The Expendables never gave viewers the Arnold Schwarzenegger Vs Sylvester Stallone action epic it once teased – but it’s not too late. The ’80s gave rise to a breed of action movies where the lead characters were improbably jacked, prone to salty one-liners and wielding progressively larger guns. Arnie and Stallone were the poster boys for this era, but Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris and many more were part of it too. Schwarzenegger and Stallone were feuding throughout the ’80s and ’90s and always sought to outdo one another in terms of box office, physique or body count.
Towards the end of the ’90s, the financial fortunes of their movies took a turn for the worst. Arnie moved into politics while Stallone seriously considered acting retirement after fighting for years to get Rocky Balboa produced. While movie fans may have eagerly awaited a Schwarzenegger VS Stallone movie at the peak of their stardom, they had to wait until the first Expendables in 2010 to see them paired onscreen. While the original teased a future rivalry between Arnie’s Trench and Stallone’s Barney, later Expendables movies made them bickering buddies instead.
Expendables 5 Can Finally Pay Off Schwarzenegger & Stallone’s Action Rivalry
The Expendables 2 saw the titular team rescue Trench in the opening scene, and he returns the favor by helping them during the finale. By The Expendables 3, Trench and Barney are practically besties, even though the former has his own rival mercenary team that pinched Jet Li’s Yin Yang. The upcoming Expendables 4 will see Stallone take a backseat while Jason Statham’s Christmas ascends to the lead role, but while Stallone and Arnold are still making action movies, a fifth movie might be the last chance to pay off their iconic action feud.
The Expendables 5 would have some work to do to make Trench and Barney enemies, but it wouldn’t be that hard. In the original, Barney mentioned he and Trench used to be on the same side before they had a falling out, so some past grudge could resurface. That’s one option, but the simplest solution would be to pit Barney and Trench’s teams against one another. If Stallone is stepping away from action movies soon, having one final showdown with his greatest screen rival would make The Expendables 5 a true event.
Why Haven’t The Expendables Movies Made Barney & Trench Enemies?
Given that they were enemies for so long, it’s almost a shock to see how friendly Arnie and Stallone are in their movies. Outside of The Expendables, they also co-starred in Escape Plan, but while they had a fight scene their characters soon became allies. The real reason Barney and Trench never became foes is that Schwarzenegger and Stallone are now best friends. Their past competitiveness is long forgotten, and since Arnie’s Expendables appearances are basically cameos, they want to have fun working together instead of fighting. Their chummy dynamic was one of the better parts of the third Expendables, but finally making them enemies would be much more fun.
