William Zabka talks brutal Comic-Con experiences before Cobra Kai

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

William Zabka was known as the signature bully of the '80s due to his roles in such films as The Karate Kid and Just One of the Guys and the actor is revealing that, due to this, his Comic-Con experiences later in life took on a more negative tone from fans. Zabka says this all changed after he reprised his Karate Kid role of Johnny Lawrence on the hit Netflix series, Cobra Kai.

Zabka appeared on WTF with Marc Maron and he basically explained that his Comic-Con experiences are like night and day when comparing appearances before Cobra Kai and after the series endeared the character a bit more to the fans:

"It's a trip. I love it now because up until [Cobra Kai] I was the table that the dads would walk up and go, 'I just want my kid to meet you. This guy was the biggest a**hole. Nice to meet you.' And they would walk away. Now, I got people coming up and going, 'Hey, I love you on the show. Johnny is cool now.'"

Cobra Kai has certainly done a lot to paint Johnny Lawrence in a new light. In fact, there are people who are now watching Cobra Kai and then rewatching The Karate Kid and coming to the conclusion that maybe Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso was the real problem. It's pretty cool how the show has turned the dynamics of that relationship on its head which has given the series a surprising amount of emotional weight and depth.

Prior to Cobra Kai, Zabka and Macchio rekindled their friendship following the passing of Pat Morita, who played the legendary Mr. Miyagi in the films, back in 2005. This is when the duo started doing cons together and Zabka does admit that they went much better for Macchio than him at first but things have become much more balanced for the duo since the success of Cobra Kai.

Zabka also revealed that he used a Comic-Con experience to let Martin Kove, who plays Johnny's sensei John Kreese, know about the Netflix series. Zabka said that Kove wanted in immediately and the rest is sweet nostalgic history. I'm a firm believer that Cobra Kai is the best example of nostalgic fan service being mixed with an engaging new story for a fresh generation of fans that we've seen from a series, at least in recent memory. The show will continue to explore past Karate Kid lore in the present day as it was announced that Thomas Ian Griffith, who played Terry Silver in THE KARATE KID PART III, will be appearing in the upcoming fourth season of the popular Netflix series.

Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). The third season finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance. The series also stars Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni Decenzo, Vanessa Rubio, Peyton List, and Martin Kove.

What are YOUR thoughts on William Zabka's experiences at Comic-Con prior to Cobra Kai?