CREED 2 AND THE MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES OF FATHERHOOD

It was Thanksgiving weekend 2015 and there I was with my mom, in a movie theater watching Michael B Jordan come to life in the surprising role of Creed. As we watched, we felt a strong, and unanticipated bond. A bond built on overcoming the odds and winning as a family. That day we made a commitment to always see any Creed movie together. So here we are again, watching the second installation, on the edges of our seat, excited to see what’s to come.

No doubt, watching the battles between Creed (Adonis Johnson) and Drago II (Viktor Drago) provided a thrill of a lifetime, but the real value was found in the film’s stories of fatherhood, it’s grace, imperfections, and it’s diversity in characterization. While there’s lots to cover in Creed 2 - there were three father “types” we’d like to examine amongst us BDads.

“Vicarious Father”

The first father characterization is the “Vicarious Father” This is the man that has had a life unfulfilled. He may be a wealthy banker, a blue collar worker, a drinker, a former sports star - this is a guy that we all know, and let’s be honest - may be us on any given day. This isn’t a person, but a state of being - where we as dads, feel slighted by life, but see a chance to regain lost steps through our children. Portions of our life are left incomplete, malnourished, maybe in our views, undervalued, and we see a shot at redemption through the success we can create in our offspring. This is the relationship we see manifest between Ivan Drago and his now, title contending and bear of a son, Viktor Drago. Ivan’s loss to Rocky Balboa back in 1985’s Rocky 4 - changed his world. He was abandoned by his country, his friends, and most importantly - his wife. He’s a bitter and near empty man that sees a watering hole in Viktor. He trains Viktor like one of those pee wee league volunteer dad coaches. Screaming, hollering, panting about the sidelines as he sees the potential greatness in his son. And if only Viktor can deliver the success Ivan wants, Ivan will finally be redeemed, be whole even. The impact of Ivan’s parenting on Viktor, is one of success and wonder. Success in that - Viktor is certainly a machine of a boxer, built to destroy. But wonder in that- Viktor doesn’t have a sense of self. He’s not allowed to. He doesn’t appear to know what he wants or even comprehend his own personal values - all that has mattered to him up until this point is his father’s approval. While this may not matter to Ivan in his blind quest to validation - we’re left wondering - as dads, is this the impact we want to have on our children? One that leaves our children’s sense of self handcuffed to our approval. Is this a healthy way for a child to grow? As we watch Viktor throughout the film, I think it’s fair to say the answer is at least “not always”, and we’re left hearing the words of Shefali Tsabury’s “Concious Parenting”…

“This task is to raise yourself into the most awakened and present individual you can be. The reason this is central to good parenting is that children don’t need our ideas and expectations, or our dominance and control, only for us to be attuned to them with our engaged presence".

“The Perfect Plan” Dad

The second father we encounter is a dad we’ll call “The Perfect Plan” Dad. This is the dad that has a vision for his life. He’s planned it pretty well. He’s visualized, practiced, and prepared every element of his life for what he sees as a rather perfect sequence of events that will lead to a parenting world that can be written as one for the ages. The problem with this dad rears it’s ugly head when the unexpected appears. Real life examples could be, a wife being diagnosed with cancer. Being laid off. A child being born with 8 fingers instead of 10. This all presents a huge inconvenience and is overwhelmingly disheartening to the “The Perfect Plan” Dad. When Creed’s daughter is born without the sense of hearing, there is an almost befuddled look on his face. “How will this look?” “This isn’t normal - there has to be another answer”. It’s not until he accepts his destiny, one of a father of a healthy miracle of his and his soon to be wife Bianca’s making, that he finds his purpose. Just before Creed’s little baby girl was born - Rocky asks Creed - “what are you fighting for”. Creed has every answer but the right one - that one that lingers on his own personal meaning - because he doesn’t have one. There’s something about accepting your responsibility to Earth’s biggest wonders - a child - that delivers enlightenment…A purpose and sense of commitment towards something greater than yourself - that you begin to accomplish goals beyond you or anyone else’s belief. We’re not sure Creed becomes the fighter he’s destined to be without this anchoring. The film reminds us of how becoming a father, even when you’re young and unprepared, if embraced - can be the greatest contribution to your own personal success.

“I Did This For You” Dad

Our last father is the “I Did This For You” Dad. We all know this dad, and just like the other dads, we all have a small bit of this dad inside of us. We work our tails off everyday. We go days without sleep, travel to far away places, smile when we don’t want to, the list goes on - but we do it ALL for the family. Meanwhile - we never see the family. We miss critical parts of Bobby and Bianca’s life. We lose the romantic connection with our wives. There’s no cheating, funny business, or any ill will involved, we’re just over committed to providing for our families - even if it means sacrificing “being a family”. This is what we see in Rocky’s relationship with his son Robert Balboa and his little grandson. Rocky’s been wrapped up in his career so much that we see him take on an almost father/son relationship with Tommy Gun in Rocky V - truly because he just spends more time with Tommy than his own family. The result is a fractured relationship between Robert, Rocky, and now his own little toddler grandson. It reminds us as dads to prioritize our work, our careers, and our own personal goals with that of our family responsibilities.

Creed 2 is filled with SO MANY father and family identities, but we chose to focus on these 3 since maybe, as BDads, we’ve encounter these dads in ourselves, in our circles, or in our imaginations. There’s a realness to this complicated world we call parenting and “Becoming” a dad. Creed 2 helps us confront those complications in a way that’s supported through triumph, imperfection, and commitment to greatness. Let’s all be aware and committed to the blessings we have in our lives, even if we don’t win the championship belt at the end like young Adonis. No one’s perfect.