- Cobra Kai ending leaves little room for Johnny in new film
- Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio reprise roles for Legends
- Mr. Miyagi will be a driving force behind the story
Cobra Kai, The Karate Kid legacy sequel series, has come to a close on Netflix after six seasons and 65 episodes. With the series having settled the rivalry between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai, eyes now turn to the upcoming The Karate Kid: Legends movie for the next chapter in the franchise.
Read more: Everything we know about Karate Kid: Legends
In 2023, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio were officially announced to be reprising their roles as Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, respectively, for the new film set three months after the ending of Cobra Kai. However, there is one character notably absent from the cast list.
Read more: The connections between Cobra Kai and Karate Kid: Legends
The Karate Kid: Legends, scheduled for release on 30 May 2025, doesn’t appear to include LaRusso’s arch rival Johnny Lawrence. The antagonist character, played by William Zabka, dates back to the original 1984 film and played a key role in the Cobra Kai series. Over time, he became one of the most beloved characters in the entire Karate Kid franchise.
Will Johnny be in Karate Kid: Legends?
As it stands, it appears not. It’s disappointing for fans who had grown to love Johnny, but Karate Kid: Legends is going to center around Han and LaRusso helping Kung fu prodigy Li Fong. Li is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City, where he enters a karate competition. His teacher Han enlists LaRusso for help and Li learns a new style of fighting that combines his kung fu and LaRusso’s karate.
Mr. Miyagi will also be a driving force behind the story, as the main connection between Han and LaRusso is their shared history with him. As a result, there is little room for Johnny in the narrative. Even though Cobra Kai saw Johnny using Miyagi-Do – a style of karate founded by Miyagi’s ancestors – his relationship wasn’t as strong as LaRusso’s was with Miyagi. In fact, in the first film, Johnny and Miyagi were on opposing sides.
Johnny will be looking after both dojos while Karate Kid: Legends happens
Cobra Kai’s ending provides a logical reason for Johnny’s absence in the upcoming film.
Johnny leaving Miyagi-Do and returning as the Cobra Kai sensei doesn’t reignite his bitter rivalry with Daniel, in fact it establishes a deep respect between the pair. He and LaRusso share all of their students between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, with them each specializing in offensive and defensive karate respectively.
So, while LaRusso reunites with Han in Karate Kid: Legends, Johnny will take charge as the primary sensei of both dojos. On a personal front, he and his wife, Carmen, welcome their newborn daughter, Laura, keeping him busy with family life.
That said, anything is possible in Hollywood – so who’s to say Johnny won’t make a brief cameo?
Karate Kid: Legends hits theaters on 30 May, 2025.
