Fans were caught cold when the unthinkable happened and Mickey died of a heart attack in Rocky 3, but even if they (or Rocky himself) couldn’t see it, the shocking moment was the best thing to happen to the franchise. Mickey had always been Rocky’s steadfast support, giving him a place to train and some much-needed life advice as he faced Apollo Creed and then Clubber Lang, and there never seemed to be any doubt that Mickey would always be in his corner. When the Italian Stallion suddenly found himself facing the uncertainty of his future alone, he thought he was truly down and out.
