The mind games played by Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) in Cobra Kai season 4 could be how he plans to break Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) again. Terry is Daniel's old nemesis from The Karate Kid Part III and the ponytailed manipulator returns to join forces with his old buddy, John Kreese (Martin Kove), in Cobra Kai season 4. According to Cobra Kai's philosophy, Silver and Kreese have to strike first, and targeting Daniel again could be how the black and yellow dojo plans to win the All Valley karate tournament.
Daniel was easy prey for Terry Silver in The Karate Kid Part III. The multimillionaire's insane scheme involved forcing LaRusso to defend his All Valley championship against Silver's handpicked fighter, Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan). But what Terry really wanted was a more insidious kind of revenge on behalf of Kreese, and Silver manipulated Daniel's negative traits to get him to abandon his sensei, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita). LaRusso joined Cobra Kai behind Mr. Miyagi's back and learned the 'way of the fist,' although Terry never really wanted Daniel as his student and was purposely tricking the teenager into injuring himself. But after Silver and Kreese revealed their ruse, Daniel still defeated Barnes in the All Valley tournament with Miyagi's help. 35 years later, Terry is back for revenge in Cobra Kai season 4.
Cobra Kai season 4's trailer reveals that Terry Silver visits Miyagi-Do's dojo once again to get inside "Danny-Boy's" head. Silver is very familiar with the late Mr. Miyagi's home as he broke in to do reconnaissance on LaRusso and his sensei in The Karate Kid Part III. But in Cobra Kai season 4, Daniel is now a sensei himself, and embarrassing LaRusso in front of his students may be part of Terry's master plan. In Cobra Kai season 3, Daniel did confess to his daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser) and the rest of Miyagi-Do that LaRusso was once part of Cobra Kai, but he never revealed the details of how he betrayed Mr. Miyagi. However, Terry knows all about LaRusso's sins back in the day, and telling Daniel's students all about who their sensei was back then could be how he plans to break the Miyagi-Do teens' confidence in Daniel.
Cobra Kai season 4 is building to the All Valley tournament but none of the kids in the dojos are allowed to fight each other before the tourney begins. Thus, mind games are the key to how Cobra Kai can get an advantage on Daniel and Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) students. Silver is arguably The Karate Kid saga's most insidious manipulator, and Silver and Kreese's team will do whatever it takes to give Cobra Kai the edge going into the All Valley. When Terry confronts Daniel in Cobra Kai season 4 and tells him, "You just don't want to admit you've always had a little Cobra Kai in you," he's reminding "Danny-Boy" just how close he came to turning on the dark side. Undermining LaRusso's confidence in his ability to teach could be just as crucial as making Miyagi-Do's students doubt their sensei.
Of course, Daniel is older and wiser in Cobra Kai and he may not fall for Terry's games this time. Then again, LaRusso remains a hothead. But the wild card in Terry Silver's return to haunt Daniel could be Johnny. Sensei Lawrence never met Terry Silver but they are bound to cross paths in Cobra Kai season 4. Johnny also doesn't know the details of how Daniel briefly joined Cobra Kai in The Karate Kid Part III, although Lawrence might actually be impressed that Daniel did some "badass" things back in 1985.
It's possible that Terry Silver succeeds in breaking Daniel and shatters his confidence, which could be why LaRusso revisits Mr. Miyagi's grave in Cobra Kai season 4. Johnny may have to pick up the slack and act as sensei to both Miyagi-D0 and Eagle Fang as a result. It's clear that Terry Silver's comeback means dredging up the sins of Daniel's past. Just as Silver's schemes broke LaRusso in The Karate Kid Part III, it could work again in Cobra Kai season 4.
Cobra Kai Season 4 premieres December 31, 2021, on Netflix.