The Karate Kid Part III hinting at Terry Silver being a better fighter than John Kreese makes it worth wondering if that’s still the case in Cobra Kai. Over 30 years have ed since Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) and Kreese (Martin Kove) ed forces to get revenge on Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso in the third Karate Kid movie.
Even though Silver didn’t have a personal beef with Mr. Miyagi and his student in the same way that Kreese did, their goals were aligned in The Karate Kid Part III. Due to the strength of their friendship and the debt that Silver feels he owes to Kreese for what happened during the Vietnam War, Silver was determined to avenge the humiliation Kreese had suffered because of Mr. Miyagi. After reuniting the pair, Cobra Kai season 4 tested the limits of their bond and drove it to the breaking point. In the finale, Silver framed Kreese for the brutal beating of Stingray in order to take the reins of Cobra Kai for himself. As a result of his betrayal, Silver and Kreese are set to be on opposite sides of Cobra Kai season 5’s dojo war, meaning that a fight between them could be on the horizon.
What happened in The Karate Kid Part III provided a clue to how their skill levels compared in the original trilogy. In the movie, Kreese, Silver, and Mike Barnes each had a turn in fighting Mr. Miyagi. Barnes went down with one move from the karate master and Kreese was defeated in less than twenty seconds. Silver couldn’t beat him either, but the fact that he outlasted Kreese by more than a minute implied that he was the best among the three villains. Of course, so much time has ed since then that it would have been possible for Kreese to sur him by now, but how both have fared against Johnny suggest that Silver is still the superior fighter.
Why Kreese Can’t Beat Terry Silver Yet
If Kreese and Silver had come to blows in Cobra Kai season 4, chances are it’s the latter who would have come out on top. Silver dominated Johnny during their fight, whereas Kreese struggled mightily when he went up against his former student in both seasons 2 and 3. Kreese, who is in his 70s, lacked the physical endurance he needed for a prolonged fight with Johnny or Daniel. He just didn’t have the strength or the stamina required to win a fair fight with either character. Silver is obviously around the same age, yet this hasn’t been a huge problem for him so far. Clearly, Silver is in much better shape than Kreese right now.
For Kreese to even the odds, he’ll need to find a way to at least get closer to the level he used to be. That could happen, especially since Cobra Kai season 4’s ending gave him a good reason to work harder than ever. Being betrayed and sent to jail by his friend could be the push Kreese needs. If he ends up being stuck in jail for a while, he could use this time to put his body through some intense training.