Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Creed III.
The newest entry in the Rocky franchise is finally here with the release of Creed III. The film is not only Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, but he also laces up his boxing gloves to come back to the ring as Adonis “Donnie” Creed. The movie finally sees Donnie in the position of World Heavyweight Champion, and it begins with a fight against one of his former adversaries, “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew).
Donnie’s idyllic lifestyle with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and his daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent) is soon disrupted when his boyhood friend, Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) is released from prison and wants to get into boxing after an 18-year sentence. The film is filled with tension between the two fighters, one retired and the other hungry, and enough montages to satisfy any Rocky fan.
When you reach the end of the film, you might wonder if it’s worth sticking around until the end of the credits. Let’s take a look at Creed III and determine whether or not it’s worth staying in your seat until the MGM lion appears.
Is there a post-credits scene in Creed III?
The film ends in the ring, or rather, just outside of it, and it fades to some stylistic credits showing all the main characters in the movie. Aside from that, there is nothing after the credits of Creed III ⏤ no extra scenes, no stinger with Damian, and no Carl Weathers coming back as Apollo after revealing that he was really in witness protection after his fight with the Soviet fighter Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
However, in this case, there are actually some interesting things about the credits themselves, so it might be worth sticking around until the very end. In numerous interviews, Jordan referenced anime as one of his inspirations for this film. In one of the first scenes in the movie, we briefly see Donnie’s bedroom and there are a couple of anime posters on the walls including one from Naruto. The credits will give you a glimpse of some of the other anime Jordan included in that scene.
The filmmakers also make sure that “Based on characters by Sylvester Stallone” has its own separate moment in the credits, even though he does not appear as Rocky in the film. Of course, Stallone starred as Rocky Balboa in all the previous movies in the franchise and wrote most of the films while also directing some of them.
You are free to get up and throw your empty popcorn container whenever you wish once the credits begin to roll ⏤ just don’t get into a fight on the way to the parking lot. You can catch Creed III in theaters on March 3, 2023.
