The success of Cobra Kai is undeniable. Fans of the original The Karate Kid franchise combined with a new generation drawn to this story of underdogs and martial arts has transformed what could have been rote nostalgia into one of the most fun series airing today. With William Zabka and Ralph Macchio reunited as adversaries turned begrudging friends, the fourth season of Cobra Kai continued their showdown with John Kreese. With Michael Ian Griffith back as Kreese’s friend Terry Silver, Cobra Kai IV was easily the best season yet. Now that most of you have had time to digest the ten episode binge fest, lets look at the details about where things are headed in Cobra Kai season 5. Warning, spoilers!
Will Johnny and Daniel keep teaching karate in the Valley?
During the third season, Kreese (Martin Kove) posed a bet between Cobra Kai and the students of Eagle Fang and Miyago-do with the loser never teaching martial arts in the Valley again. While the fourth season saw Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) dividing and joining forces before dividing and rejoining again, the end result of the new All Valley tournament found two winners: Eli (Jacob Bertrand) for the Men’s title and Tory (Peyton List) as the inaugural women’s champion. Technically, they split the victory, but what will that mean moving forward? My guess is the newly aligned senseis of Eagle Fang and Miyago-do will have a rematch opposite Cobra Kai with new students along for the ride.
Will Miguel find his father?
Miguel (Xolo Mariduena) abruptly left the tournament and left a note that he was heading to Mexico to find his father. The last we saw of him, he was on his way across the border with his mother Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and Johnny distraught. It seems that Miguel’s dad is bad news, but what exactly does that mean? I hope that Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg, and Jon Hurwitz don’t go for a cliche like making his dad a drug dealer or member of a cartel. I am not really sure how much I even care about this subplot. If anything, it will serve as a way for Miguel to better appreciate the father figures he has in his life but something tells me it will drive a wedge and maybe send him back to Cobra Kai.
What will Cobra Kai become under the leadership of Terry Silver?
The best thing that Cobra Kai has done is turn two-dimensional villains into nuanced characters. Terry Silver has transformed from a slick-haired stereotypical movie bad guy into a troubled man suffering from PTSD. As the season went on, Silver became more and more dastardly but never in a way that felt over-the-top. I was not shocked to learn that he paid off the referee to steal the women’s title from Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser), but I was shocked to see him take down Kreese for a crime he didn’t commit. With Kreese out of the picture and full control of Cobra Kai in his grasp, Silver is likely going to be more dangerous than ever. Based on some of the small details around, I expect someone to die in Cobra Kai season 5, taking the stakes for this series beyond the melodramatic.
What will become of Kreese?
Kreese, one of the best villains of the 1980s, is really not a true villain anymore. Kudos to Martin Kove who has injected his iconic potrayal of the Cobra Kai sensei into a man who really wants to prove himself as the best. When he saw how dangerous Terry Silver’s advice was during the tournament, he tempered his instructions. This was the opposite of his “sweep the leg” command from the 1984 film and brought out the humanity in the Kreese. Sitting in jail for the assault on Stingray (Paul Walter Hauser), I expect Kreese to be incarcerated for a lot of the next season. But, when he finally does get out, I predict that Kreese will join forces with Johnny and Daniel to take down Silver. He will then doublecross them and reinstate himself as the head of Cobra Kai. It may be predictable, but it could be done well.
Will Hilary Swank make an appearance?
The return of Terry Silver marked the last major character return from The Karate Kid trilogy, but not the last cameo from the franchise. Some have said they want to see Jaden Smith reprise his role from the 2010 remake, but that film does not exist in the same timeline as the original movies. However, Hilary Swank’s character from 1994’s The Next Karate Kid is the natural next reveal. Another student of Mr. Miyagi’s, Julie’s single film outing was not beloved by fans, but bringing her back would be a cool way to add some more firepower to the fight against Terry Silver. Even if it is just a cameo, Swank has a solid working relationship with Netflix and I can see this being an easy win for all involved.
Whatever comes next, there will be a full year before we see the fifth season of Cobra Kai, but it most definitely won’t be the last as the series has continued to be a massive hit for Netflix. The possibilities for spin-offs and more could make the future of The Karate Kid franchise bright and maybe even finally venture outside of the nostalgia for the feature films and forge an all new story.
How do you think about the details that have come out about Cobra Kai season 5 are shaping up?