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Few antagonists throughout the years have made an impact as big as Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai franchise. After his feature as the main antagonist in the first Karate Kid movie, Johnny Lawrence suddenly vanished from the franchise, not appearing in any of the spin-offs or sequels. His story had the possibility of being explored more deeply, but his absence from any of the franchises made it impossible.
Cobra Kai, on the other hand, took this opportunity to explore the loose thread of Lawrence's story as one of its major legacy characters. Lawrence's character was a major story arc on the show for a major part of it. Since this character is such an important part of the franchise, it would have made sense for him to also be a part of the upcoming movie Karate Kid: Legends. However, it was announced that Johnny Lawrence was not going to be a part of the upcoming movie.
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Cobra Kai, in one of its scenes, highlighted exactly why Johnny Lawrence is not a part of the upcoming movie.
The Cobra Kai scene that justifies Johnny Lawrence's absence
When Cobra Kai started 6 seasons ago, William Zabka's character, Johnny Lawrence, was a man without any hope. Throughout the show, his character has grown from a washed-up man to a father figure for Robby and Miguel. Johnny Lawrence was one of the most real and relatable characters on the show, as he had many shortcomings, but he grew from them and turned into a person who could be a father figure, a greater one than he ever had.
It may come off as disappointing to many fans, but Johnny's character growth and his fate in the final season of Cobra Kai proved why he isn't a part of the upcoming movie. His biggest struggle in the series was his inability to hold a stable job and his inability to take care of and support his family. However, by the end of the show, Lawrence grew into a responsible man, and he landed the Sekai Taikai win, which helped him start his dojo in The Valley.
Johnny Lawrence's journey in the franchise feels complete because he has let go of his dark past and embraced a brighter future, growing into a better man who is capable of supporting his family and newborn child.
The final scene of the show, right before the credits, features Johnny Lawrence starting up his own dojo, with the help of Daniel, and training a new generation of enthusiastic, young fighters. The fact that Daniel is standing beside Lawrence, instead of opposite him, wanting to take him down, marks the greatest growth in their journey. This growth marks Johnny's character arc complete in the franchise.
Since Johnny's story has closed off at a beautiful point, it makes sense that he is not a part of the upcoming movie, as his addition to it would have felt forced. Additionally, the upcoming movie is being presented separately from Cobra Kai, even if it is in the same universe, it is a fresh start and not an extension of the show.
The story of Karate Kid: Legends is set three years after the timeline of Cobra Kai and is centered around Li Fong, played by Ben Wang, a kung fu prodigy. Li Fong struggles in his class with his classmates, and joins a karate championship. He needs help from Mr Han and Daniel, as he needs to merge both their styles, karate and kung fu, if he has any hope of winning the competition.
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