Shit I Want to See in TV and Movies

Where is My Rockyverse?

3rd March 2026 /

In its first season, Cobra Kai did a great job of expanding The Karate Kid universe into a TV series.

My only real problem is that at the end of The Karate Kid, Johnny Lawrence seizes the trophy, and gives it to Danny, telling him, “You’re all right, LaRusso.” That implies Johnny’s swallowed his pride, anger, and vengeance, and now begrudgingly respects Danny. The series bypasses this moment to maintain open grievances, and doesn’t offer a callback until its sixth and final season.

Otherwise, Cobra Kai’s brilliant in imagining where these characters’ lives went. So open when properties revisit characters, they vandalize both the character and – worse – their legacy. Prior to Cobra Kai, I’d often thought about what might’ve happened to Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. It didn’t match what Cobra Kai had done, but I could totally invest in their vision because it felt believable.

They could’ve easily just ignored everything that had come before it and twisted characters to fit into some predetermined narrative they’d concocted, but they stayed true to the voice of the film franchise, while building something new.

For the first couple of seasons, Cobra Kai’s engaging drama. Then it becomes a little Austin Powers’ish when Terry Silver emerges to plan Cobra Kai’s global domination. You’re a millionaire, Terry. Just go out and buy some dojos and franchise it. You can afford it.

And, of course, there’re a string of teen characters (like all of them) who pick up karate late and somehow can compete on the world stage against people who’ve been doing it all their lives. I don’t mind when it’s one character, or maybe two, but it’s all of them! Let’s also not forget there always has to be a secret move to be learned. The drama works best when it’s forging its own way, rather than (overly) homaging the movies as a narrative device.

But I bring up Cobra Kai because it does show what can be done with film properties, and how in television storytelling has more time to explore the lives, motivations, and desires of the characters, and build a universe that might otherwise take a whole string of movies to do.

A series I’d like to see is one based in the Rocky universe, placing it between Rocky V and Rocky Balboa.

This is the landscape to consider, which can draw from all the films prior to the last one:

    • Rocky’s retired due to brain damage (Rocky V)
    • Tommy Gunn is a contrived champion (Rocky V)
    • Union Cane, who loses the championship to Gunn, would be floating about as a contender (Rocky V)
    • Unscrupulous promoter George W. Duke has a monopoly on boxing (Rocky V)
    • Russian amateur champion Ivan Drago would be reorienting himself following his loss to Rocky (Rocky IV)
    • Tony “Duke” Evers (formerly Apollo Creed’s trainer) has a gym full of boxers (Rocky III)
    • Somewhere in all this, Clubber Lang would be keen to regain his championship (Rocky III)
    • Rocky had ten title defenses: Joe Czak, “Big” Yank Ball, the German Heavyweight Champion, and seven others (Rocky III), so you have a host of other boxers to draw from
    • Mac Lee Green pulled out of a title fight with Apollo (Rocky), so he’s another who could be used
    • Buddy Shaw was floated as a possible replacement for Green but considered out of shape (Rocky)
    • Going back to Joe Czak, but the promoter floats him as a “good prospect” and a possible Green replacement.

The Rocky timeline is pretty fluid, which is best demonstrated in Rocky IV and V. When Rocky goes to Russia in Rocky IV, his son is 9. When Rocky returns from Russia in Rocky V, his son is now 14. I can only imagine Rocky had passport issues, which necessitated a five-year stay in Russia.

Series are always loose with aging. We’ve seen it often in TV shows – especially sitcoms. There’s a birth, and a season or two later the kid’s aged up to four or five so they can be cute and say stupid dialogue. This phenomenon even has a name: SORAS ~ Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome.

And the Rocky universe is never clear how much it adheres to some internal story time versus real time.

According to Google’s AI (or “large language model” as it calls itself):

      • Rocky: starts in November 1975, and ends 1 January 1976
      • Rocky II: starts immediately after Rocky and ends on Thanksgiving (26 November 1976)
      • Rocky III: set 3 – 5 years after Rocky II.
      • Rocky IV: set about 9 years after Rocky III. Ends on Christmas Day, 1985
      • Rocky V: begins days after Rocky IV, but somehow ends around 1990, with Rocky training Tommy for “several years” (although nobody ages, Rocky Jr stays in the same class with the same kids, and we see no improvement in Rocky’s health or surrounds)
      • Rocky Balboa: set 16 – 20 years after Rocky V.

If we’re to adhere to this timeline, Rocky holds the title for 12 years, Clubber Lang’s brief reign aside. I thought this was going to be unrealistic, but Russian Wladimir Klitschko held it for 9 years and 7 months, and for a total of 12 years. Joe Louis held it for 11 years and 8 months.

So the Rockyverse has a big and loose enough timeline that it can take whatever it needs. As it is, between Ivan Drago, Clubber Lang, Tommy Gunn, George W. Duke, and Tony “Duke” Evers, there are enough strong characters to extrapolate possibilities, and you could inject original characters, too.

The Creed franchise offers only one contradiction: that following the events of Rocky IV, somehow Ivan Drago – this Olympic Gold medalist and undefeated amateur who was so devastating he mercilessly killed a former world champion in the ring – was ostracized by his native Russia, even though (in Rocky IV) we see the Russians (including their politicians) applauding Rocky’s victory and speech about change. I guess that didn’t stick when it came to Drago.

So as much as Creed ignores that, I figure Creed’s canon can be ignored – or, at the very least, written around. Drago talks about his disenfranchisement, but that could be contained to Russia. He might’ve went to live elsewhere in Europe and still had success. Or maybe he became that flawed contender who never realized his potential, and was always trying to live up to his victory over Apollo Creed.

There’s often been speculation what did happen with the title picture after Rocky was forced to retire in Rocky V. There’s pretty much ten years here to explore the boxing landscape, the contenders, and title aspirations. Rocky himself doesn’t have to be in it; figuring into Sylvester Stallone’s canon, Rocky might be taking care of Adrian during her illness. Or, if Stallone was willing, you could get him to narrate it.

Obviously, you’d have to recast all those main players, and in most cases they’re going to be pretty big gloves to fill – especially with Mr. T’s Clubber Lang and Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago. But I’m sure audiences would be open to it, and we’re so far removed from those movies, it’ll be easier to find separation.

So, somebody more powerful than me, get on it.

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