Who’s Mike Barnes in Cobra Kai? Karate Child Half III Cameo

Cobra Kai has by no means been brief on unhealthy guys. This can be a present the place the hero named considered one of his younger fees “Penis Breath,” so you possibly can solely think about what the precise villains stand up to. As Season 5 kicks off, nevertheless, it’s unclear simply who the antagonist is. Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) has turned away from the darkish facet and merged his start-up Eagle Fang dojo with Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) Miyagi-Do Karate. John Kreese (Martin Kove) was despatched to jail within the Season 4 finale because of Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) framing him for a beating he didn’t ship and stealing Cobra Kai from his clutches.

Who’s even left to terrorize the karate-obsessed teenagers of the San Fernando Valley and their martial arts aggrieved fathers (and father figures)? Terry Silver continues to be the massive unhealthy, hiding his menace underneath massive charitable donations and a single silver curl of Khaleesi hair. However one is just not sufficient for this present. After they want extra characters they go the place they at all times go: to the Batcave! Wait. Flawed present. To the outdated films, notably The Karate Child Half III.

When Daniel is obsessing about Silver’s subsequent transfer, he is aware of he’ll name up some outdated associates. And the one buddy of Silver’s that Daniel is aware of is Mike Barnes, the previous Unhealthy Boy of Karate that he defeats within the climax of KKIII. We by no means get to see that epic battle on this season, so here’s a reminder of simply who Mike Barnes is, how he began working with Terry Silver, and why he and Daniel haven’t simply beef, however actually, actually outdated dry-aged beef.

Watch The Karate Child III Right here

Who’s Mike Barnes in The Karate Child Universe and Cobra Kai Season 5?

KKIII is … not a great film. It at the moment boasts a 15{ab24ffeec902ceefbc5fdafafd943b0c5d12b666e16ef1a5e7125e4fcd74f5fa} on Rotten Tomatoes, however it’s watchable due to how completely insane the plot is. It picks up with Daniel and his mentor Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) touchdown from their journey to Okinawa in The Karate Child Half II. Kreese needs his revenge for Cobra Kai shedding to Daniel in The Karate Child: Half I The Drive Awakens, however there are two issues: Daniel doesn’t need to compete anymore and Martin Kove, who performs Kreese, needed to movie one other film so he couldn’t be in a lot of KKIII. The answer was Terry Silver, a billionaire baddy who was Kreese’s Vietnam Conflict buddy and silent accomplice in Cobra Kai all alongside, who would take Kreese’s place.

This isn’t solely acquainted to loyal Cobra Kai viewers however has been expanded in flashbacks all through Season 4. Silver’s plan to get Daniel is two-fold and completely bonkers. He’s too outdated to compete in a event for teenagers (as was Ralph Macchio, a mature 27 when it was filmed) so he finds a narrative about “Karate’s Unhealthy Boy” Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) in a martial arts journal. Silver flies him out to Los Angeles, introduces him to his henchmen (who even has henchmen?) Snake (Jonathan Avildsen) and Dennis (William Christopher Ford), and tells him to start out intimidating Daniel till he agrees to battle once more.

In the meantime, Silver impersonates a poor karate grasp and tries to get near Daniel, who has opened a bonsai tree store in a sketchy a part of the town with Mr. Miyagi. His plan is to start out coaching Daniel within the “strike first” ethos of Cobra Kai and separate him from Mr. Miyagi and his “protection solely” faculty of karate.

Mike takes Snake and Dennis to the bonsai store the place Daniel is hanging out along with his girlfriend Jessica (Robyn Energetic). Oh wait. That’s proper. Energetic (Blake’s older sister) was solely 16 after they filmed the film, in order that they couldn’t insinuate something bow-chicka-wow-wow was taking place between her and Daniel. (And that is earlier than Jessica returns in Season 5 and we discover out she is the cousin of Daniel LaRusso’s spouse, Amanda.) Anyway, the three heavies attempt to persuade Daniel to join the All-Valley Match however he refuses. They trash the store and beat up Daniel earlier than Mr. Miyagi arrives and offers all three his patented wax-on, wax-off therapy.

To pay for the repairs to the present, Daniel and not-his-girlfriend Jessica go to retrieve a particular bonsai tree that Mr. Miyagi and Daniel planted in a sea cave for protected retaining. Daniel and Jessica repel into the cave to retrieve it however Barnes and compant pull up their ropes and depart them stranded on the backside of the cave. As it’s rapidly filling up because the tide rolls in, Daniel agrees to signal the event utility in order that he can get the ropes again and save himself and Jessica. The bonsai, which Barnes tears in half and throws into the salt water, isn’t so fortunate.

Everyone knows the story of Silver coaching Daniel and the way he ultimately finds out that Silver, Kreese, and Barnes are all working collectively. He goes to the event to defeat Mike and put this rivalry to relaxation for good (oh, simply wait 30 years and no less than 5 seasons, Daniel-san). In fact, Mike received’t battle truthful, kicking Daniel within the outdated household jewels earlier than deploying some unlawful punches to actually ship the ache. Naturally, all he wants is a pep discuss from Mr. Miyagi about having his finest karate nonetheless inside him, and one decisive blow, to be the all-Valley champion as soon as once more.

And now we get to the present-day. Is Mike Barnes nonetheless unhealthy? Is he nonetheless doing karate? Is he, as soon as once more, a double agent working for Silver the entire time? Seems to be such as you’ll should make your method via Cobra Kai Season 5 to search out out.