IsRamboBased on a True Story? Meet the Decorated WWII Soldier Who Partially Inspired Sylvester Stallone’s Ruthless Character

Mar. 15, 2025

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo in ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985).Photo:StudioCanal/Shutterstock

StudioCanal/Shutterstock

1982’sFirst Bloodhelped makeSylvester Stalloneand John Rambo household names.

Based on David Morrell’s debut novel of the same name,First Bloodis a heart-wrenching, action-packed story of a tortured Vietnam veteran struggling to reintegrate into civilian life. The character’s legacy and enduring popularity is stunning, even to Morrell himself: “Rambo"made it into the Oxford English Dictionaryand was even the acronym given to a cluster of dead stars (the full term being “robust association of massive baryonic objects”).

“He’s so much a part of world culture that when I sign copies ofFirst Blood, I often call myself ‘Rambo’s father,’ " the authorsaid in an interview on his website. “It’s like he’s a son who grew up and went in unexpected directions.”

Despite Morrell only writing one novel, Rambo’s story carried on through four more films released over the course of nearly four decades:Rambo First Blood: Part II(1985), Rambo III (1988),Rambo(2008) andRambo: Last Blood(2019), the latter two of which are currently available to stream on Netflix.

But how exactly did the legendary character come to be? Here’s everything to know about the real-life events (and people) that inspired theRambofranchise — well as a surprising figure who didn’t influence the character at all.

Is theRambofranchise based on a true story?

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo in ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985).StudioCanal/Shutterstock

In the introduction to the novelFirst Blood, Morrell reveals that he had several inspirations that came together as an amalgamation in the character John Rambo.

While developing the story forFirst Blood, Morrell combined the last name of author and poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose work he was reading at the time, and the Rambo apple, which his wife told him about when she got home from grocery shopping.

Rambo himself was loosely based on real-life World War II veteran Audie Murphy, who died just before Morrell began writingFirst Blood, the author wrote in his 2012 bookRambo and Me.

“What was on my mind when I wrote the novel was Audie Murphy. He had been America’s most decorated soldier in World War II. His citation for the Medal of Honor is extraordinary. It’s superhuman,” Morrelltold Flashback Filesof Murphy. “Anything Rambo has done in any of the movies pales in comparison.” However, it was Murphy’s openness about post-traumatic stress disorder, even more than his battlefield accomplishments, that fascinated Morrell.

“The juxtaposition made me decide to write a novel in which the Vietnam War literally came home to America,” Morrell explained. “There hadn’t been a war on American soil since the Civil War ended in 1865. With America splitting apart because of Vietnam, maybe it was time for a novel that dramatized the philosophical division in our society, that shoved the brutality of war right under our noses.”

Who was Audie Murphy?

Audie Murphy, World War II’s most decorated hero, poses for a portrait.Bettmann/ Getty

Bettmann/ Getty

Born in Texas, Audie Murphy was one of theUnited States' most decorated World War II soldiers. Murphy lied about his age to be able to enlist in the Army when he was 17 years old. He went on to become a staff sergeant, fighting in the invasion of Sicily in 1943, the Battle of Anzio in 1944 and aiding the liberation of France.

After serving overseas, he returned home where he made a career as an author and actor. Murphy wrote about his experiences in World War II in the bookTo Hell and Backand starred as himself in the film adaptation.

“In some of the action scenes in his movies, you could see something in his eyes that suggested that maybe he was back in the war,” Morrell said of Murphy.

While Murphy’s experiences weren’t identical to Rambo’s, the aftermath of fighting in war influenced Morrell’s most famous character.

Murphy died in a small plane crash in 1971. He was 46 years old.

How does John Rambo differ from the book and the film series?

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo in ‘Rambo’ (2008).Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

The endings of the book and film are different, however: In the book, both Teasle and Rambo die amid their chase, while in the film, Rambo survives and is arrested and taken into custody.

Rambo’s character changes dramatically in the several sequels of the movie.

While Morrell appreciated Stallone’s return to form for 2008’sRambo, he was displeased with the character’s arc in Stallone’s final turn in2019’sRambo: Last Blood. He wrote on X that he “hated the film,” opining that it “lacks soul.”

Was there a real soldier named John Rambo who fought in the Vietnam War?

Yes, there was a real soldier with the surname Rambo who fought in Vietnam, though Morrell has never cited him as being the inspiration forFirst Bloodor the John Rambo character overall.

source: people.com