By the end of Cobra Kai season 2, Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena) is hospitalized in critical condition after a tragic fall – but will Ali Mills Schwarber (Elisabeth Shue) be the miracle that saves Johnny Lawrence’s (William Zabka) beloved student? The Karate Kid sequel series picked up Johnny and Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) teenage rivalry 34 years after the original film, but by the end of season 2, Cobra Kai had expanded the universe and escalated everything into a full-on dojo war between Johnny’s students and the pupils of Daniel’s rival dojo, Miyagi-Do Karate.
The uncontrollable brawl that erupted at West Valley High in the Cobra Kai season 2 finale was started by Tory Nichols (Peyton List), who wanted revenge on Daniel’s daughter, Samatha LaRusso (Mary Mouser). Despite Miguel dating Tory and Sam dating Johnny’s son, Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), Tory caught Miguel and Sam (who dated in Cobra Kai season 1) kissing at a party. Tory’s attempt to get back at Samantha drew the students of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do into the fray and the dojo war engulfed the entire school – but it ended when Robby kicked Miguel off of a balcony when Diaz had tried to follow what Sensei Lawrence taught him and show Johnny’s son mercy. Miguel landed on the banister and stairs, which left him unconscious and hospitalized. According to his doctor, “the next 24 hours were critical” for Miguel, and Cobra Kai season 2 ended with his future in grave doubt.
Cobra Kai season 3 looks to have ideally set up the arrival of Elisabeth Shue to appear as Dr. Ali Mills Schwarber (which is still unconfirmed by the producers) and Ali would appear to be Miguel’s savior. However, things might not be quite so clear-cut. While Ali might indeed be Miguel’s salvation, there are also plenty of complications that could change the course of Miguel’s life (as well as Johnny and Daniel’s) in Cobra Kai season 3.
Miguel Is Too Popular To Die
Miguel is arguably the most well-liked of Cobra Kai‘s teenagers, regardless of the fact that he’s the champion of the black and yellow dojo. Miguel was an unlikely choice to be Johnny’s first Cobra Kai student, and it was a long road before the nerdy boy developed into a skilled karate practitioner, but he eventually became the best disciple Cobra Kai had to offer. Miguel even ended Cobra Kai season 1 as the All Valley Under 18 Karate Champion, following in the footsteps of both Johnny and Daniel. More importantly, Miguel is still a great person at heart. In spite of Miguel’s success, Cobra Kai’s “no mercy” philosophy brought out the worst in him and alarmed both his mother Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and Johnny.
Sensei Lawrence tried to adjust Cobra Kai’s tenets in season 2, in part, to teach Miguel the value of showing mercy, and Johnny and Miguel’s bond remained as close as ever. Even though he started dating Tory, Miguel still pines for Samantha (and vice versa), which set off the series of events that led to the brawl at West Valley High and Diaz being critically injured by Robby. In fact, Robby, who was already disliked by many Cobra Kai fans, drew even more ire when he intentionally injured Miguel after Diaz tried to show him mercy like Johnny would have wanted. Given how beloved Miguel is on the show and by the fans, it would be crazy to kill him off – so it’s quite likely Diaz will live in Cobra Kai season 3. But the question is, will Miguel be irrevocably changed, and how?
How Ali Could Save Miguel
Cobra Kai has seemingly been playing the long game and planted the seeds all the way back in season 1 for how Ali Mills Schwarber (Elisabeth Shue) could save Miguel. Conveniently, Ali happens to be a pediatric surgeon. Although Ali lives in Colorado with her husband, she sent Johnny a Friend Request when he joined Facebook. Of course, Johnny hasn’t seen the Friend Request because he hurled his smartphone into the beach in his grief in Cobra Kai’s season 2 finale. But the dots are clearly there to be connected in Cobra Kai season 3: Miguel is hospitalized in critical condition and Ali Mills Schwarber is a surgeon who specializes in children.
The obvious assumption is that Johnny will eventually accept Ali’s Facebook messages and ask her to come to LA to save Miguel. However, even though Cobra Kai is essentially a soap opera melodrama, it can’t be that cut-and-dry. Why would Ali fly all the way from Colorado to perform surgery on a teenager she has never met and who isn’t her patient, even if Johnny asked? After all, Johnny was merely Ali’s high school boyfriend, whom she hasn’t seen in 35 years (and they parted badly). It seems like a red herring, but there could be a solution to simplify the logistics: It’s possible Ali has already moved back to LA for some reason and she messaged Johnny to catch up. (Ali may even be newly divorced or separated.) From there, Johnny could ask Ali to help Miguel. It’s not clear what kind of surgeon Dr. Mills Schwarber is, but Miguel has a spinal injury and it would be a simple plot contrivance to make that Ali’s medical specialty.
Will Johnny And Daniel Fight Over Ali Again?
Elisabeth Shue joining the cast of Cobra Kai is something longtime fans of The Karate Kid have been clamoring for since the series began. Cobra Kai has referenced Ali multiple times; Johnny has admitted (to Miguel) that he never got over Ali, and that he always saw Daniel as the villain of their story who stole his girl from him. There were a few occasions during Cobra Kai that Johnny and Daniel called a truce during their eternal rivalry, and in season 1, they drank at a bar together and commiserated about Ali, who Daniel still has fond memories of.
But what will happen if Ali comes back and will it create another avenue of conflict between Johnny and Daniel? LaRusso is a very happily married father who also hasn’t seen Ali in 35 years, but in Cobra Kai season 2, Daniel’s obsession with running his Miyagi-Do Karate dojo tested his marriage to Amanda (Courtney Henggeler). Amanda has been incredibly patient with Daniel’s resurgent interest in Miyagi-Do and resuming his high school karate rivalry, but Daniel mostly abandoned his responsibilities to their marriage and their business, LaRusso Luxury Motors. After Samatha and Miguel were hospitalized in Cobra Kai’s season 2 finale, Amanda even laid down the law and demanded “no more karate”.
So, if Ali returns, will Daniel and Johnny fight over her again? It’s possible, but it also may not come to that. Daniel is not only devoted to Amanda but he’s also going to travel to Okinawa in Cobra Kai season 3, where he could run into his girlfriend from The Karate Kid Part II, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita). If Daniel sees Kumiko again, that could be what tests his rocky marriage, but it’s still possible Johnny and Daniel will come to blows one more time if Ali comes back into their lives.
Will Miguel Return To Cobra Kai?
Even if Ali does save Miguel on the operating table, it will be an incredibly long and hard road to recovery for Diaz in Cobra Kai season 3. Miguel’s fall and injury is potentially a life-changing event, and if he makes it through surgery, he will have a difficult rehab just to be able to work and function normally again. Will karate be out of the question for Miguel, especially since his mother will never allow it again? Would Miguel even want to return to Cobra Kai now that it’s been taken over by John Kreese (Martin Kove), who stole it from Johnny? Would Miguel want to train under Daniel at Miyagi-Do given the animosity between his sensei and LaRusso and Diaz’s own problems with Sam and Robby?
By the time Miguel awakens from his coma, he will be shocked to learn that Sensei Lawrence no longer owns Cobra Kai and Daniel LaRusso shut down Miyagi-Do. He would also be dismayed to find out how friends like Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and Tory have gone all-in with Sensei Kreese’s extremist Cobra Kai teachings. But before anything more can happen in Miguel’s life, he has to pull through from his current medical predicament. Dr. Ali Mills Schwarber appears to be the answer to his (and Johnny and Carmen’s) prayers, but even if Ali can and does save Miguel in Cobra Kai season 3, his life will never be the same as it was before Robby Keene kicked him off the balcony at West Valley High.
