Rocky Balboa was a down-on-his-luck, lumpy, muscular palooka when the Rocky franchise began, an underdog granted a fairly fortunate opportunity.
He’s a millionaire with a marble body by Rocky IV, and the only way he can remain an underdog is to battle a towering monster in Russia.
The only reason I wouldn’t claim Stranger Things has achieved the Rocky IV stage of its artistic progression is that Rocky IV’s theatrical run time is 91 minutes
which is seven minutes less than the last of seven episodes launching as the show’s last season’s first “half.”