John Kreese’s change of heart in the final season of Cobra Kai shocked fans, especially former WWE superstar Aron Stevens. While the redemption was a welcome surprise, he held out hope that Kreese would remain a villain until the end.
Kreese, played by Martin Kove, was a villain throughout the series and the original Karate Kid films. Stevens, formerly Damien Sandow in WWE, has been a big fan of the series and Kreese himself.
The series premiered on YouTube Red in 2018 and later moved to Netflix, where it streamed until 2025. Cobra Kai‘s final season was broken up into three parts. During the third part, Kreese made amends with his former top pupil, Johnny Lawrence, in an emotional embrace.
“Personally, I would have liked to see [Kreese] be [a villain] all the way to the end,” Stevens told The Game Plan. “Granted, he blew up after turning babyface, but not to spoil it for anybody. But, I don’t know. Kreese, next to Darth Vader, is my favorite.”
He added: “You have a disgruntled suburban karate instructor that just had high school kids beat the crap out of each other for no reason. And so, hey, id I want a bad guy, that’s who I’m going to.”
Former WWE Superstar Aron Stevens Once Outlined Why John Kreese Was Misunderstood
Aron Stevens previously explained why Martin Kove‘s character John Kreese, along was not the villain in The Karate Kid. He made a case for Kreese, along with his Cobra Kai pupil Johnny Lawrence, played by William Zabka, being misunderstood.
“John Kreese was a war hero. The man was a captain in the army and a two-time karate champion. [He] comes back from Vietnam. What does he do? Open up a place where he can mold young minds,” Stevens told Giancarlo Aulino during a 2019 interview. “He is not a bad guy. Very few things upset me. The mischaracterization of John Kreese is one of them.”
Stevens felt Ralph Macchio‘s Daniel LaRusso was more of a villain because of the events that unfold in the film. The former WWE superstar doubled down and even claimed Mr. Miyagi was also a villain.
“Daniel [LaRusso] ends up using an illegal kick to the face. Him and Mr. Miyagi walk in, they steal a black belt from the tournament,” he said. “They just walked in [the Cobra Kai dojo], they interrupted a class, drop a challenge. Let’s not forget Mr. Miyagi, who is a karate master from Okinawa, beat the crap out of some high school kids.”
Martin Kove’s View on His Character Supports Stevens’ Claim
Kove has been consistent with his belief that his character in The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai is misunderstood. His view on his character supports Stevens’ claim.
During a 2021 interview with VIBE 105.5FM Toronto, Kove explained why Kreese should not be considered a villain. He said that the character taught his students survival skills in real-life situations rather than tournaments. As a result, those methods did not translate well into a tournament with rules.
“[Kreese’s] methods are about making points in the street when it’s really dangerous. He says it many times, ‘Mercy is for the weak. Here and on the streets. Somebody confronts you, they are the enemy. The enemy deserves no mercy,’” Kove said. “I’m talking about real life. And that’s the difference between Ralph [Macchio] and Billy [Zabka] now [in Cobra Kai] and my character.”
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