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Co Bao
Co Bao
Played By: Julia Nickson
Indigenous intelligence agent in Vietnam.
- Action Girl: She later proves to be just as effect in a gunfight as Rambo is, and even just as cunning too.
- Big Damn Heroes: Co goes out of her way to single handedly save Rambo from his captors.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Co's death is what sparks Rambo's Roaring Rampage of Revenge at the end of the second film.
- Meaningful Name: In English, Bao means protection, and in the movie she rescues Rambo once and saves his life on the river boat, too.
- The Mole: Co infiltrates the POW camps as one of the service girls, and was the one who provided intel for John Rambo. On a higher level, she is former South Vietnamese citizen, willingly working against new regime.
- Sex Signals Death: Rambo and Co were about to share a moment. Not long after, she gets shot in the back.
- Spared by the Adaptation: It's possible for Co to survive in the NES Rambo game, and if she does the ending will imply that Rambo returned to America and took Co with him.
Major Marshall Roger T. Murdock
Major Marshall Roger T. Murdock
Played By: Charles Napier
Shady government official, overseeing search for finding remaining POWs in Vietnam.
- Betrayal by Inaction: Upon finding out that Rambo indeed brought back a POW from enemy camp, Murdock willing leaves Rambo to the enemy soldiers while holding Trauman at gunpoint.
- Big Bad Ensemble: With Podovsky.
- Blatant Lies: Rambo doesn't buy Murdock's sob story of losing many men during the war as the unit Murdock claimed he served with didn't operate in the area he mentioned. When confronted by Rambo near the end, he again lies to his face to weasel himself out that he didn't gave the order to abandon Rambo.
- Bring My Brown Pants: The novelization reveals that following Rambo's threat after he returned to base, Murdock soils himself.
- Dirty Coward: When Rambo confronts him.Murdock: Rambo, I don't make the orders. I take them, just like you. I swear to God, I didn't know it was supposed to happen like this.
- Hate Sink: Even moreso than Podovsky, the actual Big Bad, as Murdock is willing to abandon the hundred or more American soldiers who died fighting for America and the number of Kick the Dog moments he had.Trautman: That camp was supposed to be empty. Rambo goes in - a decorated vet - he finds no POWs, Congress buys it - case closed. And if he happens to get caught, well, nobody knows he's alive except you and your computers, and you can always reprogram them, can't you?
Murdock: Who the hell do you think you're talking to, Trautman?
Trautman: A stinking bureaucrat who's trying to cover his ass. - Kick the Dog: From leaving Rambo to die to arresting Trautman, this guy earns even more hatred than Podovsky.
- Not Worth Killing: Rambo had Murdock at his mercy at the end of the movie but spares him anyway as he knows the location of other POWs.Rambo: You know there's more men out there and you know where they are. Find them... or I'll find YOU.
- Slimeball: He's willing to leave hundreds of POWs to die just to fill his pockets following profiting from their dilemma.
- Smug Snake: Thinks he calls the shots, but once Rambo confronts him, it's all thrown out the window.
- Underestimating Badassery: Despite Trauman's warning and Rambo's threat, Murdock does not believe that Rambo will return to base alive, let alone threaten him.
Michael Reed Ericson
Michael Reed Ericson
Played By: Martin Kove
CIA contractor assisting Murdock.
- Affably Evil: His friendliness and respect for Rambo is quite genuine.
- The Atoner: If his criminal record in DVD's Survival Mode easter egg trivia in contrast to his affable demeanor and genuine good intent on screen are anything to go by.
- Co-Dragons: With Lifer for Murdock.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He did not want to abandon Rambo.
- Manchild: Can be seen playing with helicopter scale model.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: All that he got for his friendly attitude and willingness to discuss dubious order with teammates, is Rambo striking him with M60 butt for his part in ditching him in the first place.
- Reformed Criminal: According to the DVD's Survival Mode easter egg trivia, while assigned at the Marine Air Group in Manila, Philippines, he was arrested by MPs for suspected armory theft in Manila, although he was not court martialed, suspected for helicopter theft in Osaka, suspected in light weapons theft in Bangkok, suspected in illegal weapons transport, operation shut down by AUS special forces in early 1983 and, finally, arrested for assault on an AUS officer around that time period. In May 1983, Ericson was given a dishonorable discharge for said multiple infractions. Despite all of this, Ericson in the film never shown any malicious attributes during his screen time, meaning he likely became a mercenary under Murdock's employment to genuinely become The Atoner to make up for those past considerable crimes and become a better person unlike before, it's too bad he was forced to be given the order to leave Rambo.
- Punch-Clock Villain: In contrast to Lifer's willing malicious intent.
- Token Good Teammate: Or a close to it. He is very affably, and attempts to befriend Rambo in the beginning. When Murdock orders Rambo's betrayal, Ericson informs Trautman about it and is visibly reluctant to leave Rambo. In the end, Ericson is seen immediately rushing to meet helicopter with POW and seems genuinely happy about Rambo making it. It's ambiguous whether he even willingly left Rambo behind - Lifer had a gun drawn on Trautman, and could easily have been implicitly threatening Ericson as well.
