we are willing to make a change in our habits to become Christ-like.

Faith and Endurance

One thing has set Rocky and Drago apart in how they prepared for the global mayhem. On one side, Rocky had an inner conviction that made a difference. Another iconic song of the franchise is “Eye of the Tiger,” and a lyric that stands out about Rocky’s inner conviction, “It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight Risin' up to the challenge of our rival”. Rocky rose up to many challenges as a fighter.

The film’s struggle against Drago illustrates our fight in a spiritual battle. St. Paul wrote, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).

Rocky IV stands out as a film reminding us of our worth, achieving potential, and never backing down from a fight.

Recently, Sylvester Stallone released a director’s cut that extended the film and filled much-needed holes from the original release, and even a more epic ending.