There are a number of villains from The Karate Kid franchise who could still make a return in Netflix’s Cobra Kai. The spinoff series, which recently aired its third season, has already used quite a few characters from the original The Karate Kid movie trilogy, and more could arrive in season 4 and beyond. Bringing back people from the past appears to be a goal of the series, which is one reason why there’s a good chance Cobra Kai could make further use of existing Karate Kid characters that haven’t been seen in years.
After more than three decades, Cobra Kai revived the old, bitter rivalry between Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Karate Kid antagonist Johnny (William Zabka), but also brought other characters into their story. A shocking scene in the season 1 finale brough Johnny’s mentor, Kreese (Martin Kove), back into the picture. True to form, the character who was the root of Daniel’s problems in the first and third movies is once again the biggest concern of the main characters in Cobra Kai. Kreese, who apparently hasn’t changed that much since his last appearance in The Karate Kid Part III, is still fully committed to the “Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy” mantra that he’s been preaching since the original movie from 1984.
However, Cobra Kai has revealed that not all Karate Kid villains are like Kreese. Guest appearances from the original actors who played them 30 years ago have shown that many have come a long way since the days when they were at odds with Daniel. For example, most of the teenagers who helped Johnny bully Daniel in The Karate Kid were able to turn their lives around. And one of the most memorable moments in season 3 was delivered through the return of Karate Kid Part II’s main villain, Chozen (Yuji Okumuto), who actually taught Daniel a move he was able to use against Kreese. How Cobra Kai has utilized characters like Chozen has raised questions about what the show might do with other canon villains from the franchise. Here’s every antagonist that could still come back in the Netflix series.
Dutch
A Cobra Kai season 2 episode featured the return of Johnny’s gang of bullies from The Karate Kid. Ron Thomas, Tony O’Dell, Rob Garrison, all reprised their roles as Bobby, Jimmy, and Tommy respectively. In an episode that allowed them to spend some together before Tommy’s impending death, Cobra Kai shed some light on what they had been doing since they trained under Kreese. One notable omission from this Cobra Kai reunion was Dutch (Chad McQueen), the meanest bully in the group. When Kreese ordered Johnny to cheat in the All-Valley Tournament, Dutch was the only Cobra Kai student who seemed pleased by the decision, which was an expression of how cruel he was. Dutch being on a worse path than the others was acknowledged in i when his absence was discussed by Johnny, Bobby, Jimmy, and Tommy. It was said that Dutch eventually became a criminal and got himself locked up in a federal prison.
The reason Cobra Kai wasn’t able to fit Dutch into the episode stemmed from Chad McQueen’s retirement from acting and his focus on racecar driving, but it could be that the show will be able to get something worked out with him in the near future. If he can fit a Cobra Kai appearance into his schedule, the series could make him another guest star. Bobby has talked about potentially visiting him in prison, and if Johnny decides to go too, a scene with all three characters could occur in season 4. Alternatively, Dutch’s sentence could end and he could be released from prison. If that were to happen, Kreese could try to get him to take Johnny’s place in Cobra Kai.
Ned Randall
In The Next Karate Kid, Ned Randall (Michael Cavalieri) was the main bully that the movie’s protagonist, Julie Pierce (Hillary Swank), had to deal with. Like Johnny, Ned was a skilled karate student whose violent tendencies resulted caused a great deal of conflict. Toward the end of the movie, Julie used the training she received from Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) to defeat Ned in combat. In the aftermath, Ned came to respect Julie for her fighting ability.
While Ned has no connection to Daniel or Johnny, it has been confirmed that The Next Karate Kid is in canon with Cobra Kai and the first three movies. Plus, there have been some discussions among Cobra Kai's creators about bringing back Julie. If she were to appear in the show, there would be a narrative reason to bring back Ned as well. Daniel’s number one enemy in The Karate Kid was able to change, but it remains to be seen if The Next Karate Kid’s equivalent to him can also attain redemption.
Colonel Dugan
Played by Michael Ironside, Colonel Paul Dugan was essentially The Next Karate Kid’s version of Kreese. The brutal leader of the Alpha Elite program was the main antagonist who drove the plot and forced most of the fighting that took place in the story. In the end, he was taken down by Mr. Miyagi. Since he became an enemy of Daniel’s mentor, he has a more obvious reason for being involved in Cobra Kai than Ned. Hearing about Miyagi-do could lead Dugan back to the Valley, where he could form an alliance with Kreese. He and Kreese share similar ideals, so a partnership between them would be an interesting thing for the series to explore. Not only that, but getting Michael Ironside on the show would be a huge hire for Cobra Kai.
Mike Barnes
Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) was the primary opponent that Daniel had to contend with in The Karate Kid Part III. The professional fighter was hired by Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) to beat Daniel in the next All-Valley Karate Tournament. As someone who was a much better fighter than Johnny, Mike proved to be a formidable challenge for Daniel, who struggled to hold up against his moves. After being harassed by Mike throughout the film, Daniel defeated him in the finals of the tournament. What happened to him after that has never been mentioned, and that’s a question that many hope Cobra Kai will answer at some point down the line. As one of the most vicious and talented fighters Daniel has ever encountered in the franchise, he’d be a fun addition to the spinoff. Also, Mike Barnes being in Cobra Kai does seem to be on the table, as Sean Kanan has expressed an openness to return.
Terry Silver
The person ultimately responsible for all of Daniel’s hardships in The Karate Kid Part III was Terry Silver, who wanted to psychologically torture the main character. Everything the billionaire did was to get revenge on him for humiliating his friend, Kreese. But despite his financial advantage, all his schemes failed when Daniel beat Mike. Considering how important he was, he’s a character that fans have long wanted to appear on Cobra Kai, and now an appearance from him looks to be inevitable. Flashbacks of Kreese and a young Terry set him up for season 4. After Kreese saved his life, Terry promised to help him if he ever needed it. His name was never mentioned in the show itself, but the showrunners have confirmed his identity. It was heavily implied that Terry is the person Kreese made a phone call to in the season 3 finale, which provides strong evidence that Thomas Ian Griffith may be joining the cast of Cobra Kai as Terry Silver. With his resources, he could cause numerous problems for the Eagle Fang and Miyagi-do dojos.
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