Year: 2018
Runtime: 130 min
Language: English
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Adonis Creed faces his most formidable opponent yet, a rival connected to his father's history with Apollo Creed. As Adonis strives to balance his responsibilities and rigorous training, Rocky Balboa offers guidance and support. The film explores themes of family, legacy, and what it truly means to be a champion, delving into Adonis’s personal journey and the weight of his heritage.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Creed II (2018), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Three years have passed since Adonis Creed’s (@michael-b-jordan) defeat by “Pretty” Ricky Conlan. He has since emerged victorious multiple times, culminating in a triumphant win over Danny “Stuntman” Wheeler (@andre-ward), earning the prestigious WBC World Heavyweight Championship. Now a recognized global figure in the boxing world, Adonis decides to propose to his girlfriend, Bianca Taylor (@tessa-thompson), who accepts. However, when Bianca expresses a desire to start anew in Los Angeles, Adonis hesitates, torn between leaving his beloved Philadelphia behind and pursuing his dreams.
In the backdrop, Ivan Drago (@dolph-lundgren), the former Soviet boxer responsible for Apollo Creed’s death in the ring thirty-three years ago, spots a chance to reclaim his lost glory. He plans to challenge Adonis’ title with his son, Viktor Drago (@florian-munteanu), aided by promoter Buddy Marcelle (@russell-hornsby). When Rocky Balboa (@sylvester-stallone) refuses to back Adonis in accepting Viktor’s challenge, Adonis feels a profound sense of betrayal and resolves to move to Los Angeles.
Settling into a luxurious apartment near his adoptive mother, Mary Anne (@phylicia-rashad), Adonis and Bianca start their new life. Bianca soon discovers she is pregnant, which adds to Adonis’s whirlwind of changes. To prepare for his impending match with Viktor, Adonis enlists the help of Tony “Little Duke” Evers (@wood-harris), his father’s former trainer. With challenges piling up, Adonis rushes into a match unprepared, resulting in a significant injury. Thankfully, Viktor is disqualified for hitting him while down, allowing Adonis to keep his championship.
As Adonis grapples with his physical and emotional struggles, he increasingly isolates himself from Bianca. Concerned for him, Mary Anne seeks Rocky’s assistance to aid Adonis during his tough times. When Rocky reenters Adonis’s life, they reconcile, and Rocky agrees to train him alongside Little Duke for a rematch against Viktor, who is under mounting pressure and brutal training from his father, Ivan.
Bianca gives birth to a baby girl, whom they name Amara. However, the joy is overshadowed by the news that she is born deaf, a condition stemming from Bianca’s progressive hearing disorder. Meanwhile, Viktor’s dissatisfaction with his father’s aggressive tactics grows, compounded by familial tensions as they unexpectedly reconnect with Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen), Viktor’s estranged mother, whom he blames for their past.
With Rocky and Little Duke, Adonis trains in a secluded, rugged setting, focusing on gritty techniques to withstand Viktor’s punishing style in their upcoming rematch. As the anticipated fight in Moscow unfolds, Adonis shows remarkable resilience and strategy, enduring Viktor’s fierce blows longer than expected. In the decisive tenth round, fueled by rage and determination, Adonis mounts an unrelenting assault on Viktor, knocking him down twice.
As the tide turns against Viktor, Ivan realizes the fickle nature of their supporters. In a pivotal moment, Ivan chooses to save his son from further harm by throwing in the towel, thus conceding the match to Adonis. Overwhelmed with shame but embraced by Ivan, Viktor’s pride takes a hit as Adonis celebrates with Bianca and Little Duke.
Later, as Viktor and Ivan reconnect during training back in Ukraine, Rocky takes a trip to Vancouver to reconcile with his estranged son, Robert (@milo-ventimiglia), and meets his grandson Logan for the first time. Meanwhile, Adonis visits Apollo’s grave, finally finding peace with his father’s legacy and introducing his daughter to her grandfather’s memory, all while she wears her new hearing aid.
Last Updated: November 04, 2024 at 00:17
Still wondering what the ending of Creed II (2018) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
In the end, “Creed II” delivers a deeply emotional conclusion that centers on themes of legacy, forgiveness, and personal growth. The final fight between Adonis Creed and Viktor Drago is grueling and raw, mirroring past conflicts but also showing how much both fighters—and their fathers—have evolved. Creed aims to win by knocking Viktor out, and after a fierce back-and-forth, he ultimately prevails with Ivan Drago stepping in to throw in the towel, signaling Viktor’s defeat. This act of stopping the fight marks a significant moral victory for Creed, symbolizing growth and compassion, contrasting the tragic, reckless intensity of the original Rocky IV bout where Rocky’s inability to stop Apollo from fighting to the death haunted him.
Meanwhile, the film echoes the past when Rocky, having confronted his own guilt and regrets about Apollo’s death, finally reconnects with his estranged son Robert and meets his grandson, Logan. This emotional reunion signifies Rocky’s redemption, as he finally begins to repair the fractured relationships that had defined much of his journey. He’s no longer just the old fighter; he’s a man finding peace in his family and himself.
For Adonis Creed, the ending is equally poignant. He visits Apollo’s grave, acknowledging that his identity as a Creed is a legacy he’s come to embrace on his own terms. He recognizes that being a Creed is part of his story but not all of it—his true victory lies in forging his own path, fighting for himself rather than just for his father’s legacy. His declaration that he’s fighting for himself at last signals a new beginning, freeing him from the shadows of the past and setting the stage for his future, where he can determine his destiny beyond the weight of history. The film closes on a note of hope and self-acceptance, leaving the door open for Adonis to continue growing both as a fighter and as a man, forging his own legacy beyond what came before. In doing so, “Creed II” beautifully concludes a cycle of struggle, redemption, and identity—an emotional and fitting stand-alone ending that also resonantly echoes the themes of the entire Rocky saga.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:59
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