IVAN DRAGO

Introduction

There’s a famous saying. A hero’s only as good as their villain. And that quote rings true. We remember the hero for their great deeds, but who’s going to give them a beast to conquer, a deed to overcome, a quest to complete. The villain, naturally.

Somebody also said, “Every villain is a hero of his or her own story”. Again, the saying rings true. In life, we may act in ways we think are right, but from another point of view, that action was wrong. The villain of every story absolutely thinks they are doing the right thing.

And if we put those two quotes together, you get a mixture that’s too convoluted for my simple mind to pick apart. But buried underneath the layers, you would probably discover that every villain is also the hero, and every hero is also the villain.

What was this all for? A 140 word introduction for this series of articles in which I delve into six movie villains I find exciting and fun to think about. And each of these six villains I think deserves an entry into the VHoF (Villain Hall of Fame). To persuade you, I’ll list six reasons why this villain is such a good villain. (Six because I like synergy). Let’s begin.

Summary

This article, as you probably surmised from the title, is about Ivan Drago, aka The Siberian Bull, aka The Siberian Express, aka Death From Above (RIP Apollo). Wow that was a lot of akas. But at least you know who I’m talking about. Why did I choose Drago as one of my six villain nominees for the VHoF? Well, here are my reasons.

Note

I would like to preface this by saying I was not alive during the Cold War, and have not done a lot of research on the subject. Please do not take any jokes or jests about the subject seriously. I’m only examining the war through the view of this 80s boxing movie.

Reason 1

Drago is the literal representation of the Soviet Union. He’s the entire county, boiled down into one man. And it’s pretty overwhelming. Plus the entire country supports him. Millions of dollars are spent making sure this guy gets the best workouts and nutrition available.

Reason 2

It doesn’t help that Drago happens to be  the epitome of the male specimen. He’s extremely muscular (thanks steroids), has a face carved out of a mountain, and stands at a whopping six foot five. (I mean come on! Even Stallone thought that was a bit much!)

Reason 3

Not much of a talker. Most villains fall into two categories. Talkers, like the most eloquent character in movie history, Hans Gruber, or silent killers. Think Michael Myers. (Although he does breath, very, very loudly). While Drago does speak, it’s few and far between. The Russian only has nine lines of dialogue, total. (And each one is endlessly quoteable)

Reason 4

He’s a killer. And he’ll do it in front of hundreds of people. Drago has the audacity to beat Apollo to death, on the biggest stage in the world! Imagine what he’ll do in an alley, with nobody watching!

Reason 5

In the Ring, which, in a boxing franchise, is the most important place to be skilled, Drago is brutal. He’s fast, especially for his size, hard hitting, as those impressive numbers show, and seemingly unbeatable. That is, until the Rocky theme kicks in. 

Reason 6

Drago only gets stronger. In the infamous training sequence, those numbers keep jumping up, alarmingly fast. Sure, steroids probably helped, but his face keeps getting more and more strained. Only uncontrolled rage, and a hatred for his opponent, fuels that kind of progress.

Outro

Thank for you for your time chairmen and chairwomen of the VHoF (Villain Hall of Fame). It was an honor to present this argument. And I hope you’ll take Ivan Drago into consideration as an inductee.