Michael B. Jordan's IWD Tribute Causes Stir Among 'Creed' Fans

Michael B. Jordan has to explain to "Creed" fans why he is not in love with Tessa Thompson!

Soon after the actor dedicated a sweet message to his co-star to celebrate this year's International Women's Day, fans took to his replies to ask him a series of questions about their relationship. Many of them wanted to know why the onscreen husband and wife were not an item in real life, especially when they had such great chemistry with each other.

When Jordan shared a black-and-white picture of Thompson and Mila Davis-Kent holding each other in an intimate embrace, he did not expect that fans would question his relationship status. The actor uploaded the image alongside the caption:

"on international women's day i want to uplift and celebrate two phenomenal women in my life—mila and tessa. i see you, i uphold your achievements, i recognize the challenges you face, and i support your rights. i love you both #WomansDay #InternationalWomansDay."

Within hours, the tweet was viewed almost four million times, with 5k+ retweets and 80.4k likes. A peep at the replies revealed where people's minds were as one person wrote, "For the life of me I don't understand how these two people are not dating already."

Another person asked why the stars could not date since they looked "adorable together." A third took the movie route, claiming, "I need them back for Creed 4. You [Jordan] can direct." 

A fourth Twitter user pointed out that Thompson's character, Bianca Taylor, kept Jordan's titular character "upright when he was falling down internally," while a fifth gushed, "You [SIC] on screen wife and child!!! Wow! So are you ever going to tell her your feelings! This gotta stop! Let her in Aquarius."

Yet another person stated that even though they had not seen "Creed III" yet, they loved seeing the co-stars' chemistry over the years. Amid the prompts to become an item, one observer opted to stay on course, tweeting, "This was an awesome tribute. Thanks for acknowledging these two jewels."

Another netizen noted, "As if he wasn't already enough, we get this heartfelt message." While a possible romantic relationship between the 36-year-old actor and the 39-year-old actress remains unseen, it is worth noting that the former has had his fair share of love gone wrong. 

The "Black Panther" actor most recently split from Lori Harvey after months of dating. Jordan had publicly confirmed their relationship at the start of 2021, following up with multiple images of them in loved-up poses on social media. 

Unfortunately, they split in June 2022, and Harvey has since confirmed that she and British actor Damson Idris. Jordan is also rumored to be dating British model Amber Jepson, with some sources declaring that they are "really keen on each other."

The Blast earlier reported that Jordan and Thompson had taken their careers as method actors to the next level by attending couples' therapy in their "Creed" characters. The "Lady and the Tramp" actress shared the surprising tidbit during an interview when she said:

"I'll say it was an early experience in couples therapy for us both [personally], but it was as these characters, which is very weird."

Despite that weirdness, she explained that the session reminded her and the "Without Remorse" actor that even therapy was a great idea for couples, even when there was no problem in their relationship, especially when it came to communication.

After the "Dear White People" star admitted that the session allowed her and her co-star to "really talk" and understand the challenges that young parents with life goals were facing, she added:

"I think a lot of our growth is also parallel to the growth of the characters…in terms of the kind of conversations that we're having together and separately around legacy."

Luckily, Thompson and Jordan's dedication to their craft produced a massive result at the Box Office. Per The Blast, the seventh installment in the "Rocky" franchise topped the table with an estimated $58.37 million – a new high for the project – during its opening weekend.

For comparison, the first "Creed" film brought in $29.6 million during the three-day opening weekend, rounding off with $42 million from a five-day Thanksgiving weekend. The sports drama eventually finished with a $109 million domestic take and $173.5 million worldwide. 

The jump in numbers is applaudable considering that Sylvester Stallone — Rocky Balboa — was missing from the franchise for the first time, and "Creed III" is Jordan's first attempt at directing a film.