Step back in the ring with the 'Creed II' trailer

Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) may have died in 1985, but his son is back for another round. Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis Creed in Warner Bros. Pictures‘ upcoming “Creed II”. There, he’s set to face off against his and his father’s greatest match. Check out the first trailer in the player above!

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone wrote, produced, directed, and starred in “Rocky,” which launched a franchise that continued across five more installments following Stallone’s Rocky Balboa. Apollo Creed was Balboa’s first opponent. Creed returned in the second film for a rematch and in the third and fourth as a trainer. His rival’s death in “Rocky IV” left Balboa heartbroken and motivated, but it also left young Adonis without a father. In 2015, Stallone wrote and starred in “Creed,” wherein Adonis steps into the ring.

In “Creed II,” Adonis, having won the Championship in the first film, is now struggling to keep up the fight and maintain a relationship with Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their newborn baby. That proves especially difficult when a particularly daunting opponent threatens to claim his title. Creed requests coaching from Balboa and begins training despite pleas from both Balboa and Bianca to forfeit the match.

A quote flashes in the trailer: “More to lose than a title,” and, by the end of the clip, it is clear what exactly Creed is up against. The name Drago is displayed across the back of his opponent’s robe, and Ivan Drago (Played by Dolph Lundgren in “Rocky IV,” was the USSR boxer who killed Apollo Creed. Adonis will be facing the son of his father’s fatal challenger. Is this simply about avenging his father’s death or something more? Perhaps it’s the chance to prove Adonis is even better than his dad.

The answer awaits when “Creed II” hits theaters November 21, 2018.