The following contains spoilers for Karate Kid: Legends, now playing in theatersKarate Kid: Legends brings back a fan-favorite Cobra Kai character for a short but fun cameo. Building off the legacy of 1984’s The Karate Kid and the successes of modern revivals like 2010’s The Karate Kid or the six-season run of Cobra Kai, Karate Kid: Legends unites the various corners of the franchise behind a new protagonist, Li Fong. When Li moves to New York City from Beijing alongside his mother, Li finds himself embroiled in a conflict with an aggressive local martial arts champion, Conor.

Karate Kid: Legends‘ supporting cast pulls from the history of the franchise, bringing back Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han to serve as mentors to Li Fong. The end of the film also brings back a major character from the original film and the subsequent spin-off series Cobra Kai, confirming the biggest development of that show stuck. It’s a fun beat that solidifies one of the foundational friendships of the franchise — and teases a possible direction of the franchise in the future.

William Zabka Returns As Johnny Lawrence In Karate Kid: Legends’ Final Scene

Johnny Lawrence Shows Up In The Final Scene Of Karate Kid: Legends

William Zabka reprises his performance as Johnny Lawrence for the final scene of Karate Kid: Legends‘ ending, further connecting the film franchise to the sequel spin-off Cobra Kai. Daniel LaRusso, the main character of the original Karate Kid trilogy, serves as an important supporting character in Karate Kid: Legends. After deciding to train his student Li to win the Five Boroughs Tournament, Mr. Han visits California to recruit Daniel’s help. The final scene of the film sees a pizza (and a thank you) delivered from New York to Daniel back in Raseda.

It turns out that Daniel is hanging out with Johnny, who pokes fun at the idea of sending a pizza from New York to California and that Raseda has the superior pizza. Johnny quickly turns it into an opportunity to jokingly pitch a line of Mr. Miyagi-themed pizzerias on the West Coast, calling the concept a “million-dollar idea” even as Daniel scoffs and takes some slight offense at the idea. It’s a fun moment, building off their dynamic from the conclusion of Cobra Kai and apparently confirming that the show is canon with the current film series.

Speaking to ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley at the film’s premiere in New York City, Legends director Jonathan Entwistle explained how the cameo was filmed (and kept a secret):

It was very, very hard. We built a brand-new Miyagi house just for the movie, which was based on the original version and that was the only place that we sH๏τ with Billy, so we snuck him in and we hid him away almost in the closet, in Miyagi’s closet. Then when we went to shoot, we brought the crew in and we were just like, ‘Okay, let Billy out,’ and here we go. Then Ralph was there and they did their thing. They got amazing chemistry from the show. We just got there and a lot of that is improv, just throwing cool lines and Billy just going for it.

At the same event, Ralph Macchio also addressed the scene and, after being unsure he could join them, how glad he was to have Zabka in the film:

Yeah, it was (difficult to keep it secret). Listen, it’s great having him and I wasn’t sure he was going to do it, and he was just all embracing. Listen, he’s a brother man. We’ve become such close friends. If you would’ve said that to me 15 years ago, I would’ve been like, ‘Yeah, right.’ I mean, we were always friendly, but he’s one of my best friends and he graces Cobra Kai with a brilliant performance and he graces us here with a tip of the hat to the legendary Johnny Lawrence. It’s great to have him in there.

Why Johnny Lawrence & Daniel LaRusso Are Friends In Karate Kid: Legends

Johnny And Daniel’s Dynamic Was At The Heart Of Cobra Kai

Johnny Lawrence was the first villain in the Karate Kid franchise, serving as the aggressive rival to newcomer Daniel in The Karate Kid. After ᴀssaulting Daniel repeatedly out of jealousy over his ex forming a bond with him, their fateful fight ended with Johnny apologizing for his actions. That defeat went on to haunt him for decades. The primary focus of Cobra Kai is a grown Johnny and Daniel encountering one another as older men. After growing frustrated with the state of his life, Johnny reopened Cobra Kai and found himself becoming an unlikely mentor to teenagers in Raseda.

The show largely follows Johnny’s efforts to become a better man and a suitable leader, as well as being capable of overcoming his own hang-ups from how his life turned out. In opposition to Johnny was Daniel, who decided to open up a rival dojo that focused on the legacy and teachings of Mr. Miyagi. While the show was largely focused on the teenagers who wound up training under both men, a lot of the show was focused on the dynamic between Johnny and Daniel that gradually transformed the two former rivals into surprisingly good friends.

How Johnny Lawrence’s Karate Kid: Legends Cameo Connects To Cobra Kai

Johnny’s Growth In Cobra Kai Has Continued Their Friendship

The Daniel and Johnny bond was central to Cobra Kai, to the point where the opening and closing of the show use their dynamic to highlight Johnny’s mental and spiritual state. The opening sequence of the show is a flashback to Daniel and Johnny’s fight, cutting to a modern-day Johnny as he lives alone in a perpetual rut. By contrast, the final scene of the film focuses on the pair together, sharing a dinner and conversing about their pupils. The Miyagi-Dogo and Cobra Kai have found a way to coexist and even support one another.

This same lived-in feeling is at the heart of Johnny’s scene in Karate Kid: Legends, which sees him hanging around with Daniel at the latter’s home in his free time. Johnny remains casually cocky and sardonic, but his verbal jabs come from a more self-aware place. Daniel is exasperated with his friend’s suggestions to turn Mr. Miyagi into a pizza icon mascot, but not angry. This suggests the more positive dynamic that has developed between the two men during the course of Cobra Kai will continue into their future.

What Johnny Lawrence’s Cameo Means For The Karate Kid Franchise’s Future

Johnny Lawrence Should Have A Sparring Match With Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han

Johnny and Daniel’s newfound friendship being canon in Karate Kid: Legends opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of the franchise. When interviewed at the movie’s NYC premiere, Macchio noted this, and specifically spoke to the possibility of a Cobra Kai movie:

Hey, listen, people show up for the opening of this movie, which we’re counting on, I would love to see a Cobra Kai film in a couple years. Why not? They earned it.

Johnny’s cameo suggests that Cobra Kai does in fact happen in the same world as 2010’s The Karate Kid, meaning there is an entire other school in Beijing that could offer training and tournament opportunities to Johnny’s students. While Daniel was quick to form a connection with Mr. Han, the more crᴀss and outspoken Johnny might have a harder time connecting with the older kung fu master.

That harsher edge could actually be a fun way to introduce some more tension into any future training that involves him, Daniel, and Mr. Han. If The Karate Kid franchise were to continue forward, Johnny’s pupils could find a compelling opponent in Mr. Han’s student, Li Fong — allowing the younger stars of Cobra Kai to have some fun on the big screen. Johnny could even get the chance to fight himself, throwing his own brand of karate at a more agile opponent like Mr. Han.

One potential direction to take Johnny would be to pair him up with Victor, the pizzaeria owner and father of Li’s love interest Mia. Victor is himself a smack-talking former glory fighter, albeit a professional boxer who quit of his own accord rather than a karate champion who was knocked out of the sport. If Karate Kid: Legends builds on the dynamics of the new film, then seeing Victor and Johnny together could be worth a good sparring session. Johnny’s presence in Karate Kid: Legends may be small, but it teases a lot of future potential for the series.