The Creed series has been praised as a worthy successor to the Rocky franchise, recapturing what made the original films so great, but one major character from the Rocky movies was recast in the Creed movies. The Creed films star Michael B. Jordan as Donnie, the estranged son of champion Apollo Creed, as he attempts to live up to his dad’s legendary name. Creed and its sequels have been acclaimed for telling a brand-new story while also honoring the legacy of the existing films. But one key character from the Rocky movies has been recast (with a good reason).
The Creed movies have seen the return of many familiar faces from the Rocky movies. Sylvester Stallone received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as Rocky Balboa in the first Creed movie. Creed II saw Dolph Lundgren reprise his role from Rocky IV as Ivan Drago for a grudge match between Drago’s son and Apollo Creed’s son. Even Carl Weathers appears in the Creed series as the late Apollo via archival footage from the earlier films. But there’s one major cast member from the Rocky movies who was replaced in the Creed movies.
Mary Anne Creed Was Recast After The Death Of Sylvia Meals
Mary Anne Creed is the widow of Apollo Creed who raised Donnie as her own son following the death of his biological mother. The role was played by Sylvia Meals in Rocky II and Rocky IV. Since Meals sadly passed away in 2011, four years before the release of the first Creed movie, the role of Mary Anne had to be recast for the 2015 legacy sequel. In the Creed movies, Mary Anne is instead played by Phylicia Rashad. Rashad is, of course, best known for playing the role of Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
Rashad ended up doing a terrific job in the role. She developed a tangible on-screen mother-son dynamic with Jordan throughout the series. Whereas Rocky’s parents were never seen in the original series – they didn’t even come to his wedding – Donnie’s mom is a huge part of his life. He turns to her whenever he needs advice or guidance; she’s his closest confidant. Rashad’s Mary Anne became such a beloved character that her death in Creed III hit the audience just as hard as it hit Donnie himself.
The Mary Anne Creed Role Had Already Been Recast After Rocky
Replacing Meals with Rashad in the Creed films wasn’t the first time that the role of Mary Anne Creed had been recast in this franchise. The role was originally played by an uncredited Lavelle Roby in the first Rocky movie. Roby was replaced by Meals when the character of Mary Anne was given a larger role in the Rocky sequels. It would have been interesting if Creed had brought Roby back to the role instead of bringing in a third actor. Roby is still working, so it would’ve been a nice way of honoring her history with the character.
