Who Plays Young Adonis and Damian in "Creed III"? Get to Know the Rising Stars

Published on March 3, 2023 at 3:55 PM

Eli Ade

The story of Adonis Creed continues in the highly anticipated third installment of the Creed franchise. "Creed III" finds the titular boxing champ (played by Michael B. Jordan) freshly retired and enjoying married life with his wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), while raising his young daughter, Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). However, a blast from Adonis's past — a childhood friend, Damian (Jonathan Majors), who just got out of prison — comes back into his life and shakes things up. Ultimately, an old grudge forces him out of retirement.

"Creed III," directed by Jordan, visits parts of Adonis's youth and days of running around with his former partner in crime Damian. The movie suggests an incident that landed Damian in prison as a teen is largely what drove the two friends-turned-rivals apart.

While Adonis is reluctant to rehash that part of his life — mainly out of guilt for not checking on his friend while he was locked up — "Creed III" treats fans to a few eye-opening flashbacks that slowly reveal how their friendship fell apart. Those handful of scenes feature a young Adonis and Damian.

So, who are the actors who play the younger versions of Jordan and Majors's characters? Keep reading to learn all about them.

Who Plays Young Adonis in "Creed III"? Meet Thaddeus J. Mixson

Teenage Adonis Creed is played by Thaddeus J. Mixson in "Creed III." Prior to his blockbuster movie, the 17-year-old actor and singer appeared in small roles on shows like "Reasonable Doubt," "The Wonder Years," and "Kid's Crew," and he starred in the 2020 Disney movie "Safety." Mixson also goes by the nickname "Papajay," which he says has stuck with him ever since he was a kid.

"Ever since I was little, people always said I was young with an old soul," he explained on the "Coffea Intertwined" podcast in 2021. "So my dad took 'Papa' and my middle name is James, so he took the initial J and then we added it together and we got 'Papajay.' And that just stuck with me and that's my music artist name."

Who Plays Young Damian in "Creed III"? Meet Spence Moore II

Spence Moore II stars in "Creed III" as young Damian, better known as Adonis's childhood best friend who looked out for him when they were living in a group home together. In the movie, before he went away to prison, Moore II's Damian was a rising boxer with a bright future. All that changed when he took a charge for Adonis. And coincidentally enough, this isn't the 25-year-old actor's first athletic role.

Prior to "Creed III," Moore II had a four-season stint on The CW's "All American," appearing on the show as a football player named Chris. Before then, the actor starred on shows like "The Rookie," "Good Trouble," "We Are Who We Are," and "A.P. Bio." Following his time on "All American," Moore II went on to pursue more TV opportunities on shows like "Grown-ish," "S.W.A.T.," and "The Wonder Years" before his big movie role.

Looking back on his "Creed III" experience, Moore II told LRM Online: "I think one of the dopest things I got out of [it] is not just a role in the movie 'Creed [III],' but the resources; being able to text a Jonathan Majors, being able to text a Mike B. Jordan. I feel like that's bigger than anything I got from this film. And also just support they have for me . . . They really feel like they want to have hands in what I do next . . . so I appreciate them just on a big-bro level."