Martin Kove’s John Kreese has been the central antagonist of The Karate Kid franchise since the 1984 original, instilling his take-no-prisoners martial arts philosophy of “Strike First! Strike Hard! No Mercy!” in many impressionable students. Some, like his former students and one-time Karate Kid antagonist Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), have gotten wise to the negative influence of Kreese’s teachings, but Kreese continues to corrupt many of the younger martial arts students on Cobra Kai, all the way into his return as the villain of Season 6. Could John Kreese die in Part 2 of Cobra Kai Season 6?
Kreese’s Escape and New Threat
The first five episodes of Cobra Kai season 6 establish Kreese has escaped from prison and begun reconstituting his Cobra Kai army in South Korea, with both Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do headed for a major international martial arts tournament known as the Sekai Taikai. While it is no surprise that Kreese is one of the most immovable antagonists in The Karate Kid universe, his return in season 6 shows the full extent of his determination.
Additionally, Kreese’s influence remains as powerful as ever, as seen in the hold he has on his new student Kwon (Brandon H. Lee) and his newly formed Cobra Kai team (to say nothing of episode five’s shocking twist ending that demonstrates the extent of Kreese’s Machiavellian influence.)
With Kreese returning yet again with more vengeful motives than ever in Cobra Kai season 6, it begs the question of whether Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), or even one of their students like Tanner Buchanan’s Robby or Peyton List’s Tory might finally have to resort to lethal force to stop him.
The Series’ Stance on Killing
Of course, even in their most intense moments, The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai have avoided having their protagonists outright killing their enemies. Kreese’s associate Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) is, in some respects, even more ruthless than Kreese himself, and Daniel nonetheless succeeded in stopping him in both The Karate Kid Part III and Cobra Kai season five.
Daniel has even used the peaceful teachings of Miyagi-Do to turn old enemies into allies, most notably his one-time foes Chozen Toguci (Yuji Okumoto) and Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), both of whom become assistant instructors for Daniel on Cobra Kai. However, even with all that said, John Kreese might be a unique situation.
Kreese’s Persistent Threat
While Kreese is not as methodical in his villainy as Terry Silver, he nonetheless is a master at brainwashing his students into becoming devout followers of the Cobra Kai philosophy. More importantly, Kreese clearly practices what he preaches in striking first, striking hard, and showing no mercy, and he is also never one to back down.
Cobra Kai season four seemed to finally put Kreese out of commission when Silver betrayed him, leading to Kreese’s incarceration, only for Kreese to break out and begin plotting his revenge by the end of season five. In the words of Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask, this guy’s incorrigible.
The Final Season’s High Stakes
Making Kreese’s comeback even more heightened is the fact that Cobra Kai is preparing to conclude its 6th and final season. Though the Karate Kid franchise will continue beyond that with the upcoming Karate Kid movie (in which Ralph Macchio’s Daniel-san and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han will meet), Kreese’s role in The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai have shown without question that he will not, and quite possibly cannot, be stopped.
Johnny and Daniel both surely recognize by now that their conflicts with Kreese have been a never-ending cycle of Kreese being defeated, learning from his mistakes, coming back even stronger, corrupting the minds of more young martial artists, and instigating an even more complex war among dojos that persists long after he’s been defeated once more.
The Potential Conclusion of John Kreese’s Arc
Daniel would most certainly balk at taking a life, while even the more aggressive Johnny would not be likely to kill Martin Kove’s Kreese if other options are available, and surely, neither would ever condone one of their own students ending Kreese’s life. However, the first five episodes of Cobra Kai season 6 show that Kreese’s own obstinance and formidability might make it sadly necessary to end his threat once and for all.
With ten episodes remaining in Cobra Kai’s final season and no indication that John Kreese will ever relent or surrender, he might finally have to meet his end.
Tell us, do you think John Kreese will die in Cobra Kai Season 6?
Cobra Kai |
|---|
Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again. |
 |
|---|
| Creator: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg |
| Cast: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Martin Kove, Gianni DeCenzo, Vanessa Rubio, Peyton List, Griffin Santopietro |
| Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama |
| Number of Seasons: 6 |
| Streaming Service: Netflix |
