The New ‘Karate Kid’ Movie Is About To Repeat a 38-Year-Old Mistake That ‘Cobra Kai’ Already Fixed

The ultimate showdown of the Karate Kid franchise will be released next year, breaking the boundaries between Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso in the original 1984 The Karate Kid and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han in the 2010 remake. The franchise had been revived by Netflix’s Cobra Kai in recent years, and fans were initially disappointed to find out that the well-received series would not be tying into the new 2025 movie, Karate Kid: Legends, via showrunner Josh Heald’s, interview with ScreenRant. However, since then, there have been multiple confirmations that the show and new film will be set in the same universe, three years after the series finale, by Heald via The Hollywood Reporter and director Jonathan Entwhistle via Entertainment Weekly. This exciting update is also accompanied by a twinge of disappointment over William Zabka’s Johnny not being involved in the new project.

Daniel and Johnny’s Rivalry Was Compelling in the Original ‘The Karate Kid’

Johnny first appeared in the original The Karate Kid, where he faced Daniel in the Under-18s All Valley Tournament, fighting for the Cobra Kai dojo under his mentor Kreese (Martin Kove). Johnny was also an antagonist off the mat, where he ganged up with his Cobra Kai friends at school and bullied Daniel. Their rivalry laid the groundwork for Daniel’s growth in the film, inciting his love for karate and, subsequently, confidence to stand up for himself. On this small-scale, this story feels deeply personal and intimate, as Daniel learns the foundational principles that would later carry him through life.

When the magnitude of the fights and the stakes grew in the next two films with bigger villains and grander storylines, it felt exaggerated and slightly out-of-touch, even if they were still exciting to watch. However, the intimacy and depth of that first rivalry between Daniel and Johnny was lost. It makes sense that Johnny wasn’t necessarily involved in the subsequent films, since he aged out of the U18 competition and if they weren’t fighting on the mat, it wouldn’t make much sense to keep him. But their grounded conflict was still the franchise’s most compelling, which Cobra Kai would later recognize and capitalize on.

Johnny Had Huge Character Development in ‘Cobra Kai’

By giving weight to both Daniel and Johnny’s stories, Cobra Kai became a massive success. Alongside an ensemble cast of children, the two newly formed senseis of warring dojos navigate their rivalry while also confronting their pasts, mentors and respective teachings. Throughout the series, the competition between them has delivered us rich characters, delicious tension and frantic brawls, especially when villains from the past stroll in to force the two rivals to work together. Their relationship is nuanced, mixed with reluctant respect yet blatant contempt for the other’s philosophy of karate.

But Season 6 finally finds a sweet spot between them, where empathy and understanding blossom between them, and they combine their dojos and teaching styles to fight in the Sekai Taikai. Daniel learns to relax his strict methods and join in with the unorthodox training sessions Johnny conducts, while Johnny laces the value of balance into his aggression. With the marrying of these two distinct styles, alongside Johnny’s considerable growth throughout the show, it feels like they should be a package deal now. As such, in Legends, it shouldn’t just be Mr. Han and Daniel trying to work together, but also Johnny.

‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Should Have Included Johnny

With Mr. Han and Daniel already on similar pages regarding their approach to karate, Johnny’s more eccentric approach would be riveting to see with Mr. Han. Though Macchio describes the film and series as “separate ecosystems,” considering they are in the same universe and all the work Cobra Kai has put into fleshing Johnny out, it seems like a kick in the teeth to leave him out. Johnny went from the franchise’s original antagonist (albeit an extension of Kreese) to one of the most beloved, hot-headed, yet mature characters there is. He has more than earned his way into being a staple in the Karate Kid franchise. Apart from that, his newly developed character, mixed with that ever-present rebellious streak, would add depth and color to this thrilling crossover. While we can concede that his absence isn’t detrimental to the film, if we’re already doing a crossover, why not go big anyway?