The first three Creed movies have followed roughly the same plot trajectory as the first three Rocky movies, but the highly anticipated Creed 4 can’t tell the same story as Rocky IV. Like a lot of legacy sequels, Creed is both a follow-up to the original story and a soft remake of it. Creed takes place after the mainline Rocky saga, with Apollo Creed’s long-lost son coming onto the boxing circuit, but Adonis’ journey to becoming a champion closely mirrors Rocky Balboa’s own path to glory.
The first Creed movie, like the first Rocky movie, is about an underdog coming onto the scene and facing a renowned fighter to prove his mettle. Creed II, much like Rocky II, is about a famous boxer holding onto his reputation. Creed III, like Rocky III, sees the central character facing retirement and getting pulled back into the ring by a formidable new opponent. But the upcoming Creed 4 won’t be able to continue that tradition, because it’s not set up to follow Rocky IV.
Creed 4 Cannot Possibly Be Similar To Rocky IV
There’s No Apollo To Adonis
After Rocky was mentored by his old rival Apollo in Rocky III, Apollo was killed in the ring by the sinister Russian fighter Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Rocky challenged Drago to a boxing match and trained in the snowy wilderness to avenge his mentor’s death. It was a great story that tapped into the zeitgeist surrounding the Cold War, but the next Creed movie won’t be able to copy it, because the pieces aren’t there to tell a Creed version of that story.
A fourth Creed film is in active development with Michael B. Jordan returning as director.
There’s no Apollo to Adonis for Creed 4 to kill off. Rocky has mentored Donnie from the beginning, but there’s no way they’d kill him off, and they’ve already used Rocky’s mortality to motivate Donnie before. Damian would make sense after their arc in Creed III, but given the Jonathan Majors situation, it seems unlikely that he’ll return. The Creed series already directly adapted elements of Rocky IV by involving the Dragos in Creed II, so Creed 4 will have to forge its own narrative path.
Creed 4 Being Nothing Like The Rocky Movies Makes It More Exciting
It Can Finally Break Free Of The Rocky Formula
The fact that Creed 4 doesn’t have a roadmap to follow from a previous Rocky film makes it even more exciting. It means the movie is in truly uncharted territory. Adonis is happy and retired, he has a loving family, and everything seems to be figured out. It’ll take some conflict to throw a spanner in the works and upend Donnie’s life enough to get him back in the ring with something to fight for, and there’s no way to predict what that conflict will be.
Creed
- Created by
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Ryan Coogler
- First Film
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Creed
- Latest Film
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Creed III
- Upcoming Films
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Creed 4
- Cast
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Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Bellew, Andre Ward
Summary
The Creed franchise, a continuation of the Rocky series, centers on Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, as he rises in the boxing world under the mentorship of Rocky Balboa. The series explores Adonis’s personal growth, relationships, and rivalries. Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), and Creed III (2023) combine intense boxing drama with character-driven storytelling, with Michael B. Jordan leading as both star and director of the latest installment. The series is praised for bringing new energy to the Rocky legacy, with further sequels and spin-offs under consideration.
