Creed 4 is happening, and while there will undoubtedly be many comparisons between the film and Rocky IV, Creed 4 needs to be different from the fourth Rocky movie in 10 big ways. The Creed and Rocky series have had a lot of parallels so far, with the franchise weaving the stories of both series together in a way that continues the story of Rocky while simultaneously allowing Creed to stand on its own. While Creed III was significantly different from Rocky III, Rocky IV is one of the most popular entries in the franchise. Because of this, Creed 4 needs to make an effort to be different.
Creed III has brought the Rocky franchise back into the limelight, with the critically acclaimed third film leading to all kinds of upcoming Rocky sequels and spin-offs getting greenlit. While projects like the Creed anime and the Drago movie are exciting, the most anticipated of these new entries in the Rocky franchise is Creed 4. Rocky IV is the favorite film of many Rocky fans, with the sequel earning its iconic status. Because of this, many viewers are hoping that Creed 4 can recreate this massive success. However, copying Rocky IV isn’t the way to do it, as Creed 4 should actually be different in 10 big ways.
10 Creed 4 Doesn’t Need A Major Death
One of the most well-remembered parts of Rocky IV is the film’s major death, with it killing off one of the franchise’s most iconic characters: Apollo Creed. While major characters like Mickey and Adrian also died in the Rocky movies, the death of Apollo is arguably the most dramatic and impactful one, with it directly leading to the story of the Creed series. Creed 4, however, doesn’t need to feature a major death, as a well-crafted dramatic story can be made without killing a main character. The death of Adonis’ mom in Creed III was impactful enough, and having another death so soon may lessen its power.
9 Creed 4 Can’t Repeat Rocky 4’s War Themes
While Rocky IV continued the themes of the franchise, it also heavily included themes of war. Rocky IV centered around the conflicts between the United States and the USSR, with the battle between Rocky and Ivan Drago acting as a proxy battle for the Cold War. This jingoistic element may have played well in the 1980s, but it simply wouldn’t work today. Adonis Creed’s arc doesn’t match up with a film that is incredibly pro-America, as his upbringing has led him to have a more negative outlook on the country. While Creed 4 can get political, the war themes need to be left behind with Rocky IV.
8 Creed 4 Needs To Keep Adonis & BIanca’s Relationship Central
The relationship between Rocky and Adrian was central to the themes of the original film, with it being even more important to Rocky’s arc than the fight with Apollo Creed. One of the major problems with Rocky IV is that Adrian and the rest of Rocky’s family were sidelined, leading to a film that replaced its heart with nationalism. Creed III doubled down on the relationship between Adonis and Bianca, and after she was sidelined in the first two films, it would be a huge mistake for Creed 4 to take a step backward by doing this again.
7 Creed 4 Must Give Amara A Bigger Role Than Rocky Jr
Rocky Jr. is the son of Rocky Balboa, and while he was present since Rocky II, he barely had any role in Rocky IV. If Adrian was sidelined, Rocky Jr. was kicked out of the stadium, with him having almost no significance in the story. Amara Creed’s role in Creed III already gave the character a much bigger role than Rocky Jr. ever had as a child, and Creed IV needs to keep this momentum going by building her up even further.
6 Creed 4 Doesn’t Have To Bring Back The Dragos
Ivan Drago is the main antagonist in Rocky IV, and because of this, many fans expect Ivan and Viktor to return in Creed 4. However, Creed II already did a Drago-centric story, and the Drago movie will give audiences their fills of the character. Bringing the Dragos back again would feel like a rehash of what Creed II already did, meaning that it is fine to leave them out of the film.
5 Creed 4 Should Stay Grounded (Unlike Rocky 4)
One of the biggest problems with Rocky IV is its tone. While the first three Rocky movies are fairly grounded, Rocky IV turns out to be pretty goofy, with the film’s massive scale, cartoonish villain, and use of an actual robot servant making it feel more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a boxing movie. The first three Creed movies have found a perfect tonal balance, and Creed 4 shouldn’t mess with this formula in an attempt to be more like Rocky IV.
4 Creed 4 Shouldn’t Try To Be Bigger Than The Previous Movies
Rocky IV is undeniably the biggest Rocky movie, with its scale, story, and stakes being much more grand than the films that came before or after it. The international conflict and political ramifications of Rocky IV take away the original movie’s character-centric narrative, and Creed 4 risks doing the same thing if its scale gets too big. Creed III was a big movie, but at its heart, it was about the relationship between Creed and Dame Anderson. Creed 4 needs to substitute Rocky IV‘s massive scale with better characters and a smaller story.
3 Creed 4’s Villain Should Be More Fleshed Out Than Ivan Drago
Creed II really fleshed out Ivan Drago, but he was pretty one-dimensional in Rocky IV. Ivan Drago was a cartoonish USSR boxer who had almost no development, and Creed 4 should avoid this mistake. The introduction of Dame Anderson shows that Creed is able to make villains that are also well-developed characters, and this needs to continue in the next film.
2 Creed 4 Should Directly Continue The Story Of Creed III
While Rocky IV is good, it feels pretty self-contained, with it not really continuing any of the story threads from Rocky III. Creed 4, however, can’t ignore the story of Creed III, as the film’s story threads have so much potential to be fleshed out in sequels. Creed 4 should continue the arcs of Adonis training Amara, Bianca’s music career, and Adonis coping with his mother’s death. Ignoring these and making Creed 4 a self-contained story would be a huge mistake.
1 Creed 4 Shouldn’t Separate The Creed Family
One of the biggest sins of Rocky IV is that it separated the Balboa family, with Rocky spending most of the film in the USSR while Adrian and Rocky Jr. are back home in the United States. Adonis’ family is the heart and soul of the Creed movies, so splitting them up would be ripping the heart of the film out. Creed 4 should be bringing the Creed family closer together, not farther away, with the movie hopefully avoiding the problems with Rocky IV.
