Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: cobra kai, netflix, william zabka, Xolo Maridueña

Cobra Kai: William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña Discuss Father-Son Dynamic

Cobra Kai stars William Zabka and Xolo Maridueña discuss their father/surrogate son bond as Johnny Lawrence and Miguel Diaz over the years.

Much has been said about the legacy of The Karate Kid being all about Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso and Pat Morita's surrogate father and Nariyoshi Miyagi. While the bulk of the Netflix legacy series Cobra Kai has been about Daniel's journey to uncover the past of his late former sensei, who he affectionately calls Mr. Miyagi, even as the middle-aged father who became a successful car salesman, showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg managed to expand the Robert Mark Kamen franchise beyond anything imaginable through six seasons. Filling the void of Morita's (who passed in 2015) absence is Daniel's rival in the 1984 John G. Avildsen film with William Zabka, reprising his role as former Cobra Kai champion Johnny Lawrence. It wasn't just about making Daniel and Johnny the best "frienemies," but it was also about rebuilding Johnny's life into something meaningful since it fell apart after the events of the first two films. Zabka and co-star Xolo Maridueña, who plays his prize student (initially for his revived Cobra Kai) Miguel Diaz, spoke to Variety about how the series was as much about Johnny's rediscovering his purpose in life as Daniel's journey to get a complete picture of his former father figure.

Cobra Kai Stars William Zabka & Xolo Maridueña on How Miguel Helped Give Johnny Renewed Purpose

It's hard to argue Cobra Kai's success not only stems from giving Macchio's Daniel an adventure TKK fans never knew they wanted, an intimate look diving into Mr. Miyagi's past before he met "Daniel-san." One thing that Johnny did defeat Daniel in was providing much of the series' heart of a man who tries to remain stoic during his hardest times, but his tough exterior erodes, revealing Johnny's humanity. Not only did he embrace Miguel as his own, unofficially adopting him since season one, but he also fell in love with his mother, Carmen (Vanessa Rubio). As the two bonded more and became a family, Johnny and Miguel headed to Barcelona for the Sekai Taikai International Karate Tournament in season six as part of Miyagi-Do Karate while Carmen tried to cheer them on during her pregnancy. Near the end of part two, it's revealed complications emerged with the pregnancy, the vague details, and potentially dire circumstances forcing them to fly back to California to check on her, temporarily leaving the tournament.

"The journey with Billy has been the most gratifying part of this show," Maridueña said. "That love, that found-father relationship has always been my favorite to play." Reflecting on his chemistry reads with Zabka, "You see in Johnny's character, he really yearns to be a good father figure. On the flip side, Miguel didn't have a dad," he said. "In this sense, they really balance each other out. They really helped each other learn how to be the best versions of themselves."

On top of bonding with Miguel, Johnny attempts to reconnect with his biological son, Robbie Keane (Tanner Buchanan), who often finds himself at odds with the law. He also harbors resentment at his father's abandonment and lack of empathy. There were various times when Robbie found himself on opposite sides of Johnny throughout the series whether it's training under Daniel for Miaygi-Do, training under his former mentor-turned-enemy John Kreese (Martin Kove) at Cobra Kai, or feeling replaced by Miguel as Johnny tries to create that bond with him he never did with his biological son.

"The thing that hurts Johnny the most is how he wasn't there for his own son on the very first day of his life," Zabka said. "All he wants is his son back. He's got a hole in his heart, and Miguel fills that." Miguel and Robbie develop their own rivalry and fight their emotions out before finally burying the hatchet, and biological father and son reconcile, all under the Miyagi-Do banner. For more, including how Maridueña and Zabka chronicle Miguel and Johnny's watershed moments through the years, you can check out the entire interview. Cobra Kai, which also stars Mary Mouser, Peyton List, Jacob Bertrand, Courtney Henggeler, Gianni DeCenzo, Dallas Dupree Young, Griffin Santopietro, Yuji Okumoto, Thomas Ian Griffith, Oona O'Brien, Alicia Hannah-Kim, and Lewis Tan, season six part three comes out in 2025.

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