From a Hollywood version of an iconic training scene to a new name on some famous boxing
shorts, Creed III is chock full of small details that bring the entire Rocky cinematic universe
full circle.
In the first Creed movie, Adonis, or "Donnie," is torn between wanting to make a name for
himself all on his own and using Apollo Creed's legacy as a springboard for his own career.
After being deemed "untrainable" at every turn, he moves from Los Angeles to Philadelphia
to train with his father's friend and former rival, Rocky Balboa.
As Rocky trains the young Creed, Donnie becomes a powerful force to be reckoned with, following
in both Rocky and Apollo's footsteps.
By the time Donnie finally steps into the ring to face "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, "Hollywood"
Adonis Johnson trades his biological mother's name for his fathers and reintroduces himself
to the boxing world as Adonis Creed.
In honor of his past, Donnie sports the Johnson name on the back of his red, white, and blue
boxing shorts with Creed displayed prominently on the front as to not forget where he came
from.
This remains consistent throughout all of Creed II also.
Taking place years after the second installment, when we catch up with Adonis at the start
of Creed III, he's completely shed the Johnson name and identity in favor of the Creed title
and legacy.
His new red shorts signify that Donnie has finally come to terms with who he is and where
he comes from.
Creed III opens with a flashback to Donnie's childhood spent with his best friend and "older
brother" figure Dame Anderson.
"The past came back too."
After infiltrating an boxing underground ring, Donnie and Dame head back home only to get
in trouble along the way.
But before Donnie picks a fight with the abusive man who ran their old group home, he gifts
Dame something from his father's personal collection: a "Rumble in the Jungle" ticket.
On the surface, there's nothing incredibly special about this, other than it came from
Apollo Creed himself, but fans may remember what makes the event in question so special.
In Creed II, promoter Buddy Marcell mentions that a battle between Donnie and Viktor Drago
would be as big as "Rumble in the Jungle."
Though the fight between the sons of Creed and Drago was a long time coming, it's the
battle between Creed and Anderson that's most like the actual event.
No doubt, the "Battle for Los Angeles" at the end of Creed III serves as Donnie's own
"Rumble in the Jungle," cementing him as the best of his generation.
In the original Rocky movies, Rocky Balboa duked it out with Apollo Creed twice before
the pair became good friends.
By the time Rocky III came around, these two-time rivals were as thick as thieves.
So after Apollo died in the ring in Rocky IV, the "Italian Stallion" took on his killer
Ivan Drago for a personal vendetta.
If anything, the Rocky films know how to bring back former antagonists with a new twist.
Creed II, which was co-written by Sylvester Stallone, brought back Drago, portraying the
villain in a more sympathetic light.
Well, just like the Rocky films before, the Creed series honors its past by bringing back
Donnie's old enemies from the ring.
In Creed's final retirement fight at the start of the film, he's once again pitted against
"Pretty" Ricky Conlan, though this time he beats Conlan, claiming the heavyweight title
as his own.
But Conlan isn't the only old opponent of Donnie's to show up in Creed III.
Viktor Drago returns as well, this time as Donnie's friend rather than his enemy.
Though Donnie's attempts to set up a fight between the younger Drago and star fighter
Felix Chavez are thwarted by Dame, the younger Creed and Drago remain friends.
Evidently, time heals all wounds.
Aside from a passing reference in the first Creed, the other children of Apollo Creed
— an unnamed son and daughter — are rarely mentioned.
Though they appeared briefly in Rocky II, running away from their frustrated mother,
Apollo's other children haven't shown up again in any installment of the Rocky franchise,
even after Apollo Creed died in Rocky IV.
"If he dies, he dies."
Since Adonis was born shortly after Apollo's death, the former "Master of Disaster" never
knew he had an illegitimate son.
Because of this, it took Mary Anne Creed years to track Donnie down before adopting him as
her own.
For years, the question of how they might've responded to having a new sibling was a question
we never thought would be answered.
Creed III changes that with a powerful and heartbreaking moment in which Adonis reminds
his adoptive mother that his half-siblings never fully accepted him as their brother,
while Dame did.
Of all the Creed kids, Adonis is arguably the closest to his mother, and since Mary
Anne took a special liking to Donnie from a young age, it's obvious why his older siblings
might not have taken too kindly to another Creed in the house.
Donnie going by the surname Johnson probably didn't help things much, either.
Even at Mary Anne's funeral, her other children don't seem to show up, and if they do, the
film doesn't take any time to highlight their appearance.
Still, at least we know they haven't been completely forgotten.
After "Diamond" Dame Anderson wins the heavyweight title, Donnie confronts his old friend about
his violent behavior and shady tactics in the ring.
Unfortunately, this conversation doesn't quite go as planned, and Donnie is ridiculed and
even beaten by his former pal, who threatens to take everything he has.
But there's one insult that Dame hurls at Donnie that the prize fighter can't stand:
"Baby Creed."
When the news that Adonis Johnson was actually Apollo Creed's son broke out in the first
Creed, it was without Donnie's involvement.
Both he and Rocky were blindsided by the media leak, but they quickly overcame and used it
to their advantage.
Donnie moved past the Johnson name, taking the Creed title for his own and fighting tooth-and-nail
to rise to the top.
Of course, with the Creed name came distinct challenges — namely the direct tie to his
father's legacy and the imposter syndrome that spawned from it.
