Commentaries on Drago often characterize him as a hyperbolic representation of Russian power in the context of the latter part of the Cold War. This symbolism is particularly clear in some lines in the film, like the radio announcer who says, “Ivan Drago is a man with an entire country in his corner.” 
Others have characterized Drago in contrast to Rocky, the prototypically American hero, and that Drago’s defeat represents a crumbling of the U.S.S.R. Some, however, have noticed Drago’s individualism.
