In ‘Creed III,’ Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors Serve Up Their Own Definition of Masculinity

When Jonathan Majors wore a feathery overcoat in front of a floral background for a Valentine’s Day-inspired Ebony photoshoot, some said it was “too feminine” and stripped him of his masculinity. Earlier this week, Michael B. Jordan went viral when he confronted a reporter on a red carpet who he believed called him “corny” in the past for being a “nice guy” in his relationships (she didn’t, but she did say she made fun of him in high school). But in Creed III, in theaters Friday, the two actors come together to star in a boxing film that lets us examine the way we, as a society, view masculinity. 

Concealing hurt or displaying it through violence and aggression have been the two predominant ways men appear to express their emotions, and both Adonis Creed (Jordan) and Damian Anderson (Majors) display those two so well. But hiding from your past, not dealing with your trauma, and not allowing yourself to be vulnerable can poison you from within. The first two Creed movies used the brewing friendship between Adonis and an ailing Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), as well as his relationship with Bianca (Tessa Thompson) as their emotional hinge, but Adonis has also carried a scarcely hidden hurt from his childhood.