Warning: This article contains spoilers for Creed III.When Rocky Balboa agreed to train the son of former opponent Apollo Creed in Creed, two legacies collided, and Creed III honors that commitment by making Rocky 7 with Stallone a possibility. The capstone of the Creed trilogy makes a seven-year time jump from Creed II, when Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed fought the son of the Siberian Express, Viktor Drago. When an old childhood friend played by Jonathan Majors gets out of prison and wants to steal Donnie’s legacy, they settle their past trauma in the ring during Creed III.
Of all the new and returning characters in Creed III, Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky was expected to appear at Donnie’s side, coaching him in the ring and in life as he always had. When the weight of the world is on his shoulders, Donnie turns to his family, friends, and even former opponents for the strength to carry on, with Stallone not present in Creed III. Donnie not only manages to preserve his own legacy, but Apollo’s as well, and the storyline sets up an eventual return to the Rocky franchise for Stallone and the entire Balboa family.
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Creed 3’s Time Jump Sets Up A Big Rocky 7 Story With Stallone
![Logan Balboa in Creed 2](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/logan-balboa-in-creed-2.jpg)
Thanks to Creed III’s large time jump, a lot of things have changed in Donnie’s life. With so much time having passed since Creed II and the appearance of Rocky’s grandson Logan, there is a possibility that Rocky 7 could focus on the next Balboa generation. Even if it is true that Adonis is not retiring after Creed III, there is a chance that he could train Logan, who is probably a teenager following the Creed III time jump. Logan might want to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and become a boxer, even going so far as to train at Donnie’s gym.
When Logan appeared at the end of Creed II, it signaled that the rift between Rocky and his son Robert might be salvageable. There is no telling what sort of relationship they have managed to develop in the seven years since, but if it is anything like what happened between Ivan and Viktor Drago after the latter’s fight with Donnie, it places the bonds of family before pride and ambition in the ring. Given Rocky’s age, he probably would be unable to train Logan, even if his grandson wanted to emulate him. Adonis is the right age, and finally has the right perspective to be Logan’s mentor.
Why The Rocky Franchise Should Return To The Balboa Family
Although Stallone has explained being missing in Creed III, his absence creates a void in the franchise, particularly since his presence established the Creed movies and legitimized Donnie’s journey as a boxer. Even if Rocky had appeared in a brief cameo watching from the crowd as Donnie fought the match of his career, it would have brought the story full circle. This is even more true after Donnie lost Mary Anne and had to accept the responsibility of carrying on Apollo Creed’s legacy alone.
With Donnie in a good place with his family and career after Creed III, Rocky 7 should return the franchise to the Balboa family, especially after Rocky reconnected with his son and grandson. Donnie’s own daughter has expressed interest in fighting, but training Logan would be a chance for Donnie to show Rocky after his Creed III absence everything he learned from their time together, and highlight that he finally understands the meaning of “you versus you.” Donnie challenges and overcomes his father’s past and the parts of himself that previously held him back in Creed III, and it’s time for the Balboas to do the same.
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