Just imagine if Johnny Lawrence had been given a redemptive well ahead of Cobra Kai. How would things have turned out had the show still come back? Pat Morita apparently had an idea for a Karate Kid 5 when he was still around, and it had a seriously big role for Johnny that would have been pretty wild to think of since his idea included adding in Johnny as his doctor, meaning that Johnny actually turned his life around and did something pretty great. There’s no denying that anyone that gets into the medical field to help others is on the right path and has done something with their life that’s inherently good, but to think that Johnny might have taken such a path apparently wasn’t all that popular since we never got to see it. Instead, we have the current version where Johnny is down on his luck and is more or less struggling just to keep his head above water as he’s lost his dojo, his students, a love interest, possibly his son, and likely a lot of the self-respect he was trying to regain. Seeing Johnny as a doctor would have changed the whole dynamic of the show in such a big way that it feels fair to state that had it happened, Cobra Kai might not have even been necessary.
Just think of it, Johnny as a doctor, perhaps successful, perhaps just getting by, but still obviously well ahead in life. He might not have felt the need to bring back Cobra Kai, he might not have been living in an apartment next to Miguel’s, and John Kreese might not have been a part of the picture. That’s kind of an odd story to think about even if it would show that Johnny was capable of so much more. The downside of course is that it might not have been dramatic enough to really create a story like Cobra Kai later on, but there is one idea that might have worked. Just based on the picture above, it might have been interesting to see the former Cobra Kai members that had serious beef with Daniel turn things around and start idolizing Miyagi, especially after the old man saved Johnny from his psychotic sensei. It has the benefit of being open-ended, meaning that the group could have many possible directions, but they would have had the benefit of learning from someone that had their best interests at heart if Miyagi had actually taken them on as students. It could have changed their lives in a big way, that’s for certain.
But the way things turned out has been impressive since the Cobra Kai did manage to get together for a short reunion during season 2 and it was seen that Johnny and his buddies still had what it took to kick some serious tail, even if one of them passed away during their little outing. Season 3 is going to be interesting no doubt since not only is Johnny now without a dojo or students, but it feels as though he and Daniel really need to bury the hatchet for good and all to come together against Kreese, and possibly another villain if such a development occurs. Plus, whatever secrets Miyagi was holding back from Daniel are hopefully going to be revealed since it sounds as though Chozen from Karate Kid 2 is coming back, and he might have a few revelations that Daniel will need to hear. There’s a lot still happening with Cobra Kai and it’s going to be an eye-opening season for certain, perhaps with more than enough material to keep going into a fourth season if things go well. But at this time it’s fun to imagine what might have happened had Pat Morita’s idea been given any serious consideration. It could have been the dismal fate of The Next Karate Kid with Hillary Swank that soured any idea of moving forward since by that time the franchise has kind of folded up and moved on. But a return of Cobra Kai was the shot in the arm that the story really needed, and it’s been attracting a lot of notice ever since the first season was announced.
It is a shame that Pat Morita couldn’t be here for Cobra Kai, as he would have been a great addition to the story, but in a way, it’s probably best that he isn’t since he would have been old enough that he might not have been able to do much. Plus, his best days of being Mr. Miyagi were far behind him, and many fans would rather remember the wizened old teacher as he was. But one thing is clear when season 3 comes along Daniel and Johnny are both going to have to step up to do something about Cobra Kai now that it’s in the hands of John Kreese.
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