Martin Kove is pleased with how Cobra Kai wrapped up his character, John Kreese, but he reveals that his story almost ended in a different way.
In an exclusive conversation with People at the season 2 premiere of 1923 in Los Angeles, the 77-year-old actor, best known for his role in The Karate Kid, shared that an alternate ending for Kreese was filmed but ultimately scrapped.
In the final moments of the penultimate episode of Cobra Kai, Kreese has a showdown with Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) on a yacht. During their fight, they knock over a large fuel tank, and Kreese later tosses his cigar into it, triggering an explosion that destroys the boat and seemingly claims their lives. However, their bodies are not shown afterward.
“A lot of the fans think that the character, he should have come out of the water and survived, [and] we did shoot a scene like that,” Kove explained. “We did shoot a scene where… I’m smoking the cigar and I grab a magazine.”
Kove added, “It implies in episode 15 [the series finale] that he didn’t die, but they didn’t use it because they thought it was a little hokey,” referring to the show’s creators. “The ship was such a big explosion. But I understood the motivation.”
Kove also noted that Kreese’s death could have been seen as “questionable” anyway because his character is known for always returning from seemingly impossible situations.
“So even though it’s the last season, it’ll live on because Cobra Kai never dies,” he remarked.
Jon Hurwitz, one of the creators and showrunners of Cobra Kai, also discussed the alternate ending in a Feb. 20 Instagram post. He shared a photo of a fake magazine cover featuring Silver, which was created by the show’s prop master, Eric Bates. Hurwitz explained that the magazine was intended to suggest Kreese’s survival, but the idea was ultimately abandoned.
“Once we saw what the boat explosion looked like, we realized it was unnecessary,” Hurwitz wrote. “At the end of the day, we wanted our finale to end triumphantly and with credibility — not with an absurd confirmation that somehow John Kreese survived that fiery blast.”
Reflecting on his character’s journey, Kove expressed satisfaction with Kreese’s development over the series.
“I’ve been pushing vulnerability for this character for a long time, and sometimes he gets it, sometimes he doesn’t,” Kove said. “But the way it ended… it just was rich,” he added. “It’s what I like to do more than kicking ass and all that.”
Kove continued, “I like the fact that they took the character all the way from the darkest place in The Karate Kid. I signed on to do the deal only if they’d write vulnerable scenes and show how he got to be the way he was, and they did, slowly, in five seasons, exactly what I wanted to do.”
Since its debut in May 2018, Cobra Kai has served as a sequel to the Karate Kid films, with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka returning as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. The Emmy-nominated series, set decades after the films, follows Kove’s Kreese as he takes control of the Cobra Kai dojo and attempts to guide a new generation of karate students.
All six seasons of Cobra Kai are currently streaming on Netflix.
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