Sean Kanan’s idea about Mike Barnes’ future after The Karate Kid trilogy is better than what Cobra Kai set up for his character. In the third installment in the franchise, Kanan memorably portrayed Mike Barnes, Daniel LaRusso’s main opponent in the movie. The vicious and unforgiving fighter provided a tough challenge for Ralph Macchio’s young hero to overcome in the final round of the All-Valley Karate Tournament.
Over 30 years after their heated showdown in The Karate Kid Part III, Daniel and Barnes could meet again in Cobra Kai season 5. Though Kanan’s involvement hasn’t been confirmed, it’s widely believed that the next season of the Netflix series will finally be Barnes’ turn to join the action. The season 4 finale supported these long-held theories with a line from Terry Silver. When Kreese was arrested, Silver made a remark about calling in “an old friend or two” to help run Cobra Kai in Kreese’s absence. Considering that Barnes is his best-known ally after Kreese, the comment was taken as the show’s way of creating a pathway for Barnes to become a part of the show’s story. The line also served the purpose of creating expectations for what Barnes’ role would be if he did appear.
In an interview from 2021, Barnes actor Sean Kanan expressed his own opinion of what his character’s life could be like he if were to ever return [via YouTube]. According to Kanan, he’d like to see Barnes as a “good guy” who managed to straighten out his life after The Karate Kid Part III by starting a career in the military. He also joked about the possibility of Barnes being an anger management coach, which would be an ironic twist of fate when looking at his short fuse and bad attitude in the movie. The idea of Mike Barnes being utilized as a character who turned over a new leaf – much like The Karate Kid Part II’s Chozen – wouldn’t exactly be a unique twist, but it has the potential to be much more exciting than Cobra Kai predictably bringing him back as a villain and teaming him up with Silver.
As noted above, Cobra Kai already put it in the minds of viewers that Mike Barnes will join forces with Terry Silver if he comes back, which is one reason why it would actually be more interesting if Cobra Kai subverts expectations and positions Mike Barnes to be an ally to Daniel, Chozen, and Johnny instead. Having Barnes show up at the beginning of season 5, presumably for him to accept Silver’s offer, only for him to refuse and join up with one of the other dojos could be a great surprise for the show to offer. It would also allow the series to explore new character dynamics, as opposed to simply continuing Mike and Silver’s relationship in The Karate Kid Part III.
By going with Sean Kanan’s idea, Cobra Kai season 5 has a chance to tell a totally unexpected story where Barnes shocks Terry Silver and helps his rivals. And since Daniel already has a partner in Chozen, Barnes could make for an interesting new ally for Johnny once he returns from Mexico. Together, the two could take Eagle Fang in a new direction. With his help, Johnny might stand a better chance at making sure his students keep pace with Daniel’s now that the latter has Chozen on his side.