William Zabka Says the Real Villain of ‘Cobra Kai’ Is Not John Kreese or Daniel LaRusso
Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) was considered the villain of The Karate Kid throughout the β80s. Thanks to Cobra Kai, fans have come around to him and consider that Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) wasnβt quite the golden boy. Besides, once John Kreese (Martin Kove) returned, he was always the real villain. But, Zabka has a theory that someone else was.Β
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai.]

Zabka spoke on a virtual panel for Emmy voters about Cobra Kai Season 3. He suggested which character may have instigated the whole decades-long saga.
William Zabka suggests Elisabeth Shueβs character is βThe Karate Kidβ villainΒ
At the beginning of The Karate Kid, Ali (Elisabeth Shue) is Johnnyβs girlfriend. After they break up, she falls for Daniel. Zabka thinks if Ali would have given Johnny a chance to win her back, it might have saved all of them the trouble.Β
βSheβs really the true villain of The Karate Kid in a way,β Zabka joked. βShe turned against Johnny, for me. If she wouldβve just stuck with Johnny, stuck by his side, maybe he wouldnβt have gone down this path. She jumped ship on me.β

Zabka laughed as he shared his theory, but he did understand how teenagers feel such drastic emotions. Cobra Kai made their connection retroactively even deeper.
βIn real life, that first love, in my heart and Johnnyβs life,β Zabka said. βShe was that charm. She was that magic one. I love what the guys wrote, that the headband heβs been wearing was a gift on Valentineβs Day. He gave her a little plastic pink elephant or something back and now heβs carrying this, this scar, this wound all this time.β
Elisabeth Shue returned on βCobra Kaiβ Season 3
Shue was a surprise guest star on season 3 of Cobra Kai. She visited California for the holidays and reconnected with Johnny.
βI loved working with Lisa on many levels, first as the character but then just the person,β Zabka said. βIt was very much life imitating art or art imitating life. We hadnβt seen each other much over the years. I think we were both nervous. We got to explore a part of our relationship weβd never heard before, never seen. We were both so excited to read that backstory, and to go on our Golf N Stuff date. It instantly turned the Johnny in me into a 17 year old kid again. It brought a lot of healing to the character, seeing her and all that.βΒ
Johnny has finally outgrown Ali
Ali returns home to Colorado so Shue wonβt be joining the cast of Cobra Kai full time. Besides, Johnny is finally having an adult relationship with Miguel (Xolo MaridueΓ±a)βs mother, Carmen (Vanessa Rubio).

βOf course heβs in love with Carmen and has this conflict but hereβs a piece of his heart thatβs been running around,β Zabka said. βSheβs been running around with a piece of his heart. She gets to come and they get toΒ reconnect. At the end itβs appropriate that they donβt kiss but itβs left open. Thereβs a healing about that so working with Lisa was so natural on that. It was so organic.β
Source: Cobra Kai virtual FYC panel