To counter Daniel and Chozen’s newly formed alliance, Terry Silver’s best alternative would be to bring in the “bad-boy of karate” Mike Barnes in Cobra Kai season 5. While Silver knows a lot about Daniel’s personality and fighting style, he is not familiar with Chozen. Previously a villain in Karate Kid Part II, Chozen has the skills and the experience to take Miyagi-Do to the next level and could help derail Cobra Kai’s expansion plans. Given the situation, Terry has to bring something new to his dojo.
Cobra Kai‘s season 4 finale saw Daniel asking for Chozen’s help to continue keeping Miyagi-Do going after their loss in the tournament, but it also teased that Terry Silver will not be alone next season. After putting Kreese in jail, Silver indicated that he knows “a friend or two” who can help manage Cobra Kai. Despite the teasing of Mike Barnes’ return, the character’s possible presence in Cobra Kai does match what the show will need in the next season. As the balance of power in the Cobra Kai universe has shifted with the arrival of Chozen, an equally powerful character must rise on the other side of the karate war.
Now that Daniel has a partner who can be much more friendly than Johnny was, it makes sense for Terry to also seek a new alliance in Cobra Kai season 5. With Kreese sidelined for being too big of a player, Mike Barnes becomes Terry’s best alternative to a second-in-command. Silver and Barnes would repeat their Karate Kid Part III partnership and could provide an interesting parallel to Daniel and Chozen’s dynamic. Barnes would also offer the Cobra Kai students new techniques, as he only actually trained under the dojo for a few weeks before the 89’s tournament. The complete set of skills in Barnes’ repertoire is a mystery that could throw Miyagi-Do off-guard.
Unlike Kreese, Barnes has shown himself to be driven by greed and a desire for fame. That makes him much more susceptible to Terry’s influence than Kreese ever was. With Cobra Kai expanding across the Valley, a proposal to lead one or more dojo franchises would be just as tempting to Barnes as the one that Terry had made 30 years ago. Rather than just being a lieutenant in Kreese’s plans, Terry Silver can now be his own commander and have in Barnes his “muscle guy”.
On top of having his return highly anticipated by many fans, Mike Barnes fills all the boxes for what Cobra Kai and Terry Silver need in the upcoming season. Despite having lost the bet, Daniel has already shown that he will not stop trying to stop the rival dojo from expanding and will count on Chozen’s help for that. As Cobra Kai will face two strong opponents going forward, it is time for Terry Silver to make Mike Barnes a new job offer and add some extra drama to Cobra Kai season 5.
