‘Cobra Kai’ Showrunners Address Whether ‘Karate Kid III’ Character Terry Silver Returns in Season 4

Season 3 of Cobra Kai released on Netflix Friday, prompting multitudes of viewers to binge the series in a matter of hours. These long viewing sessions led to the explosive season finale, as well as a major character seemingly teasing his return. So will Terry Silver join the show for Season 4? Spoilers ahead for Season 3.

Showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald spoke to Entertainment Weekly to discuss the release of Cobra Kai’s third season, as well as the important questions. They touched on some of the primary character arcs during the spoiler-filled discussion and also provided important information about Silver, the main villain from Karate Kid III. The showrunners did not officially confirm if John Kreese’s old Vietnam buddy would return but made comments seemingly teasing this outcome.

“At the end of the season, you saw Kreese make a phone call,” Hurwitz told EW. “You could guess who might’ve been on the other end of that call based off of the photo that he was looking at there. But we can’t really speak to how Terry Silver would respond to that call — or whoever was on the other end of the line would respond to that call. I think you’ll have to see if that character returns in season 4.”

During the finale, the villainous Kreese held a photo of himself alongside some war buddies from Vietnam. He ultimately calls one to ask for a favor. The other person does not reveal their identity in the finale, but the fans viewed Silver as the only logical answer.

While some fans saw Hurwitz’s comment and viewed it as confirmation, they will not have an answer until the new season hits Netflix in roughly a year. For now, they can look back at Season 3 and enjoy the flashbacks featuring Silver. In particular, one moment stopped viewers in their tracks due to a surprising death, but Hurwitz and the creators had some fun with the bait-and-switch.

“It was really fun for us in Season 3 to bring back Terry Silver, but in a way that you’ve never seen before in those flashbacks,” Hurwitz told EW. “We know how beloved the character Terry is and he is to us as well. We went so far as to introduce a character early on who has a ponytail, and you’re all excited and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Terry Silver!’ And then [we] kill that character, and then revealed soon after that the other guy was Terry Silver. He’s a character that we have a lot of fun with.”

Season 3 of Cobra Kai became available on Netflix on Friday. All three seasons of the former YouTube series are on the streaming service for new viewers. The series is set 34 years after the original film, The Karate Kid. However, the Netflix series focuses on Johnny Lawrence and his decision to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo, as well as his renewed rivalry with Daniel LaRusso.