“It Wasn’t At Hello:” Ralph Macchio’s Response To Cobra Kai Makes Me Confident Karate Kid: Legends Will Be Great

By Daniel Bibby

Published Feb 14, 2025

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Although I was already cautiously optimistic about Karate Kid: Legends' release date.

In retrospect, the immense success of Cobra Kai makes it seem like the show was always destined to thrive. It has managed to reinvigorate a franchise that had been inert since 1994, bringing the original fan base back while also introducing the series to those who were either too young decades ago or just hadn't yet gotten around to watching the Karate Kid movies - like me. Now, I love the universe set in motion by its first movie from 1984. Obviously, Macchio also has a huge affinity for the franchise that made him, which explains his initial Cobra Kai reluctance.

It Took A While For Ralph Macchio To Get On Board With Cobra Kai

Macchio didn't like the Cobra Kai pitch (at first)

Macchio has turned down several pitches through the years that offered him the chance to play Daniel LaRusso again. Until Cobra Kai, he hadn't reprised the role in an official capacity since 1989's The Karate Kid Part III. So, it would seem he is very protective of his legacy and was waiting for the right-sounding project to come along. If the right opportunity never caught his eye, it's very possible that Macchio would never have returned to his most famous role. Fortunately, Cobra Kai came along and brought Macchio back - but it took a while to convince him.

"I've always been, 'No thank you, no thank you.' Plus, my scene partner, Pat Morita, is no longer here. How do I step back into this? I couldn't think of it that way."

- Ralph Macchio, speaking on the Lone Lobos Podcast about Cobra Kai's inception.

Cobra Kai stars Xolo Maridueña and Jacob Bertrand invited Macchio onto their podcast, Lone Lobos, to discuss various things - including the process of Macchio being approached to make Cobra Kai. I found it a little surprising at first that the actor viewed the concept as unappealing at first. However, when he explained that framing William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence as the redeemed hero and initially presenting Daniel as the bad guy, I could understand where the actor was coming from. As the idea grew and became increasingly about a new generation, Macchio eventually found himself won over.

Ralph Macchio Doing Karate Kid: Legends Means It Must Have Something Special

Macchio's collaboration with Jackie Chan probably has an amazing script

Cobra Kai turned out to be a huge success for Macchio and the Karate Kid franchise. The sequel show had done the seemingly impossible by bringing the actor back to the series, but only because the idea sufficiently impressed him. So, I would imagine that Cobra Kai being received so well has resulted in Macchio becoming even more protective over his character and the Karate Kid saga. As such, another pitch to follow Cobra Kai's ending needed to be equal or even better than the project that allowed Daniel's comeback. Karate Kid: Legends would appear to have pulled that off.

Custom Image of Jackie Chan as Mr. Han in Karate Kid: Legends with Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid

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For Karate Kid: Legends to achieve the same thing as Cobra Kai and convince Macchio to stay with the franchise was never a guarantee. Just as he has many times in the past, Macchio could easily have turned down Legends if he thought the script didn't do justice to his legacy or the legacy of the larger story. I love that he has such high standards when it comes to more appearances from Daniel LaRusso, and such levels of commitment are sure to make Karate Kid: Legends far more than just a joyless cash grab.

How Karate Kid: Legends Will Be Different From Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai had far more heavy lifting to do

Karate Kid: Legends has a much easier job to do than Cobra Kai in of generating appeal. The movie's coming right on the heels of the Netflix show's big finale, so the demand for more from the franchise is right there. Inversely, Cobra Kai was trying to breathe new life into a series that had been long abandoned since the failure of 1994's The Next Karate Kid with Hilary Swank.

Despite the demand to see more from the Netflix ensemble cast, Macchio is seemingly the only character making the jump into Karate Kid's next era.

Plus, Karate Kid: Legends is softly leaving Cobra Kai in the rearview mirror. Despite the demand to see more from the Netflix ensemble cast, Macchio is seemingly the only character making the jump into Karate Kid's next era. The movie is more of a sequel to The Karate Kid Part III and Jackie Chan's 2010 movie. So, fans of Cobra Kai may be a little disappointed by key absences from Karate Kid: Legends, but I'm among the throngs of people who are incredibly stoked about seeing what's next for the franchise's biggest name.

Source: Lone Lobos