A Modest Collection of Thoughts: Stallone: Hall of Badass

In the past 30+ years there has been many action heroes who have come into our lives. These action stars have kicked, punched, jumped, and stomped into our hearts. I'm talking about guys like Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, Schwarzenegger, and the incomparable Mario Van Peebles. All the guys I speak of are great action stars, but none of them have created more iconic characters than Sylvester Stallone. Here is a look back at some of the biggest and baddest Stallone creations.

Rocky Balboa

(Rocky I-V, Rocky Balboa)

"No, maybe I can't win, maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he's got. But to beat me, he's gonna have to kill me, and to kill me, he's gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me, and to do that, he's gotta be willing to die himself and I don't know if he's ready to do that. I don't know, I don't know."

John Rambo

(First Blood, Rambo:First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Rambo)

"I could have killed 'em all, I could kill you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. Let it go. "

Raymond "Ray" Tango

(Tango & Cash)

[Tango has just stuck a grenade down a bad guy's pants] "My contribution to birth control."

Lt. Marion "Cobra" Cobretti

(Cobra)

"You're a disease - and I'm the cure."

Lincoln Hawk

(Over The Top) "The world meets nobody halfway. When you want something, you gotta take it."

Frank Leone

(Lock Up)"Well, one night these punks broke into the garage and put a beating on old man Galetti. The whole neighborhood knew about it. The cops knew about it. But I guess these punks were connected, so the cops didn't do anything and I did. So after all the smoke had cleared, these guys ended up in the hospital and I ended up doing 18 months in Treadmore for aggravated assault."