Cobra Kai has finally introduced a new character who could emulate John Kreese and serve as the long-term main villain of the entire Karate Kid franchise. While the Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai have all featured a wide array of sinister baddies, none have quite matched the original. No matter how many times he loses, Martin Kove’s Kreese sheds his skin and returns with even more venom, making him the undisputed overarching antagonist of the Karate Kid timeline.

Cobra Kai‘s popularity and success prove there is life in the property yet, but for Karate Kid to continue into future decades, a new villain must rise out of the shadows. Kreese and his Cobra Kai co-founder, Terry Silver, have both stood as worthy opponents for Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence across Cobra Kai‘s six seasons, but if the franchise hopes to stay alive for the next 30 years and entertain generations to come, fresh villains are needed. Cobra Kai season 6, part 2’s cast has provided exactly that.

Cobra Kai Season 6’s Sensei Wolf Has Parallels With John Kreese

Karate Kid History Is Repeating Itself With Sensei Wolf

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Portrayed by Lewis Tan, Sensi Wolf is the John Kreese of the 2020s. Both men are skilled combatants, decorated dojo leaders, and obviously very adept at transforming promising young fighters into the best of the best. On the other hand, Kreese and Wolf share a matching dark side. Just as Kreese would push students too far in his quest to win at all costs, Cobra Kai season 6 revealed Wolf employs abusive training methods of his own. His top student, Axel, was even compared overtly to Johnny Lawrence – another talented youngster being mistreated by a sensei they trust.

Kreese and Wolf are more earthy antagonists with chips on their shoulders and points to prove.

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Kreese is willing to employ dirty, leg-sweeping tactics on the road to victory, and Wolf also has a similarly on-off relationship with honor. As well as being complicit in the assault and kidnap of Daniel LaRusso, Wolf took advantage of the Sekai Taikai brawl in Cobra Kai season 6, part 2’s ending to attack Johnny Lawrence. Lewis Tan’s character certainly mirrors John Kreese in terms of his strengths and personality traits, but it is actually Wolf’s weaknesses that prove he has more in common with Kreese than with other villains like Terry Silver.

A brief flashback in Cobra Kai season 6 explains that Sensei Wolf lost control of the Iron Dragons dojo and found himself down on his luck as a result. Only by accepting the poisoned chalice offered by Terry Silver was Wolf able to regain his old position. Kreese often found himself enduring similar hardship during his Karate Kