Predicting How 2022's Biggest Movies Will End

There's a very reasonable argument to be made that Creed II probably should've been the last of all the Rocky movies: it provided fitting story conclusions for Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), and even Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu).

But Hollywood loves few things more than trilogies, and so a third Creed film is imminently due to start shooting, with rumours swirling that it will revolve around Donnie taking on the son of Clubber Lang (Mr. T) from Rocky III, reportedly being played by Jonathan Majors.

Creed II was very much concerned with Donnie's inability to juggle a family life with his in-ring career, and while it seemed to end by resolving that, one suspects this thread will continue on into Creed III.

When we meet back up with Donnie, he will presumably be married to Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their daughter Amara will be a few years old.

And so, Donnie will need to weigh up whether he really wants to continue a career where he risks not being around for his child, as of course happened with his own father Apollo (Carl Weathers).

While there's obviously the cynical temptation to just milk the Creed franchise for five or six entries like Rocky, the boldest thing it could do is the total opposite - end Creed III with Donnie winning his fight but vacating the title afterwards and hanging up the boxing gloves.

After all, with Donnie presumably in his mid-30s by the time the movie takes place, he's approaching the age at which most professional boxers retire.

Perhaps Donnie then becomes a commentator or begins training the next generation of young fighters, but an ending where he doesn't overstay his welcome like Rocky would be hugely refreshing.