Creed 4 Will Have A Major Character Death Based On Rocky Franchise History (But Who?)

Summary Creed 4 may follow Rocky IV's tragic arc with a major character's death, possibly echoing Apollo's demise.

The evolution of the Creed movies from Rocky spin-offs to standalone narratives hints at potential character deaths.

While it's thrilling to see parallels between the Rocky and Creed franchises, Creed 4 should carve its own path to avoid predictability.

Considering Creed's parallels with the Rocky franchise history, it seems likely that one character will die in Creed 4. Who that character will be remains a mystery, but one can speculate based on the story developments in the Creed movies and the narrative inspirations they draw from the parent Rocky franchise. Although an official release window for Creed 4 has not been announced yet, the film has been confirmed to be in development, making it hard not to wonder about the potential fates of its primary characters.

While the early installments of the Creed movie series were treated as mere subsidiaries of the larger Rocky franchise, they have gradually evolved into standalone narratives with distinct identities. However, as seen in Creed 3, the spin-off films still draw some inspiration from the overarching themes and story developments of the Rocky franchise. Only time will tell whether this trend will continue in Creed 4. However, if it does, one character might die in the fourth installment of the series.

Related Creed 4 Already Has The Perfect Way To Copy A Brilliant Rocky Sequel Change The upcoming installment in the Rocky franchise, Creed 4, has the chance to perfectly mirror one of Rocky 4's most significant developments.

Creed 3 Killing Mary Anne Paralleled Mickey's Death In Rocky III

An important older figure from the protagonist's life dies in both films

Close

Throughout the three Creed movies' runtime, Adonis' relationship with his adoptive mother goes through several major ups and downs, highs and lows. In Creed II, especially, their relationship gets strained when Adonis takes it upon himself to avenge his father's death by accepting a boxing match against Ivan Drago's son, Viktor. However, they eventually fix their relationship and find their way back to one another. Unfortunately, in Creed III, Mary Anne's health significantly declines, and she eventually passes away, leaving Adonis grappling with grief as he prepares for his fight with Dame.

Both Mickey and Mary Anne have a profound impact on Rocky and Adonis' respective lives before they peacefully pass away.

Something similar happens in Rocky Balboa's arc in Rocky III. Although Rocky and Mickey Goldmill experience a fair share of hiccups as Rocky rises in the ranks as a boxer, their relationship reaches a tragic end when Mickey dies in Rocky 3. Clubber pushes Mickey during a pre-fight scuffle, which gives him a heart attack. When Rocky sees him for the last time to bid farewell, he tells him he loves him and reminds him to always follow his instincts. Both Mickey and Mary Anne have a profound impact on Rocky and Adonis' respective lives before they peacefully pass away.

Creed 4 Might Kill Another Major Character To Copy Apollo's Rocky IV Death

Creed 3 death parallels with Rocky might have paved the way for another character's demise in Creed 4

Rocky IV Rocky IV sees the return of Sylvester Stallone's iconic heavyweight champion after his victory over Clubber Lang. When an exhibition match between Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed and Dolph Lundgren's USSR boxing star Ivan Drago goes wrong, Rocky Balboa puts all his efforts into defeating the Soviet athlete in order to honor his friend's legacy and exalt America's patriotic spirit. Director Sylvester Stallone Studio(s) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Writers Sylvester Stallone Cast Brigitte Nielsen , Sylvester Stallone , Burt Young , Talia Shire , Dolph Lundgren , Carl Weathers Franchise(s) Rocky Budget $30 million

Creed 4 undoubtedly presents one of the most tragic arcs in the entire franchise. It shows how Apollo confidently ends his five-year retirement from boxing to don the boxing gloves again and beat the Soviet boxer, Ivan Drago. With Rocky at his side, Apollo proudly enters the ring and, even his team, including Rocky, believes that he will easily overpower Drago. However, things soon take an ugly turn when Ivan Drago's massive stature gives him a significant edge. Although Rocky attempts to stop the fight, one huge blow from Drago sends Apollo down to the canvas.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

With this, Apollo Creed's narrative reaches a tragic closure, setting the stage for Rocky's future bout against Ivan Drago and the events of the Creed movies. Since Creed 3 seemingly followed Rocky III's death trend by drawing parallels between Mary Anne and Mickey's demise, it seems likely that Creed 4 will tread a similar path. While Creed 4's plot details are unknown, it could feature another major death, which emulates Apollo's death from Rocky IV.

