Creed III looks set to buck a classic Rocky villain trend, but it's arguably a smart storytelling decision for the franchise. The third film will continue Adonis Creed's (Michael B. Jordan) journey, but while the first two Creed movies centered on Adonis's rise to the top of the boxing world, this entry will focus on how Adonis deals with fame and fortune. Integral to the drama of Adonis grappling with his new life circumstances is encountering a familiar face from his past.
Jonathan Majors' nominal villain, Damian, will be facing up to Adonis as exactly that familiar face. Damian is a childhood friend of Adonis's who has just left prison after 18 years. However, Jordan explained it will be hard to hate Majors' Creed 3 villain, and that he will not be a straightforward nemesis but rather someone sympathetic. "I think he has an intensity and a realness of character we haven’t seen before," Jordan said. "He’s a grounded character who’s antagonistic by nature, but it comes from an honest place, real emotions." Having a nuanced, complicated bad guy is something of a novelty for the Rocky franchise, whose villains have traditionally been cartoonishly hissable.
How Jonathan Majors' Damian Is Different To Past Rocky Villains
Jordan's description of Damian as a complex and relatable character doesn't really fit the Rocky villain template. Those who have stood up against Sylvester Stallone's titular hero in particular have been conventionally unlikeable. The arrogance of Apollo Creed in the first Rocky, although charismatically played by Carl Weathers, puts audiences off. Ivan Drago in Rocky IV represents Soviet Russia's ideological conflict with Rocky's United States during the film's Cold War era and also murders a redeemed Apollo during their bout. Even the Creed era of the Rocky franchise hasn't really had villains that played with audience expectations or sympathies, although Drago is given slightly more depth in Creed II.
Damian, in contrast, promises to muddy the distinctions between antagonist and protagonist, as he is likely to assume the amicable underdog role that audiences have become used to unambiguously supporting when turning up to watch Rocky and Creed movies. Making the villain a "complicated and interesting" one is a storytelling tactic Jordan is already well-acquainted with, after his morally complex turn as Killmonger in Black Panther. It also helps that Majors is one of the best and most compelling dramatic actors working today, and seeing him square up to another of the best and most compelling dramatic actors working today in Jordan is a tantalizing prospect.
A More Grounded Villain Suits Creed More Than Rocky
Just because Rocky's villains have traditionally been larger-than-life figures doesn't mean they're poorly developed or not interesting. They are gripping nemeses for Rocky that stylistically suit the franchise's cheesier era. The Creed films are more grounded, however, and need villains who complement that sensibility. Adonis is likable but deeply flawed, surrounded by likable but deeply flawed supporting characters. This realistic reimagining of Rocky deserves a serious villain who makes the audience reconsider who the real protagonist of this story actually is. With Creed III's story, Jordan and Majors promise one of the best boxing, and acting, bouts of 2023.
