Ivan Drago’s Creed Return Fate Gets Official Update From Dolph Lundgren Ahead Of Prime Video Spinoff Series

Published Oct 1, 2026, 3:08 PM EDT EXCLUSIVE: Dolph Lundgren is weighing in on whether his character will return to the Creed universe. Lundgren has been an action star for decades, and one of his most notable roles remains Ivan Drago. The character made his debut in Rocky IV in 1985, when he famously faced against the franchise's titular boxer, playing a massive Soviet Union star. The character re-entered the franchise more recently in Creed II. Mirroring protagonist Adonnis Creed's own status as a part of a family boxing legacy, Ivan's son Viktor Drago now faces off against Adonnis. In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, Lundgren discusses whether he will return to the Creed franchise to play Drago. The actor stated that he believes that he has played Ivan Drago for the last time, believing that the studio "is very busy with Michael B. Jordan and Creed 4." That said, he thinks that there is some interest in another Drago story from Creed II co-star Florian Munteanu. Nonetheless, he doubts another Ivan story will happen. Check out the full quote from Lundgren below: ScreenRant: Do you think you've played Drago for the last time? Dolph Lundgren: I would say yes, I think so. I think MGM is very busy with Michael B. Jordan and Creed 4. I know that Florian, who plays my son, he's good friends with Michael, and I think he was lobbying. He really wants to do another Drago story, the Drago family. And they had a script. They were developing a script, but the script wasn't that great. And then Creed 3 made a shitload of money. Now Michael B. kind of runs it. I doubt it, but maybe it could happen. Lundgren's comment comes at a time when there is a lot going on in the Creed universe. Most imminently, Creed is about to get a spinoff from Prime Video. This series, titled Delphi, will follow the rise of young boxers at Apollo Creed's former stomping grounds, the Delphi Boxing Academy in Los Angeles. The series features a leading cast including Wood Harris, Benji Santiago, Juan Castrano, Demián Bichir, André Holland, Andre Royo, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and Victoria Vourkoutiotis. In a sense, this series is further removed from the original Rocky franchise by virtue of it being a direct spinoff of Creed. It moves out of Rocky Balboa's hometown of South Philadelphia and into the Los Angeles setting where the Creed family got its start. This maps onto the show's behind-the-scenes makeup, as Michael B. Jordan serves as an executive producer while Sylvester Stallone is reportedly not involved. As Lundgren mentions, the studio is also hard at work on its next theatrical film release, as Creed IV is currently in development. Unless the Ivan Drago actor is exceptionally good at keeping a secret, it sounds like he will not make an appearance in this fourth installment. This would make sense based on where the franchise is heading, as Drago did not appear in the Creed threequel in 2023. With a TV show and another movie in development, there is always a chance of a surprise Ivan appearance, but it is not looking hopeful. Creed Release Date November 25, 2015 Runtime 133 minutes