Why Was Adonis Creed In A Group Home? His Backstory Explained

Adonis Donnie Creed was in a group home because he did not have anyone to care of him after his mother passed away.

In the fictional setting of the sports drama, Creed is the illegitimate son of the former world champion Apollo Creed from his extramarital affair with a woman whose surname is Johnson.

Apollo passed away before Creed was born. As a result, the little boy grew up without his father and was raised by a single mother until her demise in the mid-90s.

Following this, he bounced around the protective services and lived in foster and group homes.

During his time at a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles in 1998, he would frequently get into fights with other kids. Seeing this, he was transferred to solitary confinement.

He experienced a tough childhood, growing up in a youth facility until he was discovered by his stepmother, Mary Anne Creed (Apollo's widow).

Is Adonis Creed Adopted?

Yes, Adonis Creed was adopted. He was adopted by Apollo's wife Mary Anne Creed in the late '90s.

Apollo had the secret affair between the events of Rocky III and Rocky IV with Donnie's unnamed biological mother.

Sadly, he lost his life in the ring while facing Ivan Dragi. Heartbroken by the loss of her husband, Mary remained angry for a long time.

Thirteen years later, she uncovers Donnie's existence and decides to pay him a visit to the LA youth facility. She then adopts him and raises him as her own child.

She tells him that he is the son of Apollo, a professional boxer and a former World Heavyweight Champion.

Under her guardianship, he is taken to live at his dad's mansion in LA.

There, Donnie was raised with wealth and received a good education. He was also introduced to his father's legacy as a boxer and frequently watched his late father's old boxing tapes.

And although Mary was furious that her husband left her, she says that he brought her a son named Adonis, and this led her to forgive him.

However, she didn't make clear if the forgiveness was for his infidelity or his demise.

Adonis Creed was born on June 1, 1986, to his father Apollo Creed, and his mother Ms. Johnson. He is the youngest child of the boxer from his affair with another woman.

His Father Apollo

Adonis Creed father Apollo is the main antagonist in Rocky and Rocky 11. He is a tough but agile professional boxer who is the undisputed heavyweight world champion when the series begins.

The character, inspired by real-life boxer Muhammad Ali, is played by Carl Weathers in all the Rocky film series.

In Rocky, he essentially cleans out his division of serious contenders and decides to fight local journeyman Rocky Balboa.

In the film and its sequel, the duo finds themselves evenly matched in the ring, and by the third movie (Rocky III-1982), they end up becoming friends.

Creed had several nicknames, including "The King of String," "The Dancing Destroyer," "The Master of Disaster," "The Count of Monte Fist," and " The Prince of Punch."

A 2013 poll of former heavyweight champions named him as the 2nd-best boxer in the film series, second only to Balboa, having incurred only two losses -first to Rocky and the second to Ivan Drago, who killed him in their fight.

In the seventh installment of the film (Creed-2015), it was revealed that the late boxer had an affair sometime before he lost his life to a fight.

Later, his son moves to Philadelphia to see Rocky. They meet at Adrian's and Rocky is amazed when he mentions a third fight between him and his dad behind closed doors.

He then presents himself as his son. Rocky wastes no time complimenting his father's boxing style and ability and discloses that Apollo won their third face-off.

Donnie's biological mother Ms. Johsnons

Donnie's biological mother's identity is not revealed in the film series besides her surname Johnson.

She had an affair with the boxer in the summer of 1985.

Her seemingly carefree affair turned out to have life-changing consequences when the athlete passed away suddenly, leaving her pregnant alone. She had to raise her son by herself in the mid-90s.

After her passing, Creed started living in foster homes and group homes, ultimately to be found by his stepmother, Mary, in the late 90s.

She was the spouse of the late Heavyweight Champion and the mother of his son and daughter. Initially portrayed by Lavelle Roby in the first movie, Sylvia Meals later took the role until her demise in 2011.

Since then, the character has been portrayed by Phylicia Rashad for the Creed film series.

Anne was a spectator watching her other half fight Balboa in Rocky II. There were many things she disliked about her hubby's boxing.

There were times she had to practically carry her man up the stairs to their bedroom after the fight and assist him on the toilet when he couldn't help himself following a hand injury.

Mary was a dedicated wife and mother, who worked hard at maintaining her home and family.

Once, she even tried to get her man to leave boxing after his first bout with Rocky.

She passes away in the third Creed series after suffering from another stroke.

Creed III is a 2023 sports drama film directed by and starring Jordan. It marks the sequel to Creed II and the overall ninth installment in the popular Rocky film series. 

The third Creed series sees Jordan return as the titular character. However, things get serious when a childhood friend and now Golden Gloves champion, Damian "Dame" Anderson turns against him.

Several years after his retirement, Donnie reunites with his childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Dame, who has spent 18 years in prison, and seeks his help at a title shot.

As the story goes on, Dame later reveals his revenge for Creed abandoning him during his arrest and jail time. Meanwhile, the retired boxer is unable to open up to his wife about his guilt over Dame.

A boxer himself, Dame revels in his newfound fame and starts slandering Creed as a fraud who turned his back on him. He finally confesses to Bianca the truth.

Leon was the abusive caregiver and when they were involved in a fight, a brawl against Leon's friends ensued causing Dame to pull a gun. As police arrived, he ran away, but Dame was caught.

In the end, Donnie faces Dame in an evenly-matched affair. He wins the match and later reconciles with Dame. Both admitted that the consequences were not the other's fault.

Movie Review

Creed III received generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes, the review aggregator, reported an approval rating of 87%, with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 226 critics.

The Verge reported, "Despite the plot not always making the most sense, Creed III moves with a swiftness and confidence." The action serves the movie well when it's outside the ring and is centered on being a heartfelt drama.

Richard Brody of The New Yorker stated Jordan as a director "delivers a captivating blend of explosive energy and melodramatic intensity." He further praised Thompson for her distinctive presence.

Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com said Jordan took all the pressure and expectation and turned the title into a film that honors both the series' legacy while spinning the lore forward.