Fans Are Disappointed Over The Lack Of Viktor Drago In The Creed III Trailer

The development of "Rocky" is an underdog story in its own right. Written by and starring a relative unknown named Sylvester Stallone, the sports drama was a smash hit, catapulting the Italian Stallion to fame and, perhaps more unimaginably, spawning a beloved franchise whose sequels have become iconic in their own right. More impressive still is that 40 years later, the legacy sequel "Creed" achieved similar critical and commercial acclaim.

Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, "Creed" follows the son of Apollo Creed on his own boxing journey in Philadelphia with the help of Rocky Balboa. A sequel followed in 2018; now, "Creed III" is set for release on March 3, 2023. According to the "Creed III" trailer, the threequel will pick up some time after the events of "Creed II" and sees Adonis settled down and thriving in his business. For some fans, however, one key figure was missing from the trailer: Viktor Drago.

If "Rocky" fans love one thing, it's letting long-simmering rivalries explode in the boxing ring. In "Creed II," the franchise reintroduces audiences to Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the villainous Soviet boxer from "Rocky IV" (the film that, among other accomplishments, single-handedly ended the Cold War) who killed Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in a match. This time, Adonis faces off against Ivan's son, Viktor (Florian Munteanu).

Upon the release of the detail-filled "Creed III" trailer, some fans were disappointed that Viktor didn't make an appearance. On Reddit, u/scottpacino1 wrote, "I guess they'll save Viktor Drago for the next trailer," to hundreds of upvotes. @MattTurn23 expressed a similar sentiment on Twitter. "Looks great but where's Viktor Drago? Thought he was back in this one too." Other fans suggested that a "Creed III" cameo wouldn't suffice. "This fire and all," wrote @James_Simmons42, "but I still need that Viktor Drago spin-off movie."

It remains to be seen whether Drago will make an appearance in the upcoming film, but fans can look forward to a complex, magnetic new antagonist named Anderson Dame, played by Jonathan Majors. If the "Rocky" stars align, maybe Drago will join him for a Siberian training montage.