THE Belief film franchise injected new life into the connected cinematic universe that began with Rocky in 1976, and with star Michael B. Jordan about to return to Creed 4the new franchise has the opportunity to execute something that the Rocky franchise has never done well. Already at the beginning of Creed IIIAdonis entered the declining period of his career as a multiple world champion. While the threequel saw him return to fighting form to reclaim the title from his old friend-turned-rival, Damian Anderson, Adonis has all but retired from the sport.
THE Rocky the franchise never progressed Balboa that well, as he was still the defending champion at the start of Rocky IV. This gives the Belief franchise an opportunity to explore terrain previously untouched by any of the Rocky films. While Adonis may no longer be the focus of the franchise from an in-ring perspective, he could still be the emotional center of the film if his character follows through on a tease from Creed III.
Adonis Can Successfully Train a Successor in Creed IV Like Rocky Never Did
Adonis will likely be retired in Creed 4
Given the passage of time that the Belief films persisted, it seems likely that Adonis Creed will be fully retired when Creed 4 start. Although Adonis did indeed win the Dame title in their fight at Dodger Stadium, if the franchise advances a few more years as it did between Creed II and Creed IIIAdonis will almost certainly no longer be champion and will probably be out of professional fights. This gives Adonis the opportunity to take over an entirely new story arc: that of coach and mentor.
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Creed Franchise Key Details |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Film |
Release date |
Budget |
Gross box office |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcorn Meter Score |
|
Belief |
2015 |
US$40 million |
US$173.6 million |
95% |
89% |
|
Creed II |
2018 |
US$50 million |
US$214.1 million |
83% |
80% |
|
Creed III |
2023 |
US$75 million |
US$276.1 million |
88% |
95% |
Creed III has already begun to lay the foundation for Adonis as a successful coachas he was deeply involved in the training of his protégé, Felix Chavez. Although Dame made sure Chávez never fought for the title against Viktor Drago, Adonis could end that arc and enter Creed 4 as coach/promoter of defending champion, Chávez. With enough time jumping, he could also act as a trainer for his daughter Amara Creed, who has already been appointed as Adonis’ replacement. Regardless of who he works with, Adonis successfully training a new fighter would be a plot device the Rocky franchise has never accomplished.
Rocky’s only apprentice in the Rocky films gave the franchise its worst film
Rocky trained Tommy Gunn in Rocky V
To be clear, the Rocky franchise made a serious attempt at a Rocky-as-coach storyline with Rocky V. The 1990 sports drama saw Rocky stripped of his fortune and his fighting ability; Rocky goes bankrupt and is also forced to retire due to a brain problem. As a result, he returns to his old neighborhood and reopens Mighty Mick’s Gym, hoping to take on the role of trainer himself. He trains a young fighter named Tommy Gunn, and after a complicated narrative, Rocky wins a street fight against his own protégé.
THE Belief the franchise has the opportunity to give this narrative another shot and have Adonis successfully train a new generation of fighters.
Rocky V It is almost universally recognized as the worst film in the franchise, as both fans and critics found it uninteresting and loaded with characters that the public didn’t like. Tommy Gunn as a character is a huge failureand while the idea that Rocky would eventually take Mickey’s place was certainly welcome, the execution was disastrous. THE Belief the franchise has the opportunity to give this narrative another shot and have Adonis successfully train a new generation of fighters, just as Rocky eventually did.
Rocky’s real apprentice wasn’t introduced until decades after Rocky V
His true apprentice was Adonis himself
The notion that Creed 4 could transform Adonis from world champion to experienced trainer is exciting considering the franchise has already successfully executed the premise. The character Rocky Balboa’s true protégé was actually Adonis himself, and it was perhaps the best thing to happen to the character since the original underdog narrative of Rocky. Ryan Coogler’s 2015 legacy spin-off was celebrated by fans and critics alike, and Sylvester Stallone received an Oscar nomination for his work as the retired but wise fighter turned trainer.
While all Belief films were met with positive acclaim, the emotional impact that Coogler was able to extract from the character of Rocky has never been equaled. With an actor of Michael B. Jordan’s caliber about to undergo a similar transformation from champion to coach, Creed 4 could end up being one of the strongest entries in the connected franchise.