It looks like Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) was right, there really is no easy way out. At least that's the case for Adonis "Donnie" Creed (Michael B. Jordan) in the final Creed III trailer. In a final teaser ahead of the film's highly-anticipated release, everything finally hits a fever pitch for the son of late boxing icon Apollo (Carl Weathers).
With just weeks left on the clock until the third installment of the Rocky spin-off hits theaters, eager audiences were treated to one last look at what is yet to come. Putting fresh emphasis on the heaviness that comes with carrying a legacy like Apollo's, the teaser opens with a shot of Donnie screaming his lungs out at the top of a mountain. Meanwhile, a snippet of Apollo's iconic voice is heard blaring over a shot of his signature red gloves. "The higher you get, the harder it gets," Apollo says in the clip. "That's life!" But there is more to it than Donnie feeling the weight of his crown with his childhood best friend Damian "Dame" Andersen (Jonathan Majors) now out of prison and eager to swipe the life Donnie has built for himself from him. It's apparent there is a deep history between the former brothers with Donnie admitting to his partner Bianca (Tessa Thompson), "when Dame came back, the past came back too."
If there were any doubts as to Dame's intentions, it's all made crystal clear when Donnie is warned "there may have been a time when Damian had your back but that's not what he's doing now." In true antagonist form, Dame is then seen throwing a string of deadly punches as he fires himself up for what can only be described as a war. Other new shots see Dame taking jabs at Donnie calling him a "coward and a fraud" before warning him that he's "just getting started, little brother." His threats spark new fear in a now-retired Donnie's eyes as he is visibly seen questioning what Dame is capable of. However, Donnie still looks prepared to fight for his legacy and his life as he embarks on an epic training montage, preparing for the mental fight that comes with taking down someone he once considered family.
Oozing a very Rocky-esque intensity, Donnie is forced to learn the lesson his mentor learned hundreds of times throughout his career, it's "it's you against you." With a family to protect and a reputation to uphold as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, the stakes have clearly never been higher for Donnie. The film marks a new chapter in the Creed franchise with Stallone having hung up his gloves and Jordan stepping behind the camera to bring his vision to life. In fact, it could just be the start with Jordan keen to potentially expand the Creed universe further in the future.
You can watch all the action unfold in Creed III on March 3. Until then, you can check out the final trailer below.