Rambo prequel could repair the franchise's 41-year mistake

John Rambo, the prequel now in production, has reignited debate by casting Noah Centineo in a role long associated with Sylvester Stallone. Set before the events of First Blood, the project could deepen the character’s origins or risk disappointing fans who expect the series’ familiar tone.

First Blood was never built around maximum carnage. The 1982 film centers on a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, and its subject is how society treated returning soldiers; on screen, Rambo avoids killing whenever possible and only one person dies, in a helicopter-related accident.

The film originally paralleled the novel’s darker ending but ultimately spared the character, launching the franchise. Beginning with Rambo: First Blood Part II in 1985, the series steadily shifted away from that psychological focus and toward spectacle. Sequels leaned on escalating violence and action set pieces, treating Rambo’s trauma less as a central conflict and more as a backdrop for one-man army scenarios, a trend that reached a peak with the later entries.

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