WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Season 3 of Cobra Kai, streaming now on Netflix.
Over the course of Cobra Kai, disgraced martial arts sensei and the dojo's original leader John Kreese has gradually reestablished himself as the Karate Kid revival series' true villain. Forcibly wresting control of his old karate school from his former protégé, Johnny Lawrence, Kreese is set for an explosive showdown against Johnny and Daniel LaRusso as Cobra Kai prepares for its planned fourth season. And as the stage is set for a martial arts contest of champions, Kreese makes an ominous phone call to a mysterious benefactor to help him stay one step ahead of his enemies.
While the identity of the person on the other end of the phone call remains unknown, Kreese has previously found himself in a similar position looking for help in securing Cobra Kai's legacy. 1989's The Karate Kid Part III began with Kreese destitute after the events of the original 1984 film and the prologue to 1986's The Karate Kid Part II, in which he violently snapped on Johnny and was publicly humiliated by Mister Miyagi. Visiting his old Vietnam War comrade and Cobra Kai founder Terry Silver, who had since become a successful businessman running a firm disposing toxic waste, the two conspired to ruin Daniel and Miyagi while reestablishing Cobra Kai's former glory only to be defeated and disgraced in another martial arts tournament.
Cobra Kai Season 3 finally shed a light on Kreese's activities during the Vietnam War: he was part of a special squad deep in enemy territory that was captured and forced to regularly fight to the death for the amusement of their captors. Among the figures imprisoned in the camp was a young soldier with black hair who, while unidentified, promises that he will always help Kreese whenever he needs it after the miraculous aerial bombing of the camp allows Kreese to free him from his bamboo cell. With Kreese looking at a photograph in his office of him and Vietnam War buddies, the phone call appears to be a hint towards The Karate Kid Part III's main antagonist.
Terry Silver has been alluded to several times in passing over the course of Cobra Kai, with Daniel admitting to his daughter Samantha LaRusso that he trained under Silver during a period of estrangement from Miyagi as depicted in The Karate Kid Part III. Since the events of that 1989 film, there has been no word on what Silver has been up to in the 30+ years since the original iteration of Cobra Kai was disgraced for a second time.
Once again, the fate of Cobra Kai hinges on the outcome of a martial arts tournament in the San Fernando Valley as Kreese issues a challenge between his dojo and the schools led by Daniel and Johnny. With Daniel and Johnny combining their schools to work together to topple Cobra Kai once and for all, Kreese knows he has to pull out all the stops if he wants to stay one step ahead of his opponents this time. Terry Silver presumably still has the resources he had in 1989 to back up Kreese once again as a feud dormant for decades begins to spread across a new generation of martial artists.
Cobra Kai stars William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni Decenzo, Peyton List and Martin Kove. All three seasons are available to stream now on Netflix.