One of the most interesting upcoming movies is Karate Kid: Legends, a film that not only continues the long-running Karate Kid franchise, but melds the original films with the 2010 reboot movie. Legends’ cast is headlined by Ralph Macchio, star of the original Karate Kid films, and Jackie Chan, who played Mr. Han in the reboot. This sequel is exciting because it blends the original films, the reboot, and the immensely popular Cobra Kai, but there is one character who has gained significant importance in the franchise since its resurgence, who is notably absent from the film.
That character is Johnny Lawrence, played by William Zapka, who was the antagonist of the original 1984 classic, and one of the star cast members of Cobra Kai. While his original role is as more of a one-note bully, Johnny’s growth shown in Cobra Kai has made him one of the most beloved characters in the entire Karate Kid franchise. His absence from the cast and story of Karate Kid: Legends so far has been unexpected, but there are plenty of reasons as to why this may be the case.
William Zapka Is Not Confirmed To Return As Johnny Lawrence In Kacrate Kid: Legends
The initial casting announcements for Karate Kid: Legends took place during 2023, revealing Macchio and Chan, before the rest of the cast was revealed over the course of 2024, including Ming-Na Wen, Joshua Jackson, and Sadie Stanley in s upporting roles, and Ben Wang of the Disney Plus show American Born Chinese starring as the titular karate kid. However, William Zabka hasn’t been cast in the movie, meaning that he isn’t going to be a major player when it comes to Legends, though he may show up in a much smaller, more cameo-style role.
While there may be reasons that Legends is going to focus on Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Wan, Johnny Lawrence’s absence from the film will be felt.
Zapka’s reintroduction of Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai, which started in 2018 and ended with the final part of season 6 in 2025, transformed the character from a simple villain in the original film to an absolute fan favorite character, and his growth throughout the series has been one of the best character arcs within the entire Karate Kid franchise. While there may be reasons that Legends is going to focus on Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Wan, Johnny Lawrence’s absence from the film will be felt.
Karate Kid: Legends’ Story Explains Why Daniel LaRusso Is Back But Johnny Isn’t
While Johnny not being in Legends is a disappointment for sure, there is an explanation for his lack of appearance, and it’s primarily due to the central plot in the new sequel. Karate Kid: Legends is going to tell a story that is centered around Mr. Miyagi as one of the primary driving forces, and the central characters’ relationships with him. Daniel LaRusso’s relationship with Miyagi was obvious, as he was Daniel’s mentor throughout the first three movies, and the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends will explore the relationship Mr. Han had with Miyagi.
That is very notable, because while Mr. Miyagi and Lawrence did interact a few times, it was mostly as enemies, and even though Cobra Kai gave Johnny a connection with Miyagi through his work in Miyagi-Do, he never had the same relationship as Daniel. Since the main connecting tissue between Mr. Han and Daniel is their history with Mr. Miyagi, having Johnny tag along with Daniel, even if he would probably be a very entertaining addition to the film, would distract from the central team.
Cobra Kai’s Series Ending Can Better Explain Why Johnny Isn’t In Karate Kid: Legends
At the time of this article, the final part of season 6 of Cobra Kai hasn’t been released yet, but it will likely provide some sort of explanation as to why Johnny won’t be joining Daniel for the next Karate Kid outing. There are plenty of directions for Johnny to go after the series, be it retiring from karate, becoming a full-time Miyagi-Do Sensei, or even starting another new dojo after the threat of Cobra Kai has been dealt with, Johnny’s character will definitely get some sort of conclusion to his story.
Mr. Miyagi’s past has been a central element of Cobra Kai season 6, and it is likely that the threads in the show will lead directly into the upcoming film. So, while Daniel’s journey is taking him towards learning more about Mr. Miyagi, and from the Karate Kid: Legends trailers, it seems like Mr. Han may have some of the answers for him, Johnny will likely be content to stay home and take care of the kids, as well as his newfound family, especially considering that Carmen will likely give birth to their child at the end of the series.
