Warning: Spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6, episode 10
It took more than 30 years, but thanks toCobra Kai,The Karate Kidfranchise has finally fixed Terry Silver’s masterplan from the third movie. InThe Karate Kid Part III,Thomas Ian Griffith’s character developed a convoluted scheme to avenge Kreese’s humiliation at the end of the first film. With Mike Barnes as his champion, Silver believed he could drive Daniel LaRussso and Mr. Miyagi apart and bring suffering to both of them. It worked to a degree, but the final phase of the plan was an abject failure.
Terry Silver had a completely different goal inCobra Kai, at least for seasons 4 and 5. Rather than just focusing solely on getting revenge on Daniel, Silver was mostly interested in building a legacy for himself (at first.) When that dream crumbled apart inCobra Kaiseason 5’s ending, Silver began a journey reminiscent to the one he was on inThe Karate Kid Part III, with one of the biggest differences being that his plan is much more sound this time.
Terry Silver’s Deal With Sensei Wolf Recreates His Karate Kid Part III Plan
Terry Silver’s Plan Is A Bigger And Better Version Of One He Already Tried
There are clear parallels betweenwhat Terry Silver is up to inCobra Kaiseason 6 part 2and how he tried to get revenge on Daniel in 1985. InThe Karate Kid Part III, the endgame to Silver’s plan called for Daniel to lose in the All Valley Karate Tournament. To this end, Silver hired Sean Kanan’s Mike Barnes, a former national champion in karate, to fight on his behalf. This was a bit of a shortcut for Silver, as it allowed Terry Silver to have a fighter in the tournament without personally training him.
Having the Iron Dragons rob Daniel of victory at the Sekai Taikai would have been the equivalent of what he expected from Mike Barnes.
Silver wound up going down the same path forthe Sekai Taikai tournament. Not unlike the situation inThe Karate Kid Part III, Silver began the story wanting revenge, and not necessarily glory in the tournament. Through his deal with Sensei Wolf, he was able to acquire a way to get what he wanted. His wealth enabled him to effectively buy himself his own Sekai Taikai team. Having the Iron Dragons rob Daniel of victory at the Sekai Taikai would have been the equivalent of what he expected from Mike Barnes.
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Adding to the connection between the two plans is the Iron Dragons' reputation ahead of the tournaments. In both stories, Silver’s aim was to go for a proven winner, someone with great odds of winning for him. Similar to how he pursued a national champion for the All Valley where he’d be the clear favorite to win, Silver sought the services of a team that had already won the Sekai Taikai, therefore proving they had what it takes to win it all.
How Terry Silver’s Sekai Taikai Plan Fixes His Biggest Mistake With Mike Barnes
Terry Silver Isn’t Letting His Hatred Of Daniel Affect The Tournament
On the surface, copying his scheme fromThe Karate Kid Part IIImay seem like an ill-advised move for Terry Silver, but his failure in the film isn’t indicative of what could unfold inCobra Kai. From the looks of things, Terry Silver learned an important lesson from the events of the movie and is avoiding the mistakes that ruined his original plan. In the final round of the tournament, Silver ordered Mike Barnes to keep the score 0-0 so that the fight could go on for a long time. The point of this was to give Barnes plenty of opportunities to inflict pain on Daniel.
Silver’s plan was flawed in that it was driven by the arrogant notion that Daniel was completely outclassed by Mike Barnes.
Silver’s plan was flawed in that it was driven by the arrogant notion that Daniel was completely outclassed by Mike Barnes. Arguably, he was right that Barnes was the better fighter, but what he got wrong was the idea that Daniel wasn’t good enough to score a point.Because of Silver’s poor strategy, Daniel won with just one point scored at the end. Had he not held Barnes back, it’s hard to imagine Daniel walking away with a victory. Interestingly, Silver has yet to exert any sort of pressure on the Iron Dragons to do things his way.
For the most part,Silver has just watched from the sidelines, allowing Sensei Wolf to manage his own students. This is ultimately a good thing for Silver, as his actions inThe Karate Kid Part IIIconfirmed that his need for revenge could sabotage an otherwise good plan. Silver still wants Daniel to suffer, but he isn’t letting that desire affect how the fights play out on the mat. Zara and Axel’s tactics in the tournament may admittedly be influenced by their personal feelings towardthe Miyagi-Do fighters, but they’re not being controlled by Silver.
Terry Silver’s New Version Plan Likely Would Have Worked
Morality Aside, It Was A Good Plan
How the fights in the semifinals were going when the brawl broke out underscores how successful Silver’s scheming can be when executed well. Looking at the way Robby was struggling against Axel inCobra Kaiseason 6 part 2’s final episode, it’s highly unlikely Miyagi-Do’s male captain was going to advance to the finals. That would have set up a final showdown between Axel and Kwon, and since the latter was clearly outmatched during the brawl, it’s apparent that Axel would have won that fight as well.
What would have happened between Zara and the winner of the Sam-Tory fight is a bit more ambiguous. But since the Iron Dragons already had a commanding lead when it comes to points, there’s a slim chance that it would have made much of a difference if Zara lost. Presumably, just one of the Iron Dragons' captains winning in the finals would have been enough to assure victory for Sensei Wolf - and in turn, Terry Silver.
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That’s not a promising sign for Daniel and Johnny’s dojo if the tournament does wind up continuing beyondKwon’s death inCobra Kai. Ultimately, what Robby would need is a way to beat Axel, and while it’s possible this delay could buy him more time to prepare, his superior strength and talent will be difficult advantages for the Miyagi-Do team to overcome.Even when Robby is fighting at his best, he’s not on the level of Axel,who has been portrayed as the most capable teenage fighter the series has ever seen.
Thankfully for their team, this may not matter in the end. In light of the tragedy that occurred in the brawl, it’s not unreasonable to think that the remaining fights in the Sekai Taikai will be canceled. If that’s the case, Kwon’s death has placated what would have been the ultimate revenge for Terry Silver and the fulfillment of a wish he’s had since 1985.
