'Creed 2' Spoilers, Ending Explained: Does Michael B. Jordan Kill Drago?

Before it even begins, the stakes of Creed II are incredibly high. The new film puts Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) up against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) — aka, the son of the Russian boxer who killed his father, Apollo, after Rocky refused to throw in the towel all those years ago. (For a bit more context watch the video above.)

So how does the Creed II ending shake out? Will Adonis give into his worst instincts and kill Viktor for revenge? Here’s all the spoilers you need to know.

Warning: Spoilers for Creed II ahead.

The first time Creed and Drago face-off in Creed II the fight is painfully short. The hulking Russian boxer makes short work of his opponent, beating him bloody until he can barely stand. Then, after Adonis takes another blow and falls to his knees, Viktor delivers one more brutal punch, knocking his rival to the ground.

Creed survives, but his pride doesn’t. Patched up the hospital he learns that Drago’s final, illegal punch disqualified him. The shame never goes away, though, and when the Russian demands a rematch (this time on his home turf), Michael B. Jordan’s prideful boxer can’t say no.

After an epic training montage, Creed and Drago face off again. This time, Adonis prevails, slowly beating his enemy down round after round. Bloodied and bruised, Drago refuses to quit, and it looks like history might repeat itself with another death. Thankfully, at the last minute, Drago senior throws in the towel, ending the cycle of violence that began 33 years ago.

Once the final bell rings the movie is pretty much over. There’s a bit more closure (and few teary moments), but the conflict is resolved in the best way possible. At least until Creed III…

Creed II is in theaters now.

Related video: Michael B. Jordan traces his characters journey in ‘Creed II.’