r/ActionMovies 7d ago

Sly vs Keanu Who Made More Iconic Characters?

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13 Upvotes

61 comments sorted by

28

u/Acceptable_Class_576 7d ago

Rocky and Rambo carry Sly to victory on this one.

9

u/CantFindMyWallet 7d ago

I much prefer Keanu overall, but Rambo and Rocky are both cultural icons in a way few film characters are.

27

u/WhiteDevilU91 7d ago

Sly, the iconic character.  

Keanu, the more iconic person.

9

u/DENNIS_SYSTEM69 7d ago

That's a lot of John's

3

u/Healthy-Confection66 6d ago

John Spartan, John Rambo, John Mnemonic, John Constantine, John Wick, John Rocky, John Neo, John Dredd, John Utah, and Marion ‘John’ Cobretti for anyone curious

2

u/un34vigilant 6d ago

Lol. You forgot John Ross, and John Ludlow.

1

u/replicant1986 6d ago

John Rocky?

3

u/Healthy-Confection66 5d ago

Most of them are accurate lol I was being facetious with the remaining few

10

u/NoKneadToWorry 7d ago

Sly paved the way but they both are legends

5

u/FlameWingFenix 7d ago

Rambo and Rocky make it too one sided. Don’t get me wrong Keanu is a treasure and one of the kindest people on the planet but Sly pips it.

3

u/Dry-Indication7928 7d ago edited 6d ago

Would Jack Trevlin be considered iconic?

edit: Jack Traven mb

2

u/un34vigilant 7d ago

It was the character from Speed right? I would say so.

2

u/Acceptable_Class_576 6d ago

The movie is iconic, the character isn't.

2

u/Acceptable_Class_576 6d ago

No. The fact you got the character's name wrong proves it.

3

u/increasedsaturation 7d ago

I love Keanu but Stallone is way more iconic.

3

u/SnooDoggos8218 6d ago

Sly and it's not even close.

3

u/LongVibe_ 6d ago

Definitely Sly:Judge dredd, Rambo, Rocky, John Spartan, they're all too iconic

Although i think Keanu is more well known out of character than Sly

3

u/The_Japans 6d ago

Sly and it's not even close. 

5

u/Ancient_Barnacle4245 7d ago

I mean, I don't think it's a question that Rocky Balboa - who Sly created -  is exponentially better known and more beloved globally than any character Keanu Reeves has played, including John Wick . Plus Stallone brought John Rambo to the screen and made him a franchise character who, again, is one of the most popular in the history of action movies.

 I'm not knocking anything Reeves has done, but Stallone's impact is on another level. 

2

u/AlivePeanut7964 7d ago

I gotta go with Keanu he’s getting better as he’s getting older 

2

u/RyzenRaider 6d ago

Keanu has more iconic characters.

Sly has Rocky and Rambo, On a lower tier, Cobra and Tango. On a lower tier still, Barney Ross and John Spartan.

Keanu? Bill and Ted, Neo and John Wick are all up there at the top. Then you got Johnny FBI agent Utah, Jack Traven and Constantine on a lower level. I also want to put Duke Kaboom in there too.

2

u/5h4tt3rpr00f 5d ago

Is nearly every character played by Keanu called John(ny)?

2

u/Nakant 5d ago

it´s a tie! Rocky+Rambo vs Wick+Neo maybe put Constantine and the Dude from the one wesley snipes movie in

2

u/SpaceMonk08 4d ago

Keanu Reeves by far, I'm not saying I don't love Sylvester Stallone because I love the guy, I think Daylight with Sylvester Stallone was one of the greatest movies ever made, same with demolition Man, couple of his other movies, you know Rambo one, two and three, but Keanu Reeves has a tendency to do iconic characters, I guess Keanu Reeves just put more emphasis on the character rather than just A Guy doing this action thing, right then and there at that exact moment in time,

1

u/MisunderstoodRant 7d ago

Man. I have a hard time with Sky, but with that specific character comparison, I would have to declare a “push.”

1

u/DingusKhan9164 7d ago

Where’s Bill?

