Kreese and Johnny were the villain duo of the Karate Kid movie. Now, with Cobra Kai going into its final season, a similar pair is ready to go.
Cobra Kai has set up what will likely become its season 6 villain duo, which could perfectly parallel that of The Karate Kid. This all comes down to the return of John Kreese, who served as the central villain of the original 1984 movie. Though it looked like he might finally get redemption in Cobra Kai season 5, his faked death and escape from prison set him several steps backward. However, if Kreese takes on a new student in the Netflix series final season, his character’s story could come to a satisfying close.
Back in The Karate Kid, John Kreese was the brutal sensei of Cobra Kai dojo, and his top student, Johnny Lawrence, was his pride and joy. That is until the All-Valley Tournament, when, despite Kreese’s dirty tactics, Johnny lost the championship round to Daniel LaRusso. Ultimately, it was a lesson in integrity—Daniel won because he deserved to, and Cobra Kai was finally put in its place. Now, going into Cobra Kai season 6, one partnership could bring Kreese full circle.
Cobra Kai Set Up Kreese & Kenny To Be Season 6’s Version Of Kreese & Johnny
The end of Cobr a Kai season 5 saw Cobra Kai dojo fall apart, so several students were left without a karate school going into the series’ final season. Moreover, the dojo is without a sensei since Terry Silver has been taken to jail. Coincidentally, the business’ previous teacher has just escaped prison, so it is implied that Kreese will try to get his hands back on his legacy now that he has found freedom. Of course, with no students left, Kreese won’t have much going for him at Cobra Kai—unless he can get one of the past students back on his side.
The most vulnerable Cobra Kai student as of the end of Cobra Kai season 5 is Kenny Payne. Though he was among those who walked out of the dojo after realizing that Terry Silver had cheated at the All-Valley Tournament, he wasn’t quite ready to talk to Robby after the fact and therefore didn’t get a full shot of redemption. He is angry and, the last anyone saw, still bent on the ‘no mercy’ mentality. So, if the founder of that mantra were to come back into the picture, it’s easy to imagine that Kenny would get on board. The boy is talented and full of rage and, therefore, the perfect kid to fill Johnny’s place in Kreese’s sensei-student dynamic.
How A Kreese & Kenny Alliance Can Fix The Villain’s Karate Kid Mistakes
Kenny may have started out as a sweet kid who was a victim of bullying, but by season 5, he was completely fixated on his Cobra Kai rivalry with Anthony LaRusso. Full of cruelty and rage, Kenny was on his way to being exactly like Johnny was back in The Karate Kid. No one has been able to get through to him—even Robby, his mentor for a time. This will make him the perfect student to secure a win for Kreese in the Sekai Taikai. However, it will also make him the perfect opportunity for a Kreese redemption.
Everything went wrong for Kreese when he pushed Johnny to play dirty in the All-Valley. Then, when he saw his student accept his second-place trophy and congratulate Daniel LaRusso on his win, the sensei lost it. He came close to killing Johnny (who was thankfully saved by Mr. Miyagi). Now, the Karate Kid villain has a shot at an even bigger championship, and his only chance at redemption would be to go about things differently. Perhaps Kreese will be precisely the person to unexpectedly pull Kenny away from a dark path. It would allow both Cobra Kai characters to be redeemed and bring Kreese’s franchise-long story to a heartwarming close.
