Ludmilla Vobet Drago is the wife of Ivan Drago and a member of the Soviet Union. The part of Ludmilla was played by Danish actress/centrefold TV personality Brigitte Nielsen, a former wife of Sylvester Stallone. Ludmilla serves as the secondary antagonist of Rocky IV and tertiary antagonist in Creed 2.
Biography
Early Life
Ludmilla was the Soviet double-gold medalist in swimming. Six months before Ivan Drago actually fought Rocky Balboa, Ludmilla and Ivan were very poor. Tall, blonde and statuesque in stature, Ludmilla shaved her head to make profit, and so did Ivan in return.
Rocky IV
Unlike Clubber Lang, who was a frequent trash-talker in interviews, Ivan was a man of few words. As a result, Ludmilla always spoke for him during interviews as Ivan simply looked at the cameras, whilst occasionally looking at others. It is shown that Ludmilla is extremely arrogantly self-confident and has somewhat of a sadistic and cruel streak about her. Two examples being that she was shown smiling while Ivan beats Apollo Creed to death and when Rocky Balboa challenges Ivan; she insisted that it would be held in Moscow whilst criticising America. In the end though, Ludmilla actually expresses concern over Iva's well being almost as equal to Adrian's concern over Rocky. Following Ivan's defeat by Rocky, Ludmilla is last seen dismayed over her husband's humiliating defeat.
Events Between Rocky IV & Creed II
''I don't even know that woman. She is a stranger. She abandoned you''- Viktor Drago shows his disgusts toward his neglectful mother.
After Ivan's loss to Rocky, Ivan was disgraced by the USSR, where he was shamed and kicked out of the country, tainting the Drago name forever. In 1990, Ludmilla gave birth to Viktor but soon after divorced him and left him to raise their son on his own. Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ivan resumes boxing in Ukraine and goes to extreme lengths to train Viktor to carry on his legacy so he can be accepted by his people again. Drago confronts his enemy Rocky Balboa, whom he blames for ruining his life, and attempts to get his son to fight Rocky's pupil, Adonis Creed, in Russia. The fight eventually takes place, where Adonis knocks Viktor down twice. Ludmilla, who had been sitting ringside with some of Viktor's supporters, departs when the tide of the fight shifts in Adonis' favour, knocking Viktor off-balance emotionally. At this moment, Ivan realises that his son is far more important to him than victory and respect, so he throws in the towel, stopping the fight, and allowing Adonis to emerge victoriously. Due to the her negligence and lack of support in Viktor's life, he disowned his mother later on.
Appearances
- Rocky IV (First appearance)
- Creed II
- Rocky video game
Trivia
- The name Ludmilla means "people" or "favour of the people" (lud) and "dear, love" or "gracious, dear" (mila).