The first three Creed movies managed to breathe new life into the Rocky universe, but there is one specific aspect of the Rocky franchise that the Creed franchise would do well to avoid. Ryan Coogler’s 2015 return to the Rocky franchise was universally celebrated as one of the best boxing movies ever, with Sylvester Stallone’s return as an aging Rocky Balboa earning him an Oscar nomination. It took the underdog angle that made the original Rocky movie so memorable in a different direction, introducing Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed as a well-developed and easy-to-root-for protagonist.
Steven Caple, Jr.’s Creed II kept up the momentum, delivering a memorable story that brought Adonis Creed to his lowest while simultaneously revisiting the most popular elements of the iconic Rocky IV, resulting in a powerful and entertaining final fight. Michael B. Jordan took the reins of the series for Creed III, using a time jump to further develop Adonis Creed’s character and introduce a more personal story to the franchise. With three great movies already released and Jordan at least intending to make Creed IV, the franchise is swiftly approaching a Rocky record that it should avoid.
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Creed Doesn’t Need To Have As Many Movies As Rocky
The Creed Movies Have Been Excellent So Far
With Adonis Creed already at the end of his long and storied career during the events of Creed III, it’s widely theorized that he will take on the role of trainer or mentor in Creed IV. It could potentially be for his daughter Amara, who already showed an interest in boxing like her father. Other candidates include Felix Chavez, the impressive Mexican fighter that Adonis was training in Creed III, or Viktor Drago, who was set to be Chavez’s opponent before he was sabotaged by Damian Anderson.
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Adonis’ Career Means Creed 4 Will Run Into The Same Problem That Most Rocky Sequels Faced
Creed IV runs the risk of following a similar problematic narrative path as the Rocky franchise, and it’s related to Creed’s role in the boxing world.
Regardless of who his pupil winds up being, it seems clear that Adonis is headed for the mentor role in the next movie. While there is definitely value in having Adonis lead the franchise into a new chapter, it would be a mistake to keep the focus on his character for much longer. The Creed franchise should not even attempt to match or exceed the six-film progression of the Rocky franchise, and even if the baton is passed to his daughter Amara to keep the “Creed” title in the movie series, another trilogy is the farthest it should go.
Rocky’s Multiple Sequels Did More Harm Than Good To The Franchise
Each Has Positive Elements, But Nothing Compared To The Original
While the success and acclaim of the original Rocky made a sequel inevitable, the franchise was retroactively hurt by the latter sequels. Rocky II and Rocky III weren’t close to the quality of the original movie, but both had some great elements and at least furthered the story of Rocky Balboa in a meaningful way. After that, the franchise took a hard left turn towards mediocrity, with two bad sequels before a late, yet still unnecessary rejuvenation with Rocky Balboa.
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Rocky and Creed Franchises – Key Details |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Movie |
Release Year |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcornmeter Score |
|
Rocky |
1976 |
93% |
69% |
|
Rocky II |
1979 |
70% |
82% |
|
Rocky III |
1982 |
65% |
74% |
|
Rocky IV |
1985 |
39% |
79% |
|
Rocky V |
1990 |
32% |
31% |
|
Rocky Balboa |
2006 |
78% |
76% |
|
Creed |
2015 |
95% |
89% |
|
Creed II |
2018 |
83% |
80% |
|
Creed II |
2023 |
89% |
95% |
Rocky IV might have a bunch of memorable moments related to Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, and it was a massively important movie in the context of the Creed franchise, but the movie itself is borderline silly in its boxing action, and plays like a retread of its predecessors. Rocky V is an outright bad movie that actively hurt the legacy of the franchise, as it was a terrible attempt at recapturing the working man, underdog vibe of the original. If the Creed franchise goes much longer, it also runs the risk of damaging the legacy of the first three great movies.
Creed
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.
