This article contains spoilers for Karate Kid: LegendsKarate Kid: Legends marked the franchise’s big return to theaters after the major revival that the series saw during Netflix’s Cobra Kai, which reintroduced the characters from the classic 80’s trilogy. The franchise was on ice for quite a while after the attempted 2010 reboot with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, but, with how much success Cobra Kai saw, Legends was made to capitalize on the nostalgia for the original, as well as finally connecting the 2010 film with the originals.

While Legends‘ reviews were mostly mediocre, there were a lot of solid elements to come out of the film, chiefly the central performances by Ben Wang and Sadie Stanley, as Li Fong and Mia Lipani, respectively. The pair had great chemistry, and really brought a lot to their roles, but it did feel like a few things were missing that made some of the previous Karate Kid projects work. While Legends had a number of connections to the previous films and shows, one of them shone a light on a missing aspect.

Johnny Lawrence’s Cameo In Karate Kid: Legends Immediately Brings Some Humor

Johnny Was Hilarious In His Brief Scene

One of the most exciting moments in Legends was when Johnny Lawrence (Wiliam Zabka) appeared at the end of the movie and delivered a few one-liners to Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). The movie ended with Victor and Li Fong sending a pizza to Daniel in California, and that sweetness was followed up by Johnny making several pizza-related puns about a potential new business venture. Apparently, he and Daniel had been thinking about starting a new business together, and Johnny’s first idea was a pizza restaurant called “Miyagi-Dough.”

After that, Johnny thought up some slogans and pizza names for the theoretical restaurant, which were also all puns relating karate to pizza. While, in a vacuum, most of these one-liners wouldn’t have been all that funny by themselves, Zabka hasn’t lost a step as Johnny, and his delivery makes them so much funnier than they have any right to be. He was hilarious in Cobra Kai, and while he only had a few moments of screen time in Legends, it proved how he was able to make his show such a success.

Karate Kid: Legends’ Comedic Bits Are Hit & Miss

The Film’s Comedy Wasn’t That Great

Karate Kid: Legends is mostly an action movie, mostly focusing on character interactions and the great fight scenes. However, a few humorous bits are signature for the movies. Unfortunately for the comedic moments that are in the movie, they didn’t manage to hit very hard, although there were still some very funny moments. The scene where Li and Mia were about to kiss before being interrupted by Joshua Jackson’s Victor, who then complained that they were throwing him off his game before his fight, was funny, and it’s one of the few moments that got a real laugh.

Jackson’s performance at that moment made it funny, but that was one of the few parts that actually got much of a reaction. Legends didn’t make too many attempts at comedy during the film, but there were a few moments that did fall a little flat, including the numerous times when the music slowed down and became distorted as the punchline to something that was happening. There were also a few quips that felt a little forced and unnecessary, and overall left Legends‘ comedy feeling pretty mediocre, especially when compared to the funniest moments of Cobra Kai.

Karate Kid: Legends Could’ve Used More Of Johnny Lawrence’s Comedy

He Could’ve Brought A Lot Of Life And Energy

While Johnny was never going to be a main character in the movie, and if he was, it probably would’ve felt even more overstuffed, the comedy he brought to Legends‘ ending felt like something the movie was sorely lacking. The action and character interactions were great, and the main reason for the movie’s existence, but Johnny brought so much energy and life in his very short cameo that it would’ve been amazing to see him, or at least his comedy style, in more of Karate Kid: Legends.