‘Cobra Kai’: Ralph Macchio Teases a ‘Karate Kid’ Cinematic Universe Following Season 5
Cobra Kai has proved that there is still a passionate fan base for The Karate Kid franchise. The sequel series on Netflix has reached its fifth season, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Even if Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) retire, there are still plenty of young talents that can continue the story. Macchio believes a Karate Kid cinematic universe could form following Cobra Kai Season 5.
‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 brings back many familiar faces from ‘The Karate Kid’ franchise
Cobra Kai continues the story of The Karate Kid franchise and initially focused on Johnny Lawrence bringing the Cobra Kai dojo back to the valley. However, after Sensei Kreese (Martin Kove) returned, Johnny and Daniel LaRusso had to put their rivalry aside and work together. Season 4 brought back Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who is now trying to spread Cobra Kai across the region.
In Cobra Kai Season 5, Daniel is working with another rival, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), to figure out a way to defeat Terry and his mini Cobra Kai army. Meanwhile, Terry is bringing back Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) to help usher in a new era of Cobra Kai dominance. Johnny is now focusing on mending the relationships with both Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and Miguel (Xolo Mariduena)
Ralph Macchio believes a ‘Karate Kid’ cinematic universe could begin
Cobra Kai season 5 is not the final season, but it probably will not be on forever. However, Macchio believes that even after the Netflix series ends, there are plenty of stories within the series that could lead to future spinoffs. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Macchio teases a possible Karate Kid cinematic universe that could be formed with these characters.
“The thing that’s been created, there’s kind of this Karate Kid Cinematic Universe now where Cobra Kai is, you know, at the center of that and when that day does come in for a landing, there are other areas to draw from,” Macchio says. “I mean, whether it’s … Is there a Miyagi origin story? Is there a Cobra Kai prequel before The Karate Kid? Is there spin-offs with some of the young cast of these characters? Who knows? But we’re not done as long as we’re given the opportunity to really bring it in. As long as it evolves organically, these guys that write the show really have their finger on the pulse of that.”
The young adult actors of this series do have their own intriguing storylines going on. When Cobra Kai ends, there are still many directions that this series could take with these characters.
William Zabka does see an ‘endgame’ for ‘Cobra Kai’
Cobra Kai has no confirmed series finale, but Zabka believes the writers have an “endgame” for the series. He doesn’t believe the series will end soon, and he jokes that there will still be a trilogy of films in the future.
“There’s an endgame,” he shares. “Everything’s pointing to a place on the map for sure. It’s a matter of how many we’re gonna get to do that, but there’s definitely an endgame. We’re gonna end the series and then I think we’re gonna do a trilogy of films.”
Cobra Kai Season 5 is currently streaming on Netflix.
