The last few years have been huge for Jonathan Majors. Since his breakout 2019 film, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, the actor has been on a trajectory toward another level of star power. From his Emmy-nominated role in HBO’s Lovecraft Country to being cast as the next Thanos-level big bad, Kang the Conqueror, in a slew of already announced upcoming Marvel movies, it seems there’s no part too big for the actor. Perhaps one of his most anticipated parts is in the forthcoming Creed III. Since set photos leaked of The Harder They Fall actor’s new chiseled physique, the internet has been thirsting for Majors, however, the reason behind his character being in such great shape has a deeper meaning.
The actor was recently interviewed by Men’s Health, where he shared that there is more behind his physical transformation than just being fit to fight in the ring. The actor says there are reasons a person would build their body up and that his Creed III character, Anderson Dame, has turned his trauma and a sense of loss into a deadly weapon. The actor said:
There are certain reasons you build your body. Dame’s body was built from loss. He had lost something, and that hole is what made him work the way he worked. When you see Dame’s body, you go, Oh, that makes sense. You don’t look like that and be happy with life.
This is an exciting peek into Majors’ character in the upcoming film. This is because even though we know these a few things about Creed III, many of the plot details surrounding the sequel are scarce. Suppose we extrapolate a bit from the actor’s comments. In that case, it seems that Dame and Adonis Creed will share a similar background and trajectory as fighters, one centering around trauma and perhaps legacy. This should set us up as an audience for a fascinating and layered face-off between the two characters.
Since Creed stepped into the ring in 2015, it’s been fascinating to watch the series breathe new life into the, then, dormant Rocky franchise while at the same time beginning to stand on its own two feet. The first film, while still very much its own movie, relied heavily on Rocky as a character to get old fans invested. While still heavy-hitting and powerful, the second movie brought in one of Rocky’s past opponents, Ivan Drago, which gave the audience a sense of comfort and nostalgia. It sounds like Jonathan Majors’ villain won’t rely on past Rocky iconography to be a compelling character but will be blazing his own trail, much like the film itself.
Though original Rocky star Sylvester Stallone says he knows what’s in the Creed sequel, he reiterated that he is not involved and will not appear in the film but wishes the filmmakers well. Creed III marks Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, taking over for OG franchise director and Black Panther helmer Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr, who directed Creed II.
Jonathan Majors can be seen next on the 2023 movie schedule as Kang the Conquerer in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania when it hits theaters on February 17, and in Creed III on March 3. Until then, you can watch his MCU debut in the first season of Loki with a Disney+ subscription.