The Rambo franchise is a long-running action film series revolving around title character John Rambo, a former Green Beret and Vietnam War veteran who deals with war, both internal and external. Sylvester Stallone served not only as the star of the film, but also co-writer and, eventually, a producer in the later films, playing a large role in the accuracy and the success of the franchise. Rambo brought a great deal of attention to trauma experienced by most veterans, with specific interest in political issues of war. From Vietnam to Afghanistan, Rambo has no issues taking matters into his own hands when the government won’t help.

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Since the first film’s release in 1982, the Rambo franchise has continually released content. While it’s clear that Rambo II and Rambo III were direct sequels, it would seem that some get confused as to where each film fits within the franchise. Rambo was seemingly seen as a classic action franchise, but it saw a new surge in popularity after the release of Last Blood in 2019, leaving many wondering how many films there are in the franchise and if the franchise will continue. So, exactly how many Rambo movies are there?

Beginning With First Blood

     Carolco Pictures

The Rambo franchise kicked off in 1982 with First Blood being the kick-ass introduction to the now beloved character. Rambo was introduced as a Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who has recently come home and is searching for a friend from his platoon. Upon hearing the news that his brother in arms died from exposure to anthrax, Rambo wanders and is picked up by the local police who trigger him into his instinctual behavior, forcing him to defend himself by any means necessary. The film saw a great deal of praise, particularly for pointing out how veterans were treated by citizens upon returning from the war in Vietnam and their experiences with PTSD.

Subsequent Rambo Sequels

     TriStar Pictures

Thanks to the great reaction to the first film, Stallone went ahead and released Rambo: First Blood Part II in 1985 and Rambo III in 1988. The second film follows John Rambo as he returns to Vietnam to retrieve prisoners of war, showing off his skills in the field. The third film sees Rambo refuse to aid the Colonel in Afghanistan, but when Rambo discovers that the Colonel is captured and subjected to torture, Rambo is forced yet again to rescue his long-time mentor and friend. These two films saw the same level of success as the first, covering a number of issues that veterans faced, both from the government and civilians alike. After the release of Rambo III, many believed that this film put the series to rest as a nicely rounded trilogy, but this was not the case.

Rambo 20 Years Later

     Nu Image

In 2008, Stallone made a return to the screen as John Rambo, 20 years after the release of Rambo III in what was simply referred to as Rambo or known as Rambo 4, considering its placement within the franchise. Rambo follows a much older John who is approached by missionaries in Thailand who seek passage to Burma. Although reluctant to aid the missionaries on their rescue mission, he ultimately decides to help and rescue those that have become captives of the Burmese army. This film was the first in the franchise to be unflinchingly violent, unafraid to show how horrendous the situation in Burma was. Rambo was, per Independent, banned by the Burmese government upon its release due to the movie’s content and is only available through bootleg copies. That being said, many rebels in Burma have adopted dialogue from the film as battle cries, often quoting “Live for nothing, or die for something.”

Rambo: Last Blood & Possible TV Series

     Lionsgate 

The final film in the Rambo franchise is Rambo: Last Blood, which was released in 2019. The film is set mostly in Mexico, where John’s niece tries to meet her father and winds up being kidnapped and trafficked. Although John may have thought his life of violence was behind him, he must return to his old mentality as the war returns to him. Similarly to the first film, Last Blood is not set on any type of war-torn battlefield, but is instead set on his own land, displaying that, although the War has long since passed, it has never left his mind and never will. This was the perfect way to wrap up the series, showing that although Rambo has changed and adjusted to normal civilian life, his mind is still full of war and violence, a fact that he must live with. While Rambo: Last Blood is clearly meant to be the end of the film franchise, in November 2021, it was confirmed that Millennium Media is actively working on the development of a Rambo TV series. It’s unclear if this will come to fruition as past talks of TV series’ have been abandoned in favor of other projects before, but the hopes are high for a possible TV series, wondering where the character will go next. For now, fans can enjoy the entirety of the Rambo franchise, which, in total, consists of five movies.