If you’re still reeling from Cobra Kai’s sixth and final season and wondering what’s next in the Miyagi-verse, Karate Kid: Legends tries to answer that. Well, sort of. While it introduces a new generation with Li (Ben Wang) and brings back Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), what really got fans talking was that cameo from Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).
The Cobra Kai GOAT shows up in the final moments of Karate Kid: Legends. Unfortunately, not with a flying kick or an Eagle Fang Karate strike, but with a slice of New York pizza and a new business idea.
Director Jonathan Entwistle told the New York Post that Johnny’s cameo in Karate Kid: Legends was always planned. “I think once we knew that Cobra Kai was coming to an end, it was just a nice moment to round out that period for the fans,” he said. “It was just very nice to just give everybody a moment to round that out.”
But was it enough to please fans of the franchise? Probably not.
Let’s not pretend Legends didn’t know exactly what we all wanted. With Cobra Kai‘s success, audiences came in expecting more. At the very least, we could have had some cool tie-ins, right? A few billboards of Robby and Tory hawking sports drinks as influencers? Maybe Eli and Demetri are grabbing slices at Victor Lipani’s pizzeria? Fans would’ve loved that.
Instead, we got a pizza delivery with a heartfelt note from Li to Daniel. Johnny shows up, takes a bite, and roasts the idea of sending New York pizza to Los Angeles. Then he pitches a new business idea: a dojo-themed pizzeria called Miyagi-Dough. We all smiled.
“To have them both back together in that location was really, really fun… we just kind of let Billy go,” Entwistle said. Apparently, that Miyagi-Dough line was a mix of script and improv. “He loves that, he stepped right up into it,” Entwistle added.
So while it might not be the explosive Cobra Kai crossover fans dreamed of, it is something. And it hints that these characters, including Johnny Lawrence, aren’t done just yet. In fact, Macchio, never one to shy away from teasing fans, addressed the future of the franchise: “There are a few balls up in the air. You have to be diplomatically safe, and I don’t know which one is going to land,” he said. “I hope all of them do, or some of them do, or one of them does.”
Interestingly, Karate Kid: Legends was originally meant to release before the end of Cobra Kai, and Macchio fought against that. “I was screaming constantly every day, ‘This movie has to come out after the show finishes,’” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Thankfully, the studio listened.
Because it was a good call. Karate Kid: Legends is not a masterpiece. It leans heavily on nostalgia and plays it safe. However, it might just open the door for more stories. More Cobra Kai. More Johnny. More Daniel. More wax on, wax off. And maybe that Miyagi-Dough pizzeria.
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