‘Cobra Kai’: Martin Kove Teases Origin Story Focus in Season 3

Following a massive cliffhanger at the end of Cobra Kai‘s second season further fueling the rivalry between characters, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence well beyond the Karate Kid movies, series star Martin Kove told PopCulture.com’s Anna Rumer exclusively during San Diego Comic Con that Season 3 is going to dive head first into some major origins behind the iconic franchise.

“Well with the writers, we’re all — and Ralph [Macchio] said it many times, and Billy [Zabka] — that we’re inventing in our heads what went on in the initiation, the origin of Cobra Kai, and the origin of Miyagi-Do,” Kove told PopCulture.com. “So there’s a lot of focus on that in this season. And the fact that he came up on top, you don’t really know where John Kreese is on top. You know what I mean, you really don’t know. A lot of gray areas here depending on what these guys concoct.”

Kove adds he had no idea taking on the role of Cobra Kai sensei, John Kreese would take off as such a strong phenomenon within modern pop culture and hit a chord with a whole new generation of fans, including the series’ young cast, whom Macchio reveals don’t take any of it for granted.

“Like they really feel like they’re the chosen ones and they are treated with such respect and that’s great to see ’cause then, in that younger generation you don’t always see that. And we really have a great young cast,” Macchio told PopCulture.com.

While returning to the series feels like “putting on an old pair of jeans that fit well,” according to an enthusiastic Zabka, the three share how exciting it is to be back in action with their beloved roles, one of which Kove is most humbled by.

“I have no idea when I was doing John Kreese that it would become what it is,” Kove admitted. “To me it was just another heavy — and we all talked about this a hundred times. I guess using the heavy, I hate even using those words, the icons that these characters have become. It’s very formidable, very surprising, and I think, I think it’s great for these kids to come in and play with us. I think it’s great.”

Diving deep into the origins of Cobra Kai dojo aren’t the only focal point for Season 3. As reported by PopCulture.com’s sister site, ComicBook.com from year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the next episodes will also be reviving the presence of Mr. Miyagi with a major callback to The Karate Kid II.

As reported from the show’s panel by ComicBook.com, showrunner Josh Heald revealed Daniel played by Macchio, will be revisiting Okinawa, Japan in the highly anticipated third season — the original setting for the beloved film franchise’s 1986 sequel, which saw his mentor, Miyagi (Pat Morita) returning home and bringing the young protégé with him.

Following the revelation for Season 3, Macchio explained to Entertainment Weekly how after the events of Season 2 that left a few characters’ lives hanging in the balance, there is a lot of “cleaning up to do.”

“Some of the stories [in Season 3] will dive into the origins of both Miyagi-Do Karate and Cobra Kai,” Macchio explained to EW. “Like, the beginnings of those two forms of martial arts, and we’ll learn stuff about both that we never knew. And that includes LaRusso going to Okinawa, which is a piece of season 3.”

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