Mike Barners returned in Cobra Kai season 5, and while his role was small, Cobra Kai’s history suggests that Barnes will return in season 6. After four seasons of speculation and the most creative theories, Cobra Kai finally brought back Karate Kid 3’s villain Mike Barnes. From Johnny’s boss in season 1 to Miguel’s mysterious father, many were the moments audiences believed Cobra Kai would reveal Mike Barnes, yet the character’s actual return proved all those theories wrong. Still, as disappointing as Barnes’s return may have been, the character could still have an exciting future in Cobra Kai season 6.
There are two examples in Cobra Kai that prove why Mike Barnes could still have a role to play on the show. The first one is Chozen, a character who was first revisited in Cobra Kai season 3, yet only became a recurring character in Cobra Kai season 5. The Karate Kid 2 villain returned to the saga after more than 30 years, but his role in Cobra Kai season 3 was limited to two episodes. As a comparison, Chozen was part of all ten episodes in Cobra Kai season 5. A similar thing happened with Terry Silver, who was a secondary villain in Cobra Kai season 4 but then became the main antagonist in season 5. Therefore, Mike Barnes’ role on the show could also be extended for future seasons.
Mike Barnes’ Cobra Kai Season 5 Role Was Disappointing
After so much waiting for Karate’s Bad Boy to appear in Cobra Kai, Mike Barnes should have been given more to do in Cobra Kai season 5. Granted, Cobra Kai season 5 already had way too many storylines going on at the same time, and there wasn’t much room to focus on yet another surprising Karate Kid cameo. Still, Cobra Kai was aware of how much anticipation there was for Mike Barnes’ return – as proved by the dramatically tense moment in which Barnes is revealed for the first time. Mike Barnes’ story was limited to having his life destroyed by Daniel and Terry in one episode, with Barnes only then returning in the Cobra Kai season 5 finale.
What Role Mike Barnes Could Play In Cobra Kai Season 6
Cobra Kai season 5 wrapped up most of the show’s storylines. In fact, a Cobra Kai season 6 hasn’t been announced by Netflix yet. That said, Cobra Kai season 5 set up one major storyline for season 6 – the Sekai Taikai. Daniel, Chozen, and Johnny managed to qualify their unnamed dojo for the Sekai Taikai, a global tournament to which the Cobra Kai dojo has also qualified. Now that all of the show’s major characters are part of “Miyagi-Do-Fang”, the dojo may need an extra sensei to take the students to the next level. Mike Barnes knows Cobra Kai, and season 5 confirms that he still knows how to fight. Therefore, Barnes could become a sensei in Cobra Kai season 6.
The expectations for Mike Barnes’ Cobra Kai return would naturally lead to some disappointment. References and callbacks to the Karate Kid movies are a major part of Cobra Kai, but the show cannot rely on legacy characters only. Still, now that Terry Silver has been defeated and the Sekai Taikai seems to be the only key storyline left, there may be more time to better develop characters like Mike Barnes and Jessica Andrews. As a show that perfectly knows to play with nostalgia, Cobra Kai would sure not waste Mike Barnes with a couple of episodes only.
