Does the end of Creed III cheat Adonis out of what he deserves?

polygon.com:

Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, Creed III, is already one of 2023’s biggest success stories, a top 10 box-office contender that’s stirred up interest in the long-running Rocky franchise and prompted a lot of thoughtful, eager theorizing about Jordan’s directorial style and his possible future behind the camera. Most of us at Polygon were fans of the movie, with its overt and enjoyably nerdy anime references and its emotional, deep-dive approach into current franchise protagonist Adonis Creed, played by Jordan. Creed III goes further into Adonis’ backstory and history than the first two entries in the franchise, and while it naturally frames his conflict around a climactic boxing match, it continues to be clear that his internal battles are just as significant as the public ones.

But does Creed III really give those fights the space they deserve? The movie pointedly doesn’t go past the surface in letting him resolve some of his big issues, which leaves the ring open for sequels, along with Jordan’s possible anime spinoff of the franchise. That’s potentially a good thing for Jordan and for the future of this series, but is it a good thing for Creed III’s story? In the spirit of our staff throwdowns over Titanic’s alternate ending, Spider in Avatar: The Way of Water, and the song cut from The Muppet Christmas Carol, we had two writers step into the ring to duke it out.

Polygon Court is now in session.

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for Creed III, including end spoilers.]

Tasha: So to make this clear, this isn’t a debate about who got more points in Creed III’s climactic fight or whatever. I’m not a boxing expert, and as Jordan has said himself, that match is more an anime hero/villain throwdown than a by-the-book WBA