Lifer
Lifer
Played By: Steve Williams
CIA contractor assisting Murdock.
- Co-Dragons: With Ericson for Murdock.
- Token Evil Teammate: Lifer is the one who immediately tried to enforce Murdock order, going as far as threatening Trautman with his sidearm.
- Karma Houdini: While Ericson had the guts to face Rambo personally, Lifer cowardly hid himself among people, helping rescued the prisoners.
- Slimeball: He is as sleazy and seedy as his boss.
Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Podovsky
Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Podovsky
Played By: Steven Berkoff
Officer in Soviet Airborne Troops and military liaison in Vietnam.
- Big Bad: Is the actual main villain of the second film.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Contrast between backwater sheriff of a somewhat three-dimensional Well-Intentioned Extremist Tragic Villain and a Soviet senior officer of a one-note villainous caricature is pretty noticeable.
- Dirty Communists: A Lieutenant Colonel of the Soviet Army.
- Faux Affably Evil: He is rather calm and even delightful for a cruel, relentless Soviet officer."You may scream, there is no shame."
- Large Ham: His Russian accent is definitely over the top.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: He sounds more like a stereotypical Nazi interrogator, complete viz ze inability to pronounce a "th" sound.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: Whether it is drowning you in mud, or launching dozens of missiles on a helicopter, he never raises his voice.Podovsky: What you must understand is that we have to interrogate you. To Sergeant Yushin here, you are a piece of meat. A laboratory experiment. But to me, you are a comrade, similar to myself, just opposed by an act of fate. I know you are trying to facilitate the release of war criminals held by this republic. I can appreciate this. But this incident, your capture is... embarrassing. We must have explanation. First of all, I wish you to radio your headquarters and say that you have been captured and condemned for espionage activities, and that no such criminal aggression should be attempted in the future or they will meet with the same fate as yours.
Rambo: Fuck you!
Podovsky: Ah, I see you wish to test your strength. Good. - Villain Ball: He tortures Rambo into deciding to give a demoralizing speech to his unit. Rambo instead calls out Murdock and uses the mic to fight his way out.
- We Have Ways of Making You Talk: He starts with attempts to verbally coerce Rambo into cooperation, and stops torturing him, as he realizes that method won't work with Rambo. Instead, he threatens the POW that Rambo nearly escaped with.
Sergeant Yushin
Sergeant Yushin
Played By: Voyo Goric
Soviet airborne soldier, serving as right-hand man for Podovsky.
- Asshole Victim: Nobody will miss brutal Torture Technician, that's for sure.
- The Brute: Muscle bound, and loyal to Podovsky.
- Dirty Communists: A Sergeant of the Soviet Army.
- Disney Villain Death: Ends up getting knocked out of the helicopter Rambo attempted to hijack.
- The Dragon: Always beside his superior, and undyingly loyal.
Captain Vinh
Captain Vinh
Played By: William Ghent
Warden of the Vietnamese POW camp.
- Man on Fire: He gets burned up in the cornfield by Rambo.
- Out of Focus: Once the Russians arrive.
- Wardens Are Evil: Is a very nasty PAVN officer serving as commandant of a P.O.W. camp, where Americans are routinely tortured and abused.
Lieutenant Tay
Lieutenant Tay
Played By: George Cheung
Second-in-command in the Vietnamese POW camp.
- Adaptational Villainy: He's a Mook Lieutenant in the movie but otherwise doesn't do much. In the novel, he's a Torture Technician who subjects prisoners to increasingly cruel treatments, including Flaying Alive and having captives dropped in a pit of hungry insects, and has a personal grave dedicated to the bones belonging to hundreds of victims who died by his hands.
- All There in the Manual: According to the Novelization, Tay is the one who tortured Rambo back during the war.
- Asshole Victim: Tortured Rambo and killed Co. Blown to bits with an explosive-tipped arrow.
- Groin Attack: Although hit in the chest, it's noticeably his crotch that explodes first when he dies.
- Defiant to the End: Even when he realizes Rambo has him dead to rights at the river, he shows no fear and makes only a half-hearted attempt to flee before turning and defiantly trying to fire one final shot at his enemy.
- Dragon Their Feet: Outlives Vinh, who was burnt to a crisp before Rambo deals with him.
- Hero Killer: Is the one who shoots Co.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: He empties two magazines on Rambo without hitting him. To make matters worse, Rambo was standing out in the open.
- Ludicrous Gibs: His fate, courtesy of an exploding arrow. A visual approximation to his comeuppance can be compared as an exploding tomato in a microwave oven.
- Mook Lieutenant: To Captain Vinh, the commandant of the P.O.W. camp. When Podovsky and the Russians arrive, Tay commands several of the PAVN soldiers abetting the Russians in their hunt for Rambo.