In the first Creed, when he's called "Baby Creed" by the headliner at Bianca's performance,
Donnie loses his temper and nearly beats the guy up.
But by the time Dame calls him the same thing in Creed III, Donnie's restraint shows just
how much he's grown, and that fighting isn't about some childish need to prove himself
worthy of the Creed name any longer.
It's no secret that Sylvester Stallone didn't return as Rocky Balboa for Creed III, despite
remaining on as a producer.
After some serious feuds with longtime Rocky producer Irwin Winkler, the star claimed that
there wasn't much room in the flick for him anyway.
While that's mostly true, the character's legacy is still a vibrant part of Creed III.
No, he doesn't get many mentions, but after his send off in Creed II, Rocky seems to have
made peace with boxing.
Rather, instead of calling up his old mentor for advice on how to deal with Dame, Adonis
decides to take Rocky's teachings to heart, applying them faithfully to his fighting style
and rigorous training techniques.
During the unorthodox nature of his training montage, Donnie remembers one of his "Unc's"
most important lessons, that no matter who he's fighting, his toughest opponent will
always be himself.
Near the end of his training montage, Donnie is seen sparring on a runway with no one around
for miles, and the only thing with him is a giant mirror.
This gives him a full view of himself and his surroundings as he studies his own technique.
Rocky's wisdom continues to bless Adonis as he goes into the "Battle for Los Angeles,"
helping to secure his victory.
Though he was born and raised in Los Angeles, Adonis Creed didn't become a household name
until after he'd moved to Philly, trained with Rocky, and fully embraced the Creed legacy.
After becoming a champion and starting a family, Donnie relocated across the country back to
LA to be closer to his mom.
Able to afford a new life of luxury, the Creed family embraced the Southern California lifestyle
with ease.
Creed III even takes the time to further explore their life in LA, namely through their relationship
with their daughter.
As Adonis trains to reclaim his heavyweight title from Dame, he follows Rocky's unorthodox
training techniques and the advice of his longtime trainer Tony "Little Duke" Evers.
Though he put his own spin on Rocky's famous climb up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum
of Art in Creed, Adonis carves his own path forward in Creed III, replacing the iconic
steps with the hilltop above the Hollywood sign.
While this is no doubt a nod to Rocky's steps, it's also a reflection of where Donnie came
from.
When he first began his career as a fighter, the young Creed was originally known as "Hollywood"
Adonis Johnson.
As he climbs towards the Hollywood sign, Donnie proves that he's made peace with his past
before stepping back into the ring to take back what's rightfully his own.
It might not be as iconic as Rocky's climb, but it's just as meaningful.
During the title fight between Creed and "Diamond," Donnie and Dame share a brief moment in the
ring where they each slug the other right in the face.
This epic shot reminds us that these two are possibly the most evenly matched fighters
in the Rocky-verse, and while plenty of others have duked it out in the ring, few fights
are as personal as this one.
But this moment is also a nod to another fight — one that we didn't even see unfold on
screen.
At the end of Rocky III, Rocky and Apollo decide to learn once and for all who is the
better fighter.
"You fight great but I'm a great fighter.
You ready?"
"Absolutely."
After Apollo won in Rocky and Rocky won in the sequel, these two needed to settle the
score once and for all.
Unlike most fights, it took over 30 years before a winner was announced, as Rocky eventually
told Adonis that his father won fair and square.
So, what does this have to do with that shot from Creed III?
Well, for starters, Rocky III ends with a freeze frame that catches Rocky and Apollo
socking the other clear in the jaw.
Yes, the fight between these two happened behind closed doors while Donnie and Dame's
battle was broadcast internationally, but Creed III actually isolates Creed and Anderson
with no outside interference.
In the middle of the fight, Adonis only sees himself and Dame as these two brothers settle
their differences the old-fashioned way, not unlike the end of Rocky III.
But that's not the only significance that that punch holds.
Michael B. Jordan's been outspoken about his love for anime and how it influenced the visual
style of his directorial debut.
That includes dropping a few direct references to his favorite anime.
The cross punch calls back to Naruto while the painful-looking gut punch featured in
the trailer is a Dragon Ball Z reference.
A huge theme throughout the Creed trilogy is that of making a name for yourself.
At first, Donnie is afraid of the Apollo Creed comparisons.
Then, he embraces the name, honoring both the Johnson title and Apollo's own legacy.
But, by the third act of Creed III, he's moved on past honoring his Johnson name, and even
puts the Creed name itself on the backburner.
In his comeback match against "Diamond" Dame Anderson, Adonis sports a new pair of fighting
shorts, these ones white with the name "Adonis" on the front and "Creed" on the back.
For eight years, Donnie has spent much of his time as a fighter working out his own
issues without a dad.
But, after becoming a father himself, Adonis has decided that making something of his own
name, rather than just his father's, is his new priority.
His brand new fighting shorts are a reflection of that, but they aren't the only one.
We're also reintroduced to Apollo's old gym, the Delphi Boxing Academy, now run by Donnie
himself.
The whole gym has been re-designed and not only honors Apollo's past but Adonis' present,
while preparing new fighters for the future.
Even Donnie's new company name, Adonis Creed Athletics, proudly sports an "A"-shaped logo
with a small "C" in the center, again emphasizing his newfound commitment to his own name and
legacy.
No doubt, Creed III proves that Adonis Creed is a name that won't be taken lightly going
forward.