Co-showrunner Josh Heald teases Cobra Kai season 6 cameos by returning Karate Kid characters, as the popular Netflix sequel series prepares for its final episodes. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka will, of course, be back for the farewell season, along with fellow movie franchise stars Martin Kove and Thomas Ian Griffith. There could be surprise appearances from other familiar Karate Kid universe faces in Cobra Kai season 6, with Next Karate Kid star Hilary Swank topping the list of past franchise cast members who have yet to take a bow on the show.

As for whether Swank will indeed appear in Cobra Kai season 6, co-showrunner Heald isn’t letting anything out of the bag, but does tease the return of unnamed Karate Kid universe actors who have not yet been seen on the show. He spoke on the matter as Screen Rant visited the Cobra Kai set and sat in for a roundtable discussion. Check out his remarks below:

When it comes to Hilary Swank, I can not comment at all. We go with the 1980s rules of we want you to be surprised about who you might see in the series, who you don’t see in the series. I will say, as with I think every season, there are returning faces in season 6 from the franchise who have not been on the show before. I won’t say who, but that that should sufficiently drum up speculation.

Swank Is The One Remaining Karate Kid Universe Actor Who Needs To Debut On Cobra Kai

And Season 6 Is Her Last Chance

Macchio and Lawrence opened the door of success for Cobra Kai when they agreed to reprise the roles of Daniel and Johnny, giving the show all it needed to work as a nostalgic revisit of the still-popular Karate Kid franchise. That Cobra Kai worked as something more than nostalgia was down to the show’s writing, and to the casting of its new, younger characters, particularly Xolo Maridueña as Miguel, Peyton List as Tory and Mary Mouser as Samantha.

Cobra Kai arguably didn’t need more returning Karate Kid characters, but it nevertheless continued bringing in famous figures from the franchise’s past. Kove as Kreese was a strong addition for the dramatic conflict he engendered, as was Griffith as Silver, whose arrival upped the stakes even more. Yuji Okumoto’s return as Chozen offered that character a chance at redemption, while Elizabeth Shue’s return as Ali was less impactful, but still welcome.

As Cobra Kai heads into season 6, Swank’s character Julie is the only major figure left from the original movies whose arrival on the show seems like a necessity. It could be that Swank has no interest in returning 30 years after she replaced Macchio as the lead of the series. But if she is interested, then Julie should get her chance to be part of the action. Swank said in a recent interview that she has not been contacted about a season 6 appearance, but that could just be a strategic fib, as the show keeps news under wraps.