The casting of Jonathan Majors as the antagonist in Creed III has plenty of potential, but also raises a potential issue with the upcoming film that contrasts with the best parts of the original Rocky. Both Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed and Majors' antagonist have similar frames, and would be more likely to appear as light heavyweights or an even lighter weight class in professional boxing. This means that Creed 3 will lack the physical underdog narrative which has defined so many great Rocky fights, and could take the series in a different direction from past installments.
The long-awaited third installment in the Creed series, a next-generation sequel to the classic Rocky franchise, is set to be released later this year, with Jordan making his directorial debut in addition to playing the title role. The first Creed movie saw Rocky serving as trainer to Adonis, who competed at light heavyweight, including the climactic fight against "Pretty" Ricky Conlan. However, in Creed II Adonis moves to the heavyweight division, winning the world title in the film's opening sequence. This is not unrealistic, as many boxers have moved up from light heavyweight or cruiserweight to have success in the heavyweight division, from legends like Evander Holyfield and Gene Tunney to modern heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk.
Jordan's smaller frame competing against heavyweight boxers should create a natural underdog dynamic. The Rocky franchise always focused on fights where its hero was an underdog. Balboa faced a gap in experience and fame in Rocky I and II, a physical difference in III and IV, and an age gap in Rocky Balboa. The lack of a credible rival against whom Rocky would be an underdog was part of the reason why Rocky V was poorly received. The Creed series has followed in this tradition, pitting Adonis against a much more experienced opponent in the first movie and a much more physically intimidating one in Creed II. But it's hard to see where such a dynamic could emerge between Creed and Majors' characters in Creed 3.
As the recent Creed 3 set photos show, Majors has put on a lot of muscle mass for the role, but so has Jordan. Both men have the frame of light heavyweights, and there likely won't be a significant size differential in the ring. It would also be hard to make Creed an underdog through experience, as he is already the world heavyweight champion after Creed II. Because of his established success, and the lack of a physical differential, it could be hard for Creed III to make Creed an underdog viewers find easy to root for like beloved protagonist Rocky Balboa was.
There are still ways in which Creed could make Adonis an underdog, such as by giving him an injury or having him lose an initial fight against Majors' character. But it could be more interesting to explore what a Rocky or Creed movie looks like when the protagonist isn't a heroic underdog. Majors has said in interview that Creed 3 will be "more intimate" and "complex" than the previous two movies, dealing with "these two men trying to work something out." This quote, and the similar size of the two central characters, suggests that Creed III could focus on more of a personally and morally ambiguous rivalry. As satisfying as the underdog formula that made past Rocky fights great is, Majors' casting could lead Creed III to rethink the franchise and make it more mature.
