Despite having this negative experience with Carl Weathers with regard to “Rocky Balboa,” Sylvester Stallone does think that there could have been a better route to go with in regards to Apollo Creed’s story. He explained in “The Making of Rocky vs. Drago” that he could have seen Creed filling the hole left by another character’s death in the franchise.

“Him in a wheelchair, he would’ve assumed the role of Mickey,” Stallone explained about an alternate way the story could have unfolded. “And now, his physicality has been diminished; we would’ve seen a different side of Apollo. He could’ve opened up all these other things that we didn’t even know about … He would’ve been kind of a father figure, mentor, brother.” 

It also appears that despite whatever hiccup occurred with Weathers during “Rocky Balboa,” Stallone still deeply appreciated what the actor brought to the franchise. During a 2016 interview with Deadline, he said, “I was so blessed the day I met Carl, who is not just a fantastic actor, but a world class athlete who did things that normal actors and human beings can’t do. The fact that this is a movie called Creed, and it’s 40 years after Rocky, well it shows the impact that Carl Weathers had with Apollo Creed.”

Though his recent death means that the actor won’t be able to return to the franchise, Weathers’ legacy speaks for itself.