When First Blood hit theaters in 1982, Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo became an instant action movie legend. But how did this tortured Vietnam War veteran come to life? As it turns out, the origins of Rambo are deeply rooted in history, literature, and even a famous war hero.
The character first appeared in David Morrell’s 1972 novel First Blood, a brutal, emotionally charged story about a former soldier struggling to reintegrate into society. Morrell was as surprised as anyone at Rambo’s lasting impact. "He’s so much a part of world culture," the author once said, noting that he often signs books as 'Rambo’s father.'
Though Rambo is a fictional character, Morrell acknowledged that his inspiration came from multiple sources. Among them was Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War II. Murphy, who enlisted at just 17 years old, became a war hero but later struggled with severe PTSD, even keeping a weapon under his pillow at night. "He had an unsuccessful civilian life," Morrell said. "He wanted to write about adapting to peacetime." That idea became central to Rambo’s story — what if a soldier like Murphy returned from Vietnam to a country that no longer welcomed him?
Morrell was also influenced by footage of the Vietnam War and violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement in the U.S. These images, combined with his own personal experiences—including witnessing local police mistreating young men with long hair — shaped First Blood’s message about a divided America.
While Stallone’s portrayal of Rambo closely followed the book in First Blood, the character evolved dramatically in later sequels. In Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III, he became more of a military icon, something Morrell hadn’t envisioned. "All of a sudden, he’s a recruitment poster for the military," he said. Stallone himself later admitted that he wasn’t happy with the glorification of violence in those films and sought to return to Rambo’s raw, bitter origins in 2008’s Rambo.
Interestingly, while a real soldier named John Rambo did serve in Vietnam, Morrell insists that this was pure coincidence — his version of Rambo was never based on him.
With five films spanning nearly four decades, Rambo remains one of the most recognizable action heroes in cinema. But at his core, he represents something much deeper — a tragic reflection of soldiers who return from war, only to find themselves fighting an entirely different battle at home.