The Creed movies seem to set up Rocky's demise

Close

After walking through Rocky Balboa's struggles with battling cancer and his ultimate reunion with his son and grandson in Vancouver, Creed II ends his storyline on a high note. Creed III does mark his return because its predecessor already had his legacy and the impact he had on Adonis' life both inside and outside the boxing ring. Although Creed III still namedrops him once and presents a few references to his boxing journey from the original films, it hints at how Rocky may never return in future Creed movies.

Rocky's passing could serve as a catalyst for Adonis to not only face new challenges in the boxing world with the profound wisdom his mentor left him with but also to live an honorable and balanced life where he avoids repeating Rocky's mistakes.

With Rocky Balboa's return unlikely in future Creed movies, it seems possible that Creed 4 will use his demise as a narrative device to progress Adonis' storyline. Rocky's passing could serve as a catalyst for Adonis to not only face new challenges in the boxing world with the profound wisdom his mentor left him with but also to live an honorable and balanced life where he avoids repeating Rocky's mistakes. This would further deepen Adonis' overarching storyline and also establish a strong connection between the Creed movies and their parent film franchise.

Viktor Drago Dying In Creed 4 Would Confirm He's Apollo's Replacement

Many early moments from the Creed films have already set up Viktor Drago as Apollo's replacement

Close

The first Rocky film portrays Apollo Creed as more of an antagonist — a mammoth challenge Rocky has to overcome to finally break from the shackles of his struggles and underdog status. However, in Rocky III, Apollo Creed and Rocky join forces as Rocky trains to beat Clubber Lang. Apollo not only befriends Rocky but also helps him train by sharing his wealth of knowledge from years of boxing professionally. Many factors eventually contribute to Rocky's win against Clubber, but Apollo's advice becomes crucial in shaping Rocky's mindset and strategy for the challenging bout.

Rocky IV's director's cut explicitly blames Rocky for Apollo Creed's death.

Creed 3 portrays Viktor Drago in a similar light. After being Adonis' nemesis in Creed 2, Drago, like Apollo, becomes an ally in Creed 3. Like Apollo helps Rocky train in Rocky III, Viktor steps inside the ring with Adonis before his match with Dame as his sparring partner. As they spar, Viktor even shares a word of advice or two with Adonis to help him prepare for his fight. Although Viktor's impact on Adonis' fighting journey is not as profound as Apollo's on Rocky's, his parallels with Apollo might have paved the way for his death in Creed 4.

Creed 4 Is Better Off Not Killing A Major Character

It is about time Creed etched its own identity

Custom Image by Yeider Chacon.

While it is always fascinating to see narrative and thematic parallels between the Rocky and the Creed movies, the Creed movies could risk becoming too predictable if they emulate every major story beat from the original movie series. After borrowing ideas and story elements from the parent franchise for three movies, Creed should now tread its own path in future installments. This obviously does not mean that the Creed films should stop honoring the original franchise's legacy and not feature any callbacks or references to Rocky.

By straying further away from the shadow of its parent franchise and not featuring Rocky Balboa as one of the primary drivers of its narrative, Creed 3 already established that the spin-off series is capable of standing on its own merits.

However, while still paying homage to its roots, Creed 4 should avoid featuring any familiar story arcs, especially character deaths, that have been explored in Rocky IV. By straying further away from the shadow of its parent franchise and not featuring Rocky Balboa as one of the primary drivers of its narrative, Creed 3 already established that the spin-off series is capable of standing on its own merits. Creed 4 should continue this trend instead of stepping back and relying too much on Rocky's plot devices and character beats.