The first threeCreedmovies have followed roughly the same plot trajectory as the first threeRockymovies, but the highly anticipatedCreed 4can’t tell the same story asRocky IV. Like a lot of legacy sequels,Creedis both a follow-up to the original story and a soft remake of it.Creedtakes place after the mainlineRockysaga, with Apollo Creed’s long-lost son coming onto the boxing circuit, butAdonis’ journey to becoming a champion closely mirrors Rocky Balboa’s own path to glory.
The firstCreedmovie, like the firstRockymovie, is about an underdog coming onto the scene and facing a renowned fighter to prove his mettle.Creed II, much likeRocky II, is about a famous boxer holding onto his reputation.Creed III, likeRocky III, sees the central character facing retirement and getting pulled back into the ring by a formidable new opponent. Butthe upcomingCreed 4won’t be able to continue that tradition, because it’s not set up to followRocky 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 inRocky III, Apollo was killed in the ring by the sinister Russian fighter Ivan Drago inRocky 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, butthe nextCreedmovie won’t be able to copy it, because the pieces aren’t there to tell aCreedversion of that story.
A fourthCreedfilm is in active development with Michael B. Jordan returning as director.
There’s no Apollo to Adonis forCreed 4to 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 inCreed III, but giventhe Jonathan Majors situation, it seems unlikely that he’ll return.TheCreedseries already directly adapted elements ofRocky IVby involving the Dragos inCreed II, soCreed 4will 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 thatCreed 4doesn’t have a roadmap to follow from a previousRockyfilm 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.
