Sylvester Stallone made a masterpiece sports drama film with Rocky IV. However, there is one changed scene involving Apollo Creed’s death and funeral that may not have worked for the better. Stallone, who both directed and starred in the film, made several changes and additions before finalizing the cut, aiming to strengthen the emotional bond between the two friends. 

Now, the deleted scenes have later been released in a director's cut version in 2021, and one of them is the removed Creed death and funeral scene, which many believe would have worked well in theaters.

The original funeral scene from Rocky IV included a soul-stirring speech and eulogy given by Tony Evers and Rocky Balboa himself, with the rest of the characters tearfully mourning the loss. It is believed to be far more emotional and heartbreaking than what currently exists, and would have worked well in favor of Sylvester Stallone’s vision for the film. Stallone, however, made the decision to cut it from the final version in favor of maintaining the fast pace of the rest of the film, rather than interrupting it with character-centric moments.

The movie is about the heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa, who travels to the Soviet Union to avenge the death of his best friend, Apollo Creed, who was fatally beaten in an exhibition match by the scientifically enhanced Soviet fighter Ivan Drago. It follows Rocky as he overcame brutal training and the hostile Russian crowd to win. The film also puts the focus on their friendship.

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Despite dodging the emotions that came with Apollo's death, Stallone did give another crucial scene in the film all the time of day. 

In the original movie, Drago remains mostly silent. However, in a later version, Drago speaks and has more dialogues, and these scenes exploring his character would have been crucial to the film. Unlike the original cut, Ivan Drago finally speaks in the press conference with Apollo. He calmly declared that he came “not to lose.” And that revealed a more personal stake in the conflict. 

After Apollo’s death, Drago is shown embracing his fame. These changes added more clarity to his role. It showed that he is a rogue fighter who ignores his handlers and acts on his own ambition. 

As fans know, Drago later defies his trainer, showing that he is not fully controlled by his team. These subtle additions, though small, deepened his character and the overall impact of the story. While Rocky IV was incredible, some moments, like the extended funeral and many more, despite being regrettably cut, persist in popular culture to this day. 

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What do you think about the deleted funeral scene from Rocky IV? Let us know in the comments.