For most people, being in great enough shape to appear in movies shirtless as a professional boxer and a supervillain would probably be good enough, but Michael B. Jordan is not most people. If you've seen the trailers for Creed II you may have noticed that Michael B. Jordan is in even more ripped in this film than he was in either Creed or Black Panther. This was a conscious decision on the actor's part to progress, as he explained:
I wanted to be bigger than I was in the first Creed. More shredded than I was in Black Panther. I just wanted to see evolution. When I look at Creed now, I'm like, 'I look like a kid.' I look like a 20-year-old punk.
How's that for never settling and always striving to improve and grow? Michael B. Jordan saw how he looked in Creed and Black Panther and wanted to surpass that and achieve an aesthetic that was beyond what he had shown onscreen before. That just shows what kind of drive he has, although I think for many people, they would have been happy with that "20-year-old punk" level of fitness.
As we've heard, Michael B. Jordan put on 20 pounds of muscle for Creed II and it shows. He looks bigger than he did in the first film while also looking far more cut than he did as Killmonger. The result is an Adonis Creed that looks more imposing and capable than he did in the first film and more impressive than any of Michael B. Jordan's other roles.
Michael B. Jordan told GQ that he wanted to see his own evolution, and that's why he got bigger and more shredded than ever before. That's an admirable attitude to have, evoking the notion that fitness isn't a goal but a journey that never ends. He spoke in a way that seemed to reflect how he wanted to see himself in the film, as a man and not a kid. Interestingly, this evolution actually works for the character of Adonis Creed as well.
Creed II will see Adonis Creed as the newly crowned light heavyweight champion, not the scrappy up-and-comer he was in the first film. So it makes sense that his physique has improved from the first film to the sequel. Adonis is now a pro and a champ, with more resources at his disposal to be in peak physical condition.
The physical evolution reflects the evolution of the character as he has grown as a fighter, as a man and as a father with a new child. That this is the best we have ever seen Adonis and he still looks outmatched also makes his opponent, Viktor Drago, all the scarier and the drama of the film all the greater.
You can check out Michael B. Jordan's evolution as Adonis in Creed II, opening in theaters on November 21. Check out our Holiday Movie Guide for that and the other films you can look forward to this holiday season. For all the latest in workout motivation, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
