Cobra Kai has brought back many stars from the original Karate Kid trilogy, but here's why Chad McQueen didn't return as Dutch in season 2. Nearly three decades after their original encounter, Cobra Kai follows Johnny Lawrence (William Zapka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) as adults, who happen to become rivals once again. Although the series includes a young cast of new characters, one of the thrills of Cobra Kai comes with how it connects to the original movies.
Season 2 featured even more familiar faces for Karate Kid fans, with Martin Kove's John Kreese getting a bigger role. But, he wasn't the only one with ties to the old version of Cobra Kai to return. One season 2 episode sees Johnny reunite with his original Cobra Kai team to break Tommy out of the hospital for one final adventure, as he is dying of cancer. The episode saw Rob Garrison return as Tommy, Ron Thomas return as Bobby, and Tony O'Dell return as Jimmy. However, the reunion wasn't complete, as Chad McQueen didn't appear as Dutch.
Chad McQueen appeared as Dutch in The Karate Kid and the opening of The Karate Kid Part II using unused footage from the first film but was nowhere to be found for the Cobra Kai reunion. In the context of Cobra Kai, Dutch's absence is explained due to him currently being incarcerated in Lompoc Federal Prison for an unknown crime. While that works for the show, why didn't McQueen return with the rest of his Karate Kid co-stars in season 2? The primary reason is that McQueen retired from acting in 2001 to pursue a career as a racecar driver, similar to his father Steve McQueen, and his schedule didn't line up to make a return as Dutch.
It's a shame that McQueen didn't return for this episode of Cobra Kai. The reunion with the other Cobra Kai members not only worked well for the show, but the storyline is even more impactful now. Tommy's cancer story mirrored Rob Garrison's real-life fight with cancer, and the actor, unfortunately, passed away just a few months after the Cobra Kai reunion. This makes the season 2 episode a true missed opportunity to re-assemble all of the Cobra Kai members.
Even though Dutch wasn't part of Cobra Kai season 2, there is a chance this will change in the future. Cobra Kai showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald confirmed in an interview with EW that they discussed a return with McQueen in season 2 and purposefully put Dutch in prison. That tease could mean that Dutch will appear in season 3 or the recently announced fourth season of Cobra Kai. If he does, it sounds like the showrunners already have an idea for how Dutch's return in Cobra Kai will happen.