The Rocky saga is ed as a feel-good underdog story, but as the sequels went on, the franchise gradually got darker and darker – and I never realized it at the time. Rocky Balboa is a character that audiences around the world look up to. When we first meet him in the original Rocky film, he’s an amateur fighter who has to work as a debt collector for a loan shark in order to get by. Over the course of the sequels, Rocky becomes a world champion with fame and fortune beyond his wildest dreams.

On the surface, Rocky might seem like an inspiring story about how anyone can become great; an average working-class Joe can become a world-renowned celebrity at the top of his field. But if you take a closer look, you’ll see that the Rocky saga is actually a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting your ion for your work above everything else. I never noticed it before, but after Rocky’s dreams come true, his problems are just beginning. This is really a story about the foibles of fame and fortune.

Rocky Routinely Chose Boxing Over His Wife & Son

Rocky Put Boxing Ahead Of Everything Else (& It Cost Him Dearly)

Throughout the series, Rocky consistently put boxing above everything else, including his family. The first Rocky movie is more of a love story than a boxing story. It focuses on Rocky’s relationship with Adrian, and in the climactic match, when he loses to Apollo Creed, all he cares about is that Adrian is there to him. But a few sequels in, it became clear that boxing was his true love. Adrian didn’t want Rocky to fight Clubber Lang in Rocky III, but Rocky ignored her and fought him anyway.

In Rocky IV, Adrian begged Rocky not to go to Russia to fight Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago, because she didn’t think he could win. But to prove her wrong, he not only went to Russia to fight Drago; he went to the Russian wilderness to train, meaning that he abandoned her for months. In Rocky V, Adrian wants Rocky to retire, but since he’s on the brink of bankruptcy, he refuses to give up his boxing career, despite the adverse effect it’s having on his health. He constantly chose boxing over Adrian’s wishes.

When they had a son, Robert, Jr., I expected Rocky to finally put his family first and leave his boxing career behind. But he still put boxing first. When Robert was getting bullied at school and needed his dad the most, Rocky neglected him in favor of training his new protégé, Tommy Gunn. This caused Robert to fall in with a bad crowd and pull away from his family. Rocky was faced with plenty of opportunities to prioritize his family, but he prioritized boxing every single time.

Rocky's Health Showed A Steady Decline Throughout The Series Because Of Boxing

Rocky's Doctor Advised Retirement, But Rocky Kept Fighting

When Rocky wanted to get back in the boxing ring to make back the money he lost in Rocky V, Adrian implored him to see a doctor first. Rocky reluctantly paid a visit to his doctor, Presley Jensen, who diagnosed him with a serious condition called Cavum septi pellucidi. This is a type of brain damage caused by repeated blows to the head and it’s implied to be a result of Rocky’s brutal bout with Drago in Rocky IV. According to the doctor, the effects of this condition are permanent and irreversible.

Sylvester Stallone received dual Oscar nominations for writing and starring in the first Rocky movie.

This condition makes it impossible for Rocky to continue his boxing career in any way, shape, or form. At the urging of both Adrian and the doctor, Rocky agrees that it’s time to retire. That should’ve been that, but Rocky just couldn’t stay down for the count. By the end of that movie, he would get into a vicious street brawl with Tommy. And in the following movie, Rocky Balboa, Rocky agreed to an exhibition fight with hot-tempered young fighter Mason Dixon. All Rocky had to do was stop fighting, but he couldn’t do it.

Rocky's Retirement Was Filled With Brain Damage & Bankruptcy

Rocky's Story Was Ultimately A Sad One

Rocky’s personal problems had a knock-on effect throughout the series. He neglected his family to continue his boxing career, which led to brain damage and other health issues. But he also lost all his money, which pushed him to the verge of bankruptcy, which forced him to keep boxing to recoup his losses, which made his health issues even worse – Rocky’s terrible decision-making forced him into an endless cycle of awful realities. Rocky was initially a story about the glory of boxing, but it ended up focusing on all the devastating consequences of a boxer’s life.