Summary
- Adonis' retirement creates a challenge for Creed 4's story. He can no longer be the main fighter, opening the possibility for new characters to be elevated.
- Jonathan Majors' conviction puts his future in the Creed franchise in doubt. If he is dropped, Creed 4 will have to find a new direction for the story.
- Creed 4 may need to do a time skip to make a story about Amara work. However, this could create challenges in of continuity and sensitivity towards Amara's disability.
Creed 4 officially confirmed, the direction of the next movie is unclear, given how Creed 3 wrapped up. Michael B. Jordan took over directing duties for Creed 3 alongside starring in the film, and although this doesn't ensure he will still be the star of the show, the next sequel seems likely to follow his character to a degree. Jordan's Adonis Creed was the protagonist of the first three movies, so he is all but guaranteed to appear again.
All three movies in the franchise have been financial successes, with Creed 3's box office even sured all the Rocky movies except for Rocky 4, showing how successful the spinoff films have been. Modern audiences clearly still have an appetite for the boxing movie franchise, but the next film won't be quite as simple. Almost a year has ed since the last Creed movie and there are plenty of obstacles that Creed 4 will face.
7 Adonis' Retirement Is Challenging For Creed 4's Story
Adonis Can't Be The Main Fighter Of Creed 4
Adonis' retirement at the end of Creed 3 creates a challenge for Creed 4's story. The next film may still focus on Adonis, but he can no longer be the franchise's main fighter. Adonis has already come out of retirement to fight Damien, setting the third movie's plot in motion. The personal history between them made sense for one last run, but with the boxer seemingly retired once again, a new fighter is essential. Adonis' daughter, Amara, seems the most obvious choice, but there are other characters Creed could try and elevate. With Adonis training other fighters at his gym, it is possible he could have a new prospect that becomes the focus.
6 Creed 4 Will Have To Drop Damien's Story & Jonathan Majors
Jonathan Majors' Conviction Means He Is Unlikely To Be Back For Creed 4
After Jonathan Majors' guilty verdict, Creed 4 will most likely drop the actor and Dame's story. Jonathan Majors was fired from Marvel, which casts doubt on his future acting career and his involvement in the Creed movies.
As the Creed 4 cast hasn't been announced, there has been no confirmation of the actor being let go, mainly since there is no guarantee that he would be in the next movie anyway. However, Dame and Adonis patched things up at the end of Creed 3, which did create the potential for Majors' character to step forward as the next main fighter. Rather than showcasing the rift between former friends, Creed 4 could have explored Adonis training Dame to become a true world champion. The potential of Damien being an important character going forward looks gone, with Majors unlikely to be back in a significant project anytime soon.
10 Ways Creed 4 Needs To Be Different From Rocky IV
Creed 4 will undoubtedly have a lot of parallels with Rocky IV, but the sequel should try and be different from the film in 10 major ways.
5 Making Amara Central To The Story May Be Difficult
Creed 4 May Have To Do A Time Skip To Make A Story Around Amara Work
Although time skips aren't uncommon in movies, Creed may have to include a big one for a story about Amara to work. Adonis' daughter is still very young by the end of Creed 3, meaning at least a decade would have to for this plot to work. Creed has done time skips before, but this would make Michael B. Jordan's younger look appear out of place compared to his character's age. The movie will also have to be sensitive to Amara's disability, as being a deaf fighter is incredibly challenging. Creed 4 could use the true story of a deaf boxing champion to channel Amara's plot, but it must be handled with care.
4 Rocky's Absence Will Create More Questions
Sylvester Stallone Returning To Creed Doesn't Make Sense
Despite appearing in the first two films, Sylvester Stallone is not in Creed 3. Stallone put this down to story reasons, feeling there was no real reason to reprise his role as Rocky after having a fitting ending to his character in Creed 2. Considering Creed is a spinoff of the Rocky films, having the character gone from the series will continue to raise questions. Creed can thrive without Rocky as the third movie showed, but it won't prevent people pondering other reasons for Stallone's absence. Rocky's absence will be less detrimental to Creed 4's story, but more so to its advertising and production.
3 The Next Creed Film May Need To Accommodate Other Spinoffs
There Has Been A Lot Of Noise Regarding Creed Spinoffs
Creed spinoffs may make a sequel even harder, given it may have to take other factors into consideration. Creed 3 took inspiration from anime, and the franchise is officially getting its own Ivan Drago's Creed 3 absence sets up a spinoff. These projects may not present major obstacles to Creed 4 as neither look set to feature the films' main characters. However, if they are cannon, the events that happen in these projects will have to be taken into consideration, meaning Creed 4 will need to build around the spinoffs.
2 Creed 4 Will Need A New Villain Regardless Of Majors
The Franchise Is Without A Major Villain After Creed 3
Regardless of whether Jonathan Majors returns to the franchise or not, Creed 4 will still need a new villain. It wouldn't make sense for any of the previous antagonists to return as a villain, especially given Adonis' retirement. If the series does shift towards a new hero, the film will need a newer and presumably younger foe. This would give the opportunity for younger actors to thrive, particularly if Creed 4 follows Amara, but it does create challenges as well. It is likely the next antagonist will be without previous connections to Adonis or Amara, meaning the franchise will once again have to build up a completely new character to root against.
1 Creed 3 Fails To Set Up A Sequel
Adonis' Story Felt Complete After Creed 3
Perhaps the biggest challenge Creed 4 faces is trying to create a new narrative after Creed 3's ending. Creed 3 wrapped Adonis' story up perfectly and left little room for more. There is obviously the opportunity to have his daughter take the limelight or focus on him becoming a trainer and mentor, much like Rocky was to him. This doesn't mean it is the next natural step though. Adonis beat his childhood friend turned rival, retired as a champion, and has a good relationship with his family. Continuing the story feels more about keeping the franchise alive rather than having more story to tell, and Creed 4 will need to find a way to overcome this.