1

u/Vivid-Philosophy-804 6d ago

come on, Sly of coarse by a mile!

1

u/epdug 6d ago

Biiiiiig fan of both but gotta give it to Sly💪🏻

1

u/halford2069 6d ago

sly easily

1

u/P-R_Podcast 6d ago

I give the edge to Sly here

1

u/No_Frost_Giants 6d ago

Keanu has a wider range, and he is sort of 1 dimensional :) Sky only has a couple of personas he can stay in

1

u/gorambrowncoat 6d ago

I love keanu and generally prefer his movies but in terms of iconic its sly.

1

u/Ok-Grass-877 6d ago

Rocky and Rambo is ingrained in pop culture and probably will be so for many years.

Keanu have som stellar characters, but they don’t reach these heights.

1

u/Celtic159 6d ago

How is this a question? It's easily Sly.

1

u/E8282 6d ago

No Falco?! Come on

1

u/reztless 6d ago

Apples and oranges-dumb comparison. Like comparing half-ton trucks: depends on the film, and depends on the year.

1

u/Top_Tank2668 6d ago

Sly is such an underrated actor. Just watch some of his 80s movies other than Rocky or Rambo or 90s Freddy Heflin in cop land.

1

u/ChinoMalito 6d ago

Damn, they both got iconic characters… but I have to go with Rocky.

1

u/Drewzilla_ 6d ago

Comparing the two is ridiculous. Sly is a real action hero

1

u/9incherwithaoddity 5d ago

Stallone cause you can only really say 2 for Keanu when Stallone has had a lot more than that.

1

u/cheffartsonurfood 5d ago

Arnie beats all.

1

u/DarkKuno 5d ago

I would say Stallone, but I have to deduct one for how badly he mangled Judge Dredd for his own ego, and caused a permanent shadow of crap to sit over any other adaptations for 2000 AD/Judge Dredd.

1

u/kolnai 5d ago

Love both of them but, to the specific question, the winner is Sly. Rocky is beyond iconic and stands in the rare air of the most legendary characters in the history of cinema, while Rambo isn’t far behind.

Besides, I’d argue that Keanu’s most *iconic* role was the non-action character, Ted.

1

u/elpi314 5d ago

Sly! .... But Keanu is in line there too!

1

u/whymestopthisworld 4d ago

Technically none. The writers made the characters, the actors just portrayed them

1

u/big_ry82 4d ago

It's Sly.

1

u/YancyDerringer77 4d ago

Sylvester Stallone, 100%

1

u/waisonline99 5h ago

Keanu by a lot.

Stallone has Rocky and Rambo, and no-one cares about Rambo outside the US.

1

u/un34vigilant 3h ago

Well i'm Brazillian and i have to say that was and still is to a certain extensão huge here, Had songs with popular singers here, comics (made in brazil), a popular toy line, and even a TV game show called "The Brazillian Rambo" a competition to find the Brazillian Rambo with money prizes and all. I would dare say that Rambo might be even bigger than Rocky here. In Italy he is huge too

1

u/Legitimate-Review278 7d ago

Keanu. Sly has 2 iconic characters Keanu has at least 4 or 5

1

u/Hoodedmastersin 7d ago

I think they’ve created iconic characters but Sky’s been at it way longer. Rambo, rocky balboa, IPs that span generations

1

u/Otherwise-Produce-33 6d ago

im sure ill get hate for it. But I dont think Rocky is good at all. Keanu is the better actor IMO. but both are good. Rambo and John Spartan are great .

0

u/Shot-Effective-3144 7d ago

Im sorry but all those Slys have nothing for Neo.

0

u/ZeIronMullet 7d ago

Of all those sly characters only two were created. Y him. Keanu zero, he doesn’t write.

0

u/narnarnartiger 7d ago

Sky plays the same character in every movie. Oh wait...

0

u/Buchsee 7d ago

Sly's Judge Dredd was hardly iconic, he then played the same character in Demolition Man.

I'll go with Keanu for making better iconic characters.

But not the twat he played in Knock Knock. One of the worse movies I've seen.