Summary

• Creed 4 is unlikely to feature Stallone due to the direction the franchise is heading.
• Rocky's absence in Creed III indicates the franchise's shift beyond Stallone's involvement.
• Stallone's return to the Rocky franchise could revitalize his career and appeal to newer audiences.

Sylvester Stallone's work as Rocky Balboa is arguably his most influential, but the direction Creed 4 is heading in proves a harsh reality about the franchise. Creed 4 is in development, and while it is the follow-up to 2023's acclaimed Creed III, it also brings into question how much the franchise will innovate things going forward. Although Creed 4 has many challenges to overcome, one of its biggest revolves around its handling of the Rocky/Creed legacy, since Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed story felt complete by the end of the movie.

Furthermore, with Creed 4 likely moving on without Jonathan Majors, it faces other challenges regarding the upcoming sequel's potential new protagonist or returning villain. On one hand, Creed 4 could benefit from introducing brand-new characters to carry the torch, but given that it still feels like there's a greater story for Adonis despite his retirement in Creed III, it could be too soon to introduce a whole new batch of characters. Alternatively, Creed 4 could bring back Stallone's Rocky Balboa, but with the new direction Creed III takes things, that's likely not going to happen either.

Sylvester Stallone Is Unlikely To Return For Creed 4

Creed II Was Stallone's Last Appearance As Rocky Balboa

Stallone wasn't in Creed III because of creative disagreements as well as his ongoing feud with franchise producer Irwin Winkler.

Sylvester Stallone wasn't in Creed III, which marks the first time in the entire Rocky/Creed franchise that Stallone was absent from one of the movies. Furthermore, no substantial updates have been given regarding Stallone or Rocky's return, as Creed III merely name-drops the character in a brief scene without revealing his whereabouts or if he's even still alive. Per Variety, Stallone wasn't in Creed III because of creative disagreements regarding the movie's darker tone as well as his ongoing feud with franchise producer Irwin Winkler. Speaking with Variety, Stallone commented:

That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been. It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy — Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s. I wish them well, but I’m much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness.

Although Stallone's creative differences greatly factored into him walking away from Creed III, his feud with longtime collaborator Winkler also played a role in his departure as well. Winkler owns the rights to the Rocky franchise, as Stallone sold them to Winkler when he was still a struggling actor in the mid-'70s. Stallone's open feud with Winkler makes it difficult to believe the actor will even return to the franchise. With no immediate updates regarding Stallone's return, Creed 4 likely won't see more of Balboa.

Creed 4 No Longer Needs Rocky Or Sylvester Stallone

Creed's Story Has Evolved Beyond Rocky Or Stallone's Involvement

Creed III's critical and commercial success proves that general audiences are going to support the Creed franchise whether Stallone or Rocky is involved or not.

Although it's a bitter pill to swallow, the Creed franchise has evolved beyond Rocky, which justifies the character's absence in future installments. With Adonis forging his own path, both personally and professionally, it would feel like a crutch if he's still relying on Rocky for life and career advice so far into the franchise's development. While Rocky deserved a much better send-off than the character merely being mentioned in a brief scene, Creed 4 could include a scene that better explains why Rocky, unfortunately, won't be involved in future installments.

Creed III's critical and commercial success proves that general audiences are going to support the Creed franchise whether Stallone or Rocky is involved or not. 2015's Creed was such an effective film because it revitalized the franchise, and showing Rocky in a mentor role to his former best friend's son was a stroke of genius. Creed II continuing the mentor-student relationship worked exceptionally well for similar reasons, but it was apparent by the end of the movie that Adonis needed to become his own man, which justified Rocky's absence in Creed III.

Sylvester Stallone Needs A Rocky Return More Than Creed 4 Does

Stallone's Return To Rocky Could Help Revitalize His Movie Career

Although Stallone's Rambo and Expendables franchises are still being made, their diminishing returns highlight that audiences might be ready to move on from them both. Either that, or both franchises would need serious overhauls to reignite interest in them. Although Stallone's presence in movies, especially action movies, is always appreciated, it would be great to see him work with the current and next generation of actors similarly to how he did with Jordan in the first two Creed movies. Although The Expendables 4 was a box-office bomb, it could have fared better with fresher talent.

Rambo and Rambo: Last Blood fared similarly to The Expendables 4, as they were also uninspired sequels that couldn't recapture the magic of the original installments. Furthermore, with the John Wick franchise demonstrating that audiences want more world-building and better-developed characters, the franchise would need to go back to its First Blood roots to regain audience interest. Although it's unlikely, Stallone's return to Creed 4 or even a potential Rocky 7 would be best for Stallone's franchise return because it is still viable among all of his works.

Stream Creed III on Prime Video

Sources: Variety