Does Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 reveal where Johnny is during Karate Kid: Legends?

We will soon see another talent in Karate Kid: Legends, but the familiar senseis remain—Jackie Chan's Mr. Han, Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, and—yes, you guessed it right—a new lead, Ben Wang. However, William Zabka will not be returning as Johnny Lawrence. After three decades, his character has received a well-earned redemption arc, making his absence understandable.

Cobra Kai said goodbye with the grand finale that aired on February 13, 2025 and ended with the once-rivals finally joining hands for good after breaking up multiple times throughout the show. That was quite a show indeed! Now it's time for the next chapter, and fans might be wondering what Zabka's character is up to.

We are not sure if he'll show up in Karate Kid: Legends, but we do know that he'll be busy living his sensei life, where the Fang-Miyagi students will be seeking guidance under his tutelage. And then there's his newfound love, Carmen (Vanessa Rubio), so there's that.

So what might Johnny Lawrence be doing in Karate Kid: Legends?

Cobra Kai ended up setting the stage for future acts in The Karate Kid franchise, which the upcoming film, directed by Jonathan Entwistle, will build upon. Karate Kid: Legends is a sort of sensei culmination of previous chapters in the series, where, as the trailer has already shown, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio will unite in the franchise for the first time ever.

Now, the initial announcement already disappointed fans when it was revealed that Zabka would not be appearing in it. But Cobra Kai has at least given us a hint as to what he is up to—taking charge of the dojo while LaRusso and Mr. Han train the new kid.

Though many students went their own ways, Kenny, Anthony, and Devon are still part of the new dojo. What's more is that LaRusso and Lawrence will loan students to each other so they can share their secrets, given that both are experts in their own styles—Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai.

So what the future holds for Johnny?

By the looks of it, Karate Kid: Legends doesn't appear to be the closing chapter in the franchise. So even though Zabka's character doesn't end up appearing in the film, the show has opened up a range of paths, and Lawrence may cross them if he chooses to—should the creators decide to explore them.

Interestingly, Karate Kid: Legends is like Loki to what we might call the "Karateverse," holding the two timelines—namely, the Miyagi-verse and Han-verse—together. And the creators did that quite creatively, as Macchio explained in an interview with Rolling Stone. He said:

"They figured out a way to do that that is organic to a scene in Karate Kid 2 that people on the internet are starting to figure out."

We already have a couple of senseis in Karate Kid: Legends, but it would be interesting to see all three come together at some point. But let's not talk about that now, as we have a few characters like Robby, Tory, and others who certainly deserve their own story arcs.

The Karate Kid universe has a lot to explore—not just Lawrence; it has opened up possibilities for everyone except John Kreese (Martin Kove). Kreese deserves a mention here, as Johnny wasn't the only one who got a proper redemption arc.