Spoilers lie ahead for Creed III, so be sure to read at your own risk.
Throughout its nearly 50-year history, the Rocky/Creed saga has delivered some fantastic opponents for its heroes to go toe-to-toe with. From the proud Apollo Creed (who becomes an ally) to the stoic Dragos, each managed to bring something unique to the proceedings. The latest installment, Creed III, introduces audiences to Damian Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors. To put it simply the rising Hollywood star is downright phenomenal in the role and gives the franchise yet another layered adversary. On that note, Majors dropped an explanation for why he believes the antagonistic Dame is a good person.
Damian is established as an old friend of Adonis Creed, who was a promising young boxer before he was arrested and imprisoned for over a decade due to gun possession and prior offenses. When he re-enters Donnie’s life, he seeks his help in getting a shot at the heavyweight title. The hungry and fierce athlete manages to win the belt (in brutal fashion), though it’s later learned that he manipulated Donnie to do it. Eventually, the two former friends duke it out in the ring, with Adonis emerging victorious, and they later reconcile.
Though the two boxers find common ground, one still can’t help but have questions about Dame’s moral fiber, given everything that he does in the film. During our Creed III interviews with Jonathan Majors and more, our own Jeff McCobb asked the 33-year-old star for his thoughts on Damian’s integrity. Not only does the Lovecraft Country alum think his character is a decent person, but he also believes he’s now “unstoppable”:
I think Dame is absolutely a good person. I think he’s the type of good person we’re actually around more often than we think, and we don’t always see ‘em. I think his arc has changed, and he’s a better person at the end because [of] the responsibility he takes for… He becomes even more whole, you know, all the ambition, all the drive. His heart is healed at the end. So now I think Dame might be unstoppable.
These are some very keen thoughts from the cerebral performer. It’s easy to look at someone like Damian and quickly dismiss him as a villain because, individuals like him can go unnoticed, people miss the more noble qualities. Let’s not forget that while Dame did some questionable things, he did show flashes of integrity. Plus, a lot of his actions were motivated by sheer pain stemming from what he perceived as abandonment. Keenan and Ryan Coogler and Zach Braylin deserve a lot of credit for writing such a compelling person.
While we’re talking about “unstoppable” forces, we can’t not discuss Jonathan Majors and his rise in the entertainment industry. The star – whose credits include The Last Black Man in San Francisco and The Harder They Fall – is on a serious hot streak. The well-reviewed Creed III is the latest notch in his title belt, and it just earned box office supremacy over Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (which is another of Majors’ movies). The actor really committed for his work in the boxing threequel, building up a ripped physique that took the Internet by storm. Of course, he also willingly took some punches from Michael B. Jordan.
Damian’s story seems to be mostly wrapped up at this point, though I wouldn’t mind it one bit if Jonathan Majors reprised the role at some point. Maybe then the writers can flesh him out even further and let even more of his finer points shine through.
Creed III is now playing in theaters and is still proving to be one of the biggest titles on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases. Before you head out to the theater to see it, you can check out the first two movies in the series using an HBO Max subscription.
