Joining the long list of revivals and reboots, Cobra Kai seems like the one we actually needed. Originally starting off with The Karate Kid in 1984, the franchise released many sequels until its faithful revival through YouTube Originals.
The show has also had a long successful reign with 5 seasons, streaming on Netflix. It has also gradually reintroduced characters from previous films such as Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi and Martin Kove as John Kreese.
SPOILER ALERT: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR COBRA KAI SEASON 5 UP AHEAD
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Mike Barnes’ return to Cobra Kai
Amongst all the returns to Cobra Kai, Sean Kanan’s return in season 5 was highly anticipated. He played Mike Barnes, the Karate’s Bad Boy in The Karate Kid Part III, and ended up losing to Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso.
Much of the information on the character’s return was kept under wraps until the release of season 5. Finally breaking the silence on his return, Sean Kanan spoke about his return in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said:
“They asked me to have a Zoom conversation with them[The creators]. You know, it’s not the norm that the creator-producers of a juggernaut successful show offer the time to an actor to sit down and hear thoughts on the character. I just was blown away that they did that.”
The actor also commented on the training required to return to the Miyagi-verse, stating since his stint in The Karate Kid Part III, the actor has trained regularly.
Will we see the Bad Boy in Season 6?
While the character had an interesting arc in Cobra Kai, many are already pining to see more of him in future seasons. Sean Kanan commented on the possibility while not giving away any specifics, he stated:
“I can’t really talk about that. That’s something for them to discuss or not discuss. But I do certainly think that the table is set for, hopefully, Mike to continue. He’s now kind of like this unlikely, ersatz friend and partner with Chozen, Johnny, and Daniel. So, I hope [he returns].”
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The actor also noted the camaraderie his character has set up with Johnny Lawrence and how they became “unlikely compatriots.” He found the speculations on Mike Barnes and Johnny fighting ridiculous as they never had beef in the first place.
Cobra Kai Season 5 is now Streaming on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
