Terry Silver's Return In Cobra Kai Was Always The Plan
Much like Mr. Miyagi himself, "Cobra Kai" knows how to honor tradition and pay respects to what's come before. In addition to having Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) still haunted by their respective pasts as well as the famous karate tournament from the first "Karate Kid" movie, the show has brought in a plethora of familiar faces. Season 3 even saw Daniel return to Mr. Miyagi's home of Okinawa, reunite with his one-time love interest Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), and face off against his former rival, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto). Thanks to a teaser from Netflix, fans know they'll soon see the return of a fan-favorite villain from "The Karate Kid Part III" — Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith).
In the movie, Terry assumes control of the Cobra Kai dojo after Kreese (Martin Kove) suffers a humiliating loss. Terry somehow manages to lure Daniel into his methods when he has a lapse in faith in Mr. Miyagi's teachings. It all sorts itself out by the end, and fans have anxiously anticipated Terry's return to "The Karate Kid" universe, especially after the show has teased him subtly throughout the series so far.
With confirmation Terry will return in "Cobra Kai" Season 4, it all feels like everything's coming together for something truly epic. With these types of callbacks, fans may wonder if it's been the plan all along or if the show's flying by the seat of its pants. "Karate Kid" star Ralph Macchio recently shed some light on the casting and how "Cobra Kai" knows how to play the long game.
Ralph Macchio says Terry Silver was always in the cards
It will be interesting to see how Daniel reacts to Terry's return, especially considering the former sensei brainwashed Daniel to turn on Mr. Miyagi for a little while. Combined with the fact John Kreese was out for blood by the Season 3 finale, Miyagi-Do's students will undoubtedly face the most brutal fights yet. It's exciting to think about, and Macchio spoke with The Wrap about Terry's return and whether the plan was always to get him back into the fold.
He said, "One thing we've done is we've really talked through the arcs and how to not give too much at once. Keep those Easter eggs just carefully placed, keep those O.G. guest stars peppered at the right time to propel the story in an organic way." Viewers could most readily see this with the handling of Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). Despite being one of the most pivotal individuals in the original "Karate Kid," characters only referenced her passively until she finally made a physical appearance toward the tail-end of Season 3. Her delayed arrival kept fans invested as they wondered when exactly Ali would come back to remind Daniel and Johnny of the one who got away for both of them.
Concerning Terry, Macchio goes on to say, "They've always had that in the crosshairs: when to bring Terry Silver back and in what capacity. And how he plays in regard to the Kreese character, the Johnny Lawrence character, the [Daniel] LaRusso character. It's another wrench in our karate soap opera." Kreese was bad enough on his own, but now that he has his right-hand man back by his side, things will inevitably get ugly quickly once "Cobra Kai" returns to Netflix.