Creed III jumps forward 7 years from when the events in Creed II take place, and a lot has happened since. When fans last saw Adonis Creed in the second film, he had won a match against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, who killed Adonis' father in Rocky IV. After the match, Adonis visits his father's grave and makes peace with him. In Creed III, Adonis is more successful than ever before. He's living in a Hollywood mansion with his wife Bianca and their daughter Amara Creed. Amara is entirely deaf, and Adonis and Bianca are fluid in sign language.
In Creed III, It's clear Amara has become Adonis' number-one priority, as he even dresses up as a frog at the beginning of the movie to have a tea party with her. However, Adonis' childhood friend Damian, who was introduced in a 2002 flashback at the beginning of the film, reappears in his life and draws his attention back to boxing. Adonis spends a lot of time training in Creed III since his life has changed so drastically in the last seven years. While the film doesn't make Rocky's whereabouts clear, it fills in some other blanks about the film's seven-year time gap.
6 Adonis Defeated Ricky Conlan In South Africa
Adonis fought Ricky Conlan in the first Creed film. He was new to the boxing world, and despite training with Rocky and becoming such tough competition that Ricky had only positive things to say about him, he did not win the fight. In Creed III, before the seven-year time jump, the film jumps from 2002 to 2017, where Adonis is having a rematch with Ricky in South African after he was released from his prison sentence. This time, with a few years more experience, Adonis beats the seasoned boxer. This is a huge accomplishment and a big deal for Adonis because his fight with Ricky is the only one he'd lost. It was also the fight that launched him into the spotlight.
5 Bianca's Hearing Problems Caused Her To Stop Performing Live
When Adonis meets Bianca in the first film, he is an aspiring boxer, and she's a performer. He's impressed by her talent, but he soon learns she has progressive hearing loss and will someday not be able to hear at all. In Creed III, Bianca's hearing has further declined, and she is no longer able to perform. Instead, she takes on music production, which she is equally passionate about. Bianca is also signed to a record label, and one of the earlier events of the film occurs at a party for her record label.
4 Adonis Creed & Viktor Drago Became Friends
Adonis and Viktor went head-to-head twice in Creed II. Their first fight ended in Viktor's disqualification for hitting Adonis while he was down. This allowed Adonis to keep his Heavyweight Champion status. However, he wasn't pleased and trained harder to fight Viktor in a rematch. Tension was high because Viktor's father, Ivan, killed Adonis' father and because Viktor's father was putting a lot of pressure on him. At the end of the film, Ivan comforts his son after losing to Adonis, and their dynamic shifts.
In the seven-year time jump, things shifted for Viktor and Adonis as well as they are now friends, and Viktor is preparing for a fight with Felix "El Guerrero" Chavez. Unfortunately, Viktor is attacked, and his injuries prevent him from fighting, which leads Adonis to suggest Damien as the new opponent. While the film doesn't clarify how Adonis and Viktor became friends, it's likely Viktor and Ivan's moment at the end of Creed II and Adonis making peace with his father's death brought them closer together.
3 Adonis Creed Retired From Boxing
In the first Creed, Adonis was so passionate about boxing that he gave up his reliable job to pursue his dreams. He worked hard and was determined to make a name for himself. Things went his way, and by Creed III, he's a household name. However, in Creed II, it's clear boxing is getting in the way of his relationship with Bianca and their new family dynamic. Somewhere in between the films, Adonis retires and makes being a father his number one priority. The film showcases how this has changed his relationship with Bianca, as they both seem happier and in a peaceful place in their lives.
Even though Adonis loves boxing, it's brought a lot of chaos into his life, which has negatively impacted the people around him. When Adonis trains to fight Damien, issues arise again for him and Bianca, allowing the audience to see why he retired in the first place. In one scene, he and Bianca get into an intense fight which Amara walks in on. Adonis feels guilty and is once again reminded why retirement was so good for him and his family.
2 Adonis Brought Up A New Generation Of Boxers (Including Felix Chavez)
After retirement, Adonis uses his passion for boxing to help others without getting involved in the fights himself. The former boxer runs Delphi Boxing Academy with his trainer Tony Little Duke'' Evers Jr, the son of Tony "Duke" Evers, who trained Adonis' father and Rocky. At the academy, Adonis and Tony train a new generation of boxers, and one of them is Adonis' boxing protegé, Felix. When Damien starts training with Chavez, his aggressive fight style comes out, which Chavez and Tony don't like. In the real boxing match, Damien fights dirty and wins against Felix. Even though Adonis agreed to help Damien, he doesn't like his style and is upset he beat and injured Felix.
1 Mary Anne Creed Had A Serious Stroke
The most heartbreaking theme in Creed III is Mary Anne Creed's declining health. It's mentioned in the film that Mary Anne previously had a stroke, and Bianca and Adonis are very worried she will have one again. Mary Anne has a close relationship with Amara as they all spend as much time with Adonis' mother as possible since they know her health isn't great, and they want to be with her while they still can. Mary Anne swears she is fine throughout the film, but unfortunately, she suffers another stroke and passes away. The scene is heartbreaking, but she and Adonis shared a strong relationship. Though there were some tense moments, including one in Creed III where Adonis learns his mother hid from his letters from Damien, the two always loved and appreciated each other.
The 7-year time jump in Creed III kept the third installment interesting, as things may have been dull if they'd picked up right where Creed II left off. The time jump gave them enough time to set up a new life dynamic for Adonis without confusing fans about what had happened in those seven years. The film did an excellent job of filling fans in, aside from Rocky's absence, and the flashbacks to 2002 and 2017 also helped fans better understand the events in Creed III.