Michael B. Jordan’s upcoming Creed 4 doesn’t have to make up for the disappointment of a previous movie, like Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky IV did back in the day. Although it’s been pushed back so Jordan can direct a new remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, Creed 4 is in active development after the blockbuster success of the first three movies. Wherever Creed 4 takes Adonis’ story, it has a lot to live up to after a near-flawless trilogy.

So far, the Creed series has more or less followed the trajectory of the original Rocky movies. The first one was about an underdog proving his mettle in the ring; the second one was about a fighter taking on an old rival; and the third one was about a famous boxer defending his тιтle against a powerful new challenger. But it’s looking like Creed 4 will be a very different movie than Rocky IV — not only because there’s no Apollo figure in Donnie’s life, but because the Creed franchise is in a much different place than the Rocky franchise was.

Creed 4 Is Coming Off The Back Of A Strong Third Movie; Rocky IV Did Not

Rocky IV Had To Make Up For Rocky III

When Stallone made Rocky IV, he had to make up for the disappointment of Rocky III. Rocky had been hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made and Rocky II, while it wasn’t as highly acclaimed, provided a satisfying sequel. But Rocky III was met with mixed reviews; Rocky IV had to be great to save the franchise. If it had been a disappointment like Rocky III, it could’ve meant the untimely end of Stallone’s saga. Coming off Creed III, arguably the strongest Creed film to date, Jordan doesn’t have that problem going into Creed 4.

What Went Wrong With Rocky III

It Turned The Rocky Series Into A Villain-Of-The-Week Comic Book

The problem with Rocky III is that it turned Rocky into a comic book hero facing a different supervillain in each new chapter. The first film was a gritty, grounded story about a young fighter, eager to prove himself on the circuit. After being challenged to an unwinnable fight against a champion as a publicity stunt, he gives it his all. In the second film, he trains for a rematch with the same champion, growing as a character in the process.

Rocky III established the villain-of-the-week formula of a formidable new fighter coming in to challenge Rocky to a climactic showdown. Wisecracking badᴀss Clubber Lang paved the way for Soviet superman Ivan Drago and sadistic youngblood Tommy Gunn. The Rocky saga stopped being a love story and a character study and just became a series of shallow boxing pictures. Creed 4 is in good stead, because the Creed films have yet to fall into this trap.