The following contains spoilers for Creed III, now playing in theaters.
The Creed movies have adroitly picked up the legacy of Rocky Balboa to the point where new sequels seem almost inevitable. The Sylvester Stallone movies that originated the story petered out reasonably quickly, and while multiple sequels got made, only the iconic original retains any serious standing. The Creed movies have done better, thanks to a more mature approach to the characters and consistently strong performances from star Michael B. Jordan.
Jordan makes his directorial debut with Creed III, which opened to strong reviews and solid box office figures. That suggests that a fourth Creed is in the works, and while Jordan's character Adonis Creed has seemingly retired, "never say never" is a fundamental part of the franchise's DNA. There's even an interesting -- and well-established -- opponent for Creed to face: Balboa's son, Rocky Jr. Sadly, the chances of that happening are slim.
The Creed Movies Further Rocky's Generational Conflicts
The transition from Rocky movies to Creed movies has an uneven lead-up. The final film, Rocky Balboa, struggles mightily to sell its boxing story, in which a 60-year-old Balboa credibly endures ten rounds with a reigning champion half his age. It soars, however, on the family subplot, in which Rocky and his son grapple with the loss of their wife/mother, Adrian. Creed refreshes that energy and delivers it in new ways as Donnie confronts the legacy of his late father, Apollo, on his way to his own championship.
Creed II continues Rocky Jr.'s thread, revealing that he and his father have become estranged and ending with the two reconciling again. It also comes to light that Rocky Jr. trained as a boxer at one point, which means he could conceivably face Creed in the ring. And considering the direction the franchise has gone in, the notion holds a lot of dramatic potential.
Rocky Jr. Is an Unlikely Opponent for Creed
In the simplest terms, a fight with Rocky Jr. brings a fresh face to Creed's well-traveled pack of boxing opponents and would make narrative sense as an exhibition match considering Donnie's retirement. It also lends a fresh wrinkle to the Creed movies' tradition of children confronting the legacy of their parents. The chance for the two to hash it out over the senior Balboa's place in their lives is almost too tempting to resist. Furthermore, a match between them would do something different than the previous Creed movies: present an opponent Donnie respects from the get-go instead of an implacable foe he needs to defeat.
Unfortunately, that same factor that troubled Rocky Balboa may put the kibosh on the notion. Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Rocky Jr., is in his mid-forties and a good decade older than Jordan. More to the point, the character doesn't look to be in nearly the kind of shape for fighting Creed. And while the actor could presumably get in shape for the role, it would be hard to sell an audience on Rocky Jr. suddenly morphing into a professional-caliber boxer.
Creed III is the first movie in the Rocky cycle not to feature Stallone, and indeed, the film focuses largely on Donnie stepping out of his mentor's shadow for once and all. That makes another reason why a showdown with the younger Balboa might not be in the cards. Certainly, the Creed films have earned the right to be evaluated on their own merits rather than constantly being tied to Rocky. Even so, there's a lot of potential in bringing Rocky Jr. into the ring, even if it can't -- or ultimately shouldn't -- happen.
To see Adonis' latest battle, Creed III is now in theaters.