Rocky's Original Downer Ending Explained (& Why It's Now Lost) - Screen Rant

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Rocky's ending meet-up between Rocky and Adrian is iconic, but Sylvester Stallone's signature movie almost ended on a somber note. While the Rocky franchise certainly contains many dramatic and emotional moments, the one quality it's most famous for is being uplifting. That's especially true of the 1980s sequels, in which Rocky usually wins the big bout at the end, and in Rocky 4, even symbolically wins the Cold War against Russian destroyer Ivan Drago.

Famously, Rocky doesn't win the fight against Apollo Creed at the end of the original, with the bout resulting in a split decision. Even that is uplifting since Rocky had put so much work into properly training for the fight, and came in as the clear underdog to nearly defeat the world heavyweight champion. What's even more important though is that Rocky Balboa ended the night - and the film - with a shared profession of love between himself and girlfriend Adrian Pennino, followed by a passionate embrace.

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Rocky may not have left with the victory but he was definitely a winner overall, making for a classic and heartwarming conclusion to Sylvester Stallone's 1976 opus. It's hard to imagine things ending any differently for Rocky and Adrian, but a much less jovial final scene almost closed the movie.

Rocky's Original Bittersweet Ending (& Why It'll Never Be Seen)

As audiences will never forget, the original Rocky ends with a battered and bruised Balboa going to a draw with Apollo Creed, then yelling for Adrian after the fight. She eventually makes her way to the ring and declares her love for Rocky, he reciprocates, and they embrace. It's iconic. However, that ending was actually filmed during reshoots. Stallone's planned ending saw Rocky and Adrian walk down the tunnel to the backstage area together, silently, long after the crowd had left the building.

This low-key conclusion was intended to close the book on Rocky's time in the spotlight, since he'd gone toe to toe with the best and survived, and it was now time for him to get serious about making a life with Adrian. Test audiences hated it, deeming this ending depressing and downbeat. Oddly enough though, a still of Rocky and Adrian walking hand-in-hand from the original ending was used on some of Rocky's posters. Stallone revealed during the documentary Rocky: An American Hero (via The Edit Room Floor) that he tried to go back and use this unseen footage for Rocky 5 - but was dismayed to find United Artists had incinerated it sometime during the 1980s.

While that might seem shortsighted, it's important to remember the home video market was still a new thing back then, and extra features wouldn't become common until the rise of DVD during the late 1990s. At the time, the studio probably just wanted to save on storage costs by getting rid of unused film reels. Still, Rocky fans would surely be interested in seeing this original ending footage should a copy ever resurface, even if its bittersweet tone probably wouldn't have worked for the film itself.

More: Rocky 5's Original Ending Killed Stallone's Hero: Why It Was Changed

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Michael Kennedy (3824 Articles Published)

Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. Most recently, Michael helped launch Screen Rant's new horror section, and is now the lead staff writer when it comes to all things frightening. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come.