New Creed 3 images show Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors' boxers facing off in the ring. As the ninth overall installment in the Rocky franchise and the third film in the Creed spinoff series that began in 2015, Creed 3 is shaping up to be a distinct installment in the long-running boxing franchise. It is the first film in the franchise not to feature Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa and will see Jordan making his directorial debut in addition to reprising his role as Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo.
The first Creed 3 trailer shows Donnie reconnecting with a childhood friend and boxing prodigy, Damian Anderson (Majors), who was recently released from prison and is eager to prove himself in the ring. Despite mentoring him, Dame won't let go of his personal vendetta against Donnie, and the conflict eventually escalates into a face-off in the ring. Now, new Creed 3 images from Total Film reveal another look at this anticipated bout between the former friends facing off in the ring. Check out the new images below:
Who Will Win Creed 3's Fight?
The Rocky and Creed movies have a long history of their titular protagonists experiencing both triumph and defeat. The franchise began in 1976 with Rocky losing to Apollo, which was a major moral victory for the massive underdog who went the distance with the heavyweight champion, though Rocky II's rematch saw the title change owners. Rocky III then saw him lose the title to Clubber Lang before regaining it by the film's end. Rocky famously defeats Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and in the sixth installment, Rocky Balboa, he loses an exhibition match against Mason Dixon, which once again represents a moral victory for the aging boxer.
The Creed films follow in the footsteps of Rocky, beginning with Donnie defeating Leo Sporino, but losing to current champion Ricky Conlan. In the sequel, Creed defeats Danny Wheeler to win the World Heavyweight Championship before beating Viktor Drago twice, once by disqualification and once by forfeit. The Creed 3 trailer shows a rematch between Donnie and Ricky and in all likelihood, the former will avenge his only boxing defeat before heading into retirement. However, he'll later be pulled back into the ring by Damian's reemergence.
With Adonis likely defeating Ricky Conlan in Creed 3, this could set the stage for Donnie to lose the film's main card against Damian. This would be in line with what has been teased for Creed 3's sympathetic villain, with Majors saying he will be hard to hate and easy to root for. Given the nature of the franchise, it's always difficult to predict the outcome of each film's fights, so only time will tell who wins when Creed 3 releases in theaters on March 3, 2023.
Source: Total Film
