Creed 3 Is More Important To The Franchise Than You Realize

The upcoming spin-off sequel Creed III is actually far more important to the Rocky franchise than it may seem. Since the original Rocky was released in 1976, the franchise it spawned has since gone on to redefine the genre of sports drama for the modern age of cinema. Sylvester Stallone’s iconic turn as Rocky Balboa is legendary, and his saga was told over an original run of six movies that chronicled the rise and eventual decline of the fictional boxer’s career. Rocky is one of pop culture’s most iconic figures, embodying the spirit of determination and resilience for generations.

2015 saw the franchise switch gears considerably in order to shift focus to a new protagonist. Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed was written as the illegitimate son of Rocky’s former rival-turned-friend Apollo Creed, but also as the franchise’s new eponymous fighter. Creed followed Adonis Creed’s career as he takes on Rocky as a trainer and discovered his own love and talent for the sport of boxing. The sequel, Creed II, saw Adonis earn his late father’s heavyweight title before facing off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, for a generational grudge match in which Adonis avenged the death of his father. Creed 3 is set to continue Adonis’ story, but reports indicate that Sylvester Stallone will not be returning as Rocky Balboa.

It has become increasingly clear that Creed 3 will mark yet another new beginning for the franchise. Without Rocky serving as Donnie’s trainer and surrogate father figure, it’s clear that the young fighter will begin to forge his own path in future installments, making the upcoming sequel particularly important to the franchise as a whole. Creed 3 doesn’t need to explore Rocky’s ending (this was subtly achieved by previous movies), but it will need to establish what the future of the Rocky franchise will look like without the Italian Stallion. In this, and in several other ways, Creed 3 may just be the most critical movie in the entire Rocky franchise to date.

Creed 3 Will Start A New Era For The Franchise

Perhaps the most obvious way in which Creed 3 is important for the Rocky franchise is in how it signals a new beginning. Of course, the idea of this transition isn’t entirely new, because Creed hinted at it back in 2015, but it’s not a promise that has yet been fulfilled. Despite the new name and protagonist, Rocky Balboa remained an integral part of the franchise’s narrative, so the Creed movies hadn’t started something truly new.

With Rocky not returning for Creed 3, the sequel will have no choice but to redefine itself. Without Balboa’s continued presence, the Creed movies will finally stand alone, separate from the influence of Rocky. This will affect Donnie’s story in a major way: he won’t have Rocky training him or standing in his corner, and all the inspirational moments it will undoubtedly seek to deliver will need to be carried by Adonis himself. If handled carefully, this is actually an incredibly exciting prospect, because it potentially marks the beginning of a brave new era for the Rocky franchise.

Creed 3 Can Finally Move On From Its Reliance On The Rocky Movies

As well as moving on from the character of Rocky Balboa, the Creed movies now have a perfect opportunity to move on from revisiting elements of the Rocky movies. Creed II saw Donnie confront his feelings about his father’s death in a dangerous but cathartic clash with Viktor Drago. This allowed for the return of Rocky IV‘s Ivan Drago, which in turn meant that Creed II acted as a sequel to Rocky IV even more than it did to its direct predecessor. This created the impression that the Creed movies were simply next-generation Rocky, and that its movies would chart a parallel career course for Adonis Creed.

With Adonis having settled his unresolved feelings about his father’s untimely demise, Creed 3 has a perfect opportunity to move on and begin to tell more original stories. Exploring more original ideas would be the perfect way for the Creed franchise to move on and feel like a series of genuine sequels rather than a simple soft reboot. However, as many Creed 3 theories involve Clubber Lang’s son, this may not prove to be the case – it’s possible that the Creed movies will continue to revisit the previous ideas of the Rocky franchise.

Creed 3 Needs To Avoid Certain Rocky Tropes

There are many Rocky tropes that it would actually be far better for Creed 3 to avoid. Perhaps the biggest of these is how Creed 3 explains Rocky’s absence – if the sequel follows established Rocky tradition, it could be disastrous for the character’s overall arc. As Creed II ended with Rocky reconciling with his estranged son and finally meeting his grandson, it would appear that the Italian Stallion has already been given a happy ending. The most tempting Rocky trope for explaining Balboa’s departure is to kill the character, but this would simply establish another Rocky franchise parallel.

In Rocky III, Stallone killed off Mickey Goldmill, Rocky’s long-time trainer, to raise the stakes and add some drama to the film’s first act. If Creed III opts to kill Rocky in some way, Adonis’ journey takes on yet another Rocky parallel, because it would undoubtedly treat the trainer’s death as the galvanizing force the young fighter needs to come back against a powerful opponent. Though the Creed movies need to retain some of Rocky‘s underdog charm, it’s crucial that they also begin to move away from simply recycling the same tired tropes and narrative devices, because only then will they deliver something truly special (and original).

Why The Creed Movies Have Real Potential Without Rocky

Through careful writing and clever planning, the Creed movies can eventually beat the Rocky franchise, but this won’t be achieved without some semblance of originality. The first two Creed movies acted as a continuation of Balboa’s legacy, but Creed 3 can finally move away from that idea. Perhaps most importantly, Adonis can begin to discover who he is outside his connections to the Rocky franchise’s characters – Creed explored his reluctance to embrace his father’s name, and Creed II saw him overcome it. Creed 3 should begin Adonis’ journey of self-discovery as he continues to navigate the brutal world of professional boxing, giving the sequel a subtly introspective story in the process.

Of course, Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky movies are utterly iconic, but that doesn’t mean that the Creed franchise should continue to emulate their success ad nauseam. Allowing Rocky to simply step away from his part in Donnie’s career and having the movies instead concentrate on the fighter is a graceful way for the franchise to transition into something new, and it’s an excellent method of bringing the Rocky/Creed franchise wholly into the present. In this, Creed III is perhaps the most important entry into the Rocky franchise so far.