Creed III Preview – The Final Round?

By: Kirk Jackson

They say you can’t run from or escape fate, no matter how fearful the outcome may be.

It appears Adonis Creed is set to challenge an ally turned adversary from his past, en route to exercising another demon and ultimately embracing his destiny.

Michael B. Jordan as Adonis “Donnie” Creed.

Creed III is a 2023 American sports drama film, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. This film is the sequel to Creed II (2018) and the ninth installment in the Rocky film series.

Creed III also stars Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad. This is the first film in the series without Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, though he still serves as a producer.

Footage courtesy of MGM.

One of the main questions lingering with any film in the legendary Rocky/Creed series is who is the main opponent? Who is the antagonist, why is he dangerous and why do we care?

Enter Jonathan Majors. He plays “Dame,” a person from Donnie’s childhood, who reappears after serving a long sentence in prison. They formed a bond as adolescence and meet again as adults. It just so happens that Dame was considered a boxing prodigy as a youth, and coincidently, wants what Donnie has.

The protagonist for this film is fighting fear, fighting guilt, and based on the preview, looks like Donnie is combating the “Little brother vs. Big Brother” dynamic with Damian as well.

Jonathan Majors as Damian “Dame” Anderson.

We’ve reached a certain point with the current Creed series.

Adonis, the son of the legendary Apollo Creed, carved his own path, and while doing so, honored his father’s legacy in the process with Creed and Creed II respectively. From a storytelling standpoint, what’s left now? Which avenues can be explored next?

This was likely the questions posed during the initial Rocky series that ran from 1976 through 2006.

After the protagonist (Rocky), challenged for the heavyweight title against Apollo Creed in Rocky and Rocky II, warding off and eventually overcoming the hungry challenger Clubber Lang (played by Mr. T) in Rocky III, avenging his rival turned close friend’s death (Apollo Creed portrayed by Carl Weathers) in Rocky IV, they were running thin on threads for a storyline.