Creed II Saw The Return Of Two Animal Co-Stars From The Original Rocky

One of the benefits of making a legacy sequel is being able to bring back some of the original cast members in order to help usher in the new generation. That's how you get Sylvester Stallone to return as boxing champion Rocky Balboa for the "Creed" movies, in addition to Dolph Lundgren as the Soviet Union machine Ivan Drago ("Rocky IV"). But there are some instances where an actor's death in the real world prevents them from returning. Even more so than the actors themselves, it's highly unlikely that any of the animal performers live long enough to make their big screen return.

In "Rocky," the titular boxer falls for Butkus, a Bull Mastiff living among the other animals at the local pet shop. You may remember that Adrian (Talia Shire) gives him to Rocky as a Christmas present to accompany him on his runs, which brings a smile to the Italian Stallion's face. According to a report from The Huffington Post, Stallone had bought him when he was a pup in the early '70s. The fact that Butkus is in the movie is kind of a minor miracle, as the "Tulsa King" star had to sell him for $40 in front of a 7-11 when times were rough. But once the check went through for the "Rocky" screenplay, Stallone knew he had to get him back no matter the cost.

"The new owner knew I was desperate, and charged me $15,000 ... He was worth every penny," says Stallone in an Instagram post commemorating his buddy. Although Butkus sadly passed away in 1981, having starred in the first two films, there are other "Rocky" pet alumni that made it all the way to "Creed II."

Before Butkus enters his life, Rocky is already a confirmed pet owner with two turtles, Cuff and Link. He's so proud to show them off to Adrian, who just happened to sell them to him on her first day of work. But you might be surprised to learn that the two crawling reptiles lived long enough for a quick cameo in "Creed II." Sylvester Stallone delivered the great news in a 2018 Instagram post, where it looks like they hadn't aged a day.

If there's any animal in show business that's going to make it over four decades, it might as well be a species with a long lifespan expectancy. With Adrian (Talia Shire) and Paulie (Burt Young) canonically dead in the "Rocky" universe, the two reptiles are among the only remnants from the first film that have made it to see the boxer successfully usher in a new heavyweight champion. Given Stallone's absence from the upcoming "Creed III," we likely won't see any more of Cuff and Link beyond updates from Stallone's social media accounts. There hasn't been any confirmation that they're still swimming, but I like to think that they'll outlive us all.

"Creed III" arrives in theaters on March 3, 2023.