The Rambo franchise has lasted so long because of John Rambo’s seeming invincibility, but potentially killing the action hero in Rambo 6 would be a serious mistake. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) started as a misunderstood war veteran in First Blood but has since evolved into a super-soldier one-man army who can survive attacks against any number of adversaries.
Watching Rambo go from taking on a group of backwoods police to single-handedly dispatching an army of mercenaries in 2008’s Rambo is pure Hollywood action bliss.
Rambo is the ultimate underdog, evolving from a struggling veteran to an invincible war hero. His backstory is realistic and brutal, and he immediately gains sympathy from the way he is mistreated in the original First Blood.
By the time he pulls off incredible feats of militarized action in the sequels, he is still grounded and relatable. Rambo seeks to help others who are in over their heads; he is on a mission to help a POW in Rambo: First Blood Part II because he knows the horrors of being captured and tortured. As brutal as he can get, Rambo fights for what is right and always helps those who need it even when his actions become increasingly over-the-top.
Rambo’s extreme methods lead to even more extreme situations that paint him as an invulnerable one-man-army, and this quality is something that Rambo 6 would potentially squander by killing off John Rambo. It is an increasingly popular trend in contemporary films to make sequels that bring back legacy characters and kill them off after they pass the torch to a new generation of heroes. This works for realistic characters like Rocky, who is at risk in Creed III, but a character like Rambo is irreplaceable and works best when he’s a mysterious Mad Max-like figure, an undying legend who comes to save the day every time, disappearing into obscurity and reappearing when he is needed.
Rambo aims a bow in First Blood Part II
Rambo 6 would also miss the chance to pit Rambo against an even more staggering amount of adversaries, something the series has succeeded at up to this point. 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood saw Rambo on a revenge path, taking on a drug cartel, proving that even in his old age he can still take on a large number of enemies. As an action hero, Rambo has naturally progressed throughout the series, and seeing him die in a new installment would not fit with the series’ theme. If the series needs to continue, it would be better to leave Rambo’s fate ambiguous instead of explicitly killing him off.
John Rambo has been a beacon of hope in the Rambo series in the form of an invincible war hero. His evolution from the beginning of First Blood to the most recent Rambo: Last Blood has been increasingly extreme, and a potential Rambo 6 runs the risk of making the mistake of killing him and his legacy. John Rambo is a tragic figure who has endured countless impossible predicaments, but he has always come out alive. Rambo is one legacy character who should live to see his legacy continued.
Post Views: 476
