Ivan Drago was surprisingly absent from Creed 3, but the decision might have secretly helped set up his spinoff movie's story. The Rocky franchise has been reborn in recent years thanks to the Creed movies, and Amazon has plans to expand the MGM property with multiple spinoffs and sequels. One of the first ideas to enter development is Drago, a spinoff movie centered around Dolph Lundgren's Rocky IV villain and his son, Creed 2 foe Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). Details about the movie's plot have not been revealed since the spinoff was first announced in 2022, but it was thought that Creed 3 could set up the film.
While Viktor Drago returned in Creed 3 as a friend of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), his father was surprisingly missing from the events. The last time audiences saw both characters was at the end of Creed 2 as they returned home to Ukraine to train together. Viktor's career has gone well since that point as he is meant to fight for the world heavyweight championship in Creed 3 before his injury. That is why it is so odd that Ivan Drago did not him, especially with the planned spinoff in the works. Now, it seems that Ivan Drago's Creed 3 absence may be the direct result of the spinoff's story.
Dolph Lundgren Hints The Drago Spinoff’s Story Is Connected To War
Following the release of Creed 3, Dolph Lundgren shared the first potential story details for the Drago spinoff movie during an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. He revealed that the initial idea for the spinoff's story connects to the war that Ukraine has been involved in against Russia since February 2022. Lundgren confirmed that the Drago spinoff was meant to begin in Kyiv, Ukraine at a time when the war is still taking place. He described the spinoff story as "an immigration slash fighter story" that gives Ivan and Viktor a reason to come back to America.
The war backdrop for the Drago spinoff movie keeps Ivan's story in the Rocky franchise connected to real-world politics and wars. Dolph Lundgren famously made his debut as Ivan Drago during the final years of the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. It is also worth noting that the actor mentioned that the original Drago movie script was not up to the standards of those involved, which has brought on a search for a new writer. This will mean that a new screenwriter is brought on to make the film better, but Dolph does not seem concerned that the Drago movie's war story connection will change.
Ivan Drago’s Spinoff Can Explain Why He Was Missing From Creed 3
Based on Dolph Lundgren's Drago story tease, there is a logical way for the spinoff to explain Ivan Drago's Creed 3 absence. It is possible that the events of the Ukraine and Russia war left Ivan unable to leave the country he now calls home. This would allow Drago to explain that Ivan was still stuck in Ukraine during the events of Creed 3 because of the war, while Viktor may have made it out early as part of his preparation to fight Felix Chavez. If this is the case, then the spinoff movie could focus on Ivan and Viktor finding a new home after they leave Ukraine.
