New ‘Creed II’ Teaser Introduces Viktor Drago

Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) returns to the big screen in this month’s Creed II, and it looks like he’ll be up against a pretty formidable foe.

The latest teaser for Creed II has made its way online, which puts a spotlight of sorts on Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). You can check it out above.

Of course, there’s a bit of added drama around the pair’s duel, seeing as Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundren) was the one who killed Adonis’ father all those years ago.

“Drago was so huge in Rocky IV and he really (put a stamp) on the franchise at that time,” Jordan explained in an interview with the Toronto Sun. “So we wanted to make a sequel that was bigger. It’s always tough to shoot a number two to anything, but we wanted to do a fresh take. We didn’t have a real villain the first time around. That was more of an origin story with Adonis fighting himself to figure out who he was. This time, I think we found the perfect vehicle to build on that and take it to the next level.”

“Viktor’s storyline is very layered.” Jordan continued. “The two guys are similar in a lot of ways… Adonis feels, naturally, a certain animosity towards Viktor and Ivan, and then there are other themes in there: the maturity of growth, the importance of family, of legacy, is what makes Creed so special. It’s not just about revenge. It’s about a lot of things… If we get that lesson across, then I think we’ve made a pretty special movie.”

Black Panther alum Ryan Coogler gave up the director’s chair for the sequel to his 2015 smash-hit. Instead, Steven Caple Jr. will helm Creed II, the second feature film on the Ohio native’s resume.

Jordan and Coogler aren’t the only Marvel Cinematic Universe talents to be attached to Creed II. Former Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker wrote the story alongside Sascha Penn. Stallone and Juel Taylor then wrote transferred the story into a screenplay. Thor: Ragnarok star Tessa Thompson is also set to reprise her role as Bianca from the first film.

Are you excited to see Viktor Drago make his debut in Creed II? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Creed II will land in theaters on November 21st.