New ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 Pics Reveal Another ‘Karate Kid’ Cameo
Cobra Kai Season 5 is coming a little earlier this year. Seasons 3 and 4 premiered on New Year’s weekend on Netflix. The Cobra Kai Season 5 release date is coming a week after Labor Day. Netflix released a series of pictures from the new season on Aug. 9, which reveal a long-awaited actor from the Karate Kid movies reprising his role.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 5.]
Here’s what we learned about Cobra Kai Season 5 from the new photos that Netflix released. Cobra Kai Season 5 premieres Sept. 9 on Netflix.
Sean Kanan returns as Mike Barnes in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 cast
One of the photos shows Sean Kanan striking a ready stance in a black suit. Kanan was the antagonist in The Karate Kid Part III, and Kanan himself confirmed on Twitter he joined the Cobra Kai Season 5 cast. “So excited to FINALLY announce that Mike Barnes will be a part of season 5!” Kanan wrote. “@healdrules @jonhurwitz & @McSchlossberg wrote me an awesome story. Can’t wait for you all to see it!”
Who was Mike Barnes in ‘The Karate Kid Part III’?
This news closes a significant gap between the Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai for Karate Kid fans. Here’s a refresher on the sequel for casual fans who only saw the first movie and the show. In Karate Kid Part III, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) return from Okinawa. John Kreese (Martin Kove) is still bitter about Cobra Kai’s loss to Daniel and Miyagi.
So, Kreese’s Vietnam buddy Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) helps Kreese get revenge. Silver enlists Mike Barnes, “the Bad Boy of Karate,” to challenge Daniel to defend his title. When Miyagi refuses to train Daniel for a tournament for glory, Silver endears himself to Daniel and trains him. It’s all a ruse, though. He’s working with Kreese and Barnes.
Silver, Barnes, and Kreese still cause enough trouble for Miyagi to come back and help Daniel in the end. Daniel is victorious and presumably hasn’t seen Barnes since their All-Valley Karate Tournament match in 1989 (which may have been 1985 in the timeline of the films, one year after the original movie.)
First-look images offer more ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 details
Other Cobra Kai pics offer more good hints about what’s to come in the season. One shows Tory (Peyton List) training Devon (Oona O’Brien) at Cobra Kai. Another shows Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) meeting Silver. The Miyagi-Do students bow in unison on the trampoline, indicating they won’t stick to the deal of ceasing practice since Cobra Kai won the All-Valley.
There’s a photo of Alicia Hannah-Kim as a new instructor Silver brings into Cobra Kai. A Cobra Kai class shows Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young) front and center. And Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) at a swimming pool.
