Ranking the Rocky (and Creed) Movies

What Sylvester Stallone created back with 1976's Best Picture-winner Rocky -- which he both wrote and starred in -- exploded into a franchise that not only dominated the ’70s and ’80s but also exists now as the wildly fun and successful legacy spinoffs that are the Creed saga.

From a low-rent bum who broke thumbs for bookies, to a punishment-absorbing underdog the entire country rooted for, to the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Rocky Balboa (aka the "Italian Stallion") won our hearts while battling ferociously in the ring for opportunities he'd never dreamed of.
Since 2015, Michael B. Jordan has starred in the Creed sequels as Adonis "Donnie" Creed, son of tragically killed former champ Apollo Creed. And with Creed III uppercutting theaters nationwide it’s time to GO FOR IT! and rank all the Rocky flicks.

The Rocky movies morphed from earnest sports dramas into, for all intents and purposes, superhero stories with heightened stakes, action, and premises. That was fitting for a franchise that started in the ’70s and transitioned into the ’80s. The Creed movies’ tone and traction are much more in line with the 2006 legacy sequel Rocky Balboa, which sought to deliver a sadder, more grounded take while also giving the Rocky character a better ending than 1990's Rocky V.

Ryan Coogler's Creed brought together all the pieces from the movies that came before it, even ones with disparate tones, and delivered a knockout punch to the feelings. So what's been the best outing for the franchise? What's the weakest link? Let's use our Eye of the Tiger and find the true hierarchy of the Rocky/Creed legacy.

#IGN