Posted in: Cobra Kai, Netflix, TV | Tagged: cobra kai, hilary swank, Julie Pierce, Mike Barnes, netflix, predictions, Sean Kanan, Terry Silver, Thomas Ian Griffith

Cobra Kai Season 4 Predictions: How Terry Silver Wreaks Serious Havoc

Since the announcement of the return of Thomas Ian Griffith back into the fold following his memorable turn as Terry Silver in The Karate Kid Part III (1989) for Cobra Kai, there's definitely question on how he'll make his former pupil Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his unlikely partner and former rival Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) pay. Here are my bold and some, not-so-bold predictions for season four of the Netflix series.

Mike Barnes Returns

As much of a question mark as Griffith was in coming back despite having not a screen credit to him since 2007 prior to the announcement, it wouldn't be a stretch that his own Cobra Kai pupil in Part III also makes his return in some form in Mike Barnes played by Sean Kanan, who's very much still active. Barnes along with Silver and John Kreese (Martin Kove) ended up triple-teaming LaRusso when he had a change of heart about remaining with the dojo before Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) saved him. Not all at once, but handled each one the way a sensei would for his student in trouble. The times have changed and while we know Terry will back up his Vietnam War buddy again in Kreese in the fourth season, Banes could be an X-factor either by adding another threat to the equation. My bold prediction for his return might not be that cut-and-dry. I think he could be the wildcard help that Daniel and Johnny turn to as someone who's turned his life around after purging the toxicity of Silver and Kreese's teachings or just be a dead end and not wanting to get involved.

Another Major Character in Cobra Kai Will Be Severely Injured…or Worse

We know serious injuries are on the table given the events of season two and the end result of the season two school-wide brawl that left paralyzed Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) following his scuffle with Robby Keane (Tanner Buchanan). With stakes elevated and the Valley Karate Tournament looming, Terry will bring the pain to let them know he's back. Whether if It's his introduction to the series or an event that triggers it, someone will get knocked out either temporarily. I believe Terry will have some hand in severely injuring Daniel, Johnny, and/or Ali (Elizabeth Shue). In the case of Ali, I can see this as possibly worse since the character served her purpose on the series with her reintroduction in season three. Hurting or possibly killing her character will the kind of world-changing event for both Daniel and Johnny, who had mutual feelings for her. This major event will lead to my final major prediction that will segue into season four.

Julie Pierce Teased for Season Four

Julie is the Miyagi-Do student Daniel perhaps has never met nor has there ever been any mention of her since Hilary Swank's lone entry in the franchise with The Next Karate Kid (1994). While some predict that she'll come out as the mysterious relative to one of the students, the character doesn't really need that. Whether if there's some pre-established contact with LaRusso maybe at Miyagi's funeral, if she happens to be friends with his wife Amanda (Courtney Henggeler), or just happens to be in town (like Ali), she would be a welcome addition going into season four. It probably also helps with the numerous Netflix projects Swank is regularly involved with. Even if showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald decide to let the cat out of the bag earlier during season three, it just seems to make logical sense to introduce Julie as the next major spoke of the wheel from the Karate Kid franchise's past. I trust their judgment they'll pace themselves accordingly and give us that major climactic fight scene that brings any combination of Johnny, Daniel, Mike, Julie, John, and Terry in an epic battle we all been waiting for no offense to the younger cast. To Jaden Smith fans, I did consider him, but I put him about a 1 percent chance because he just doesn't have any ties to any characters of the original franchise.

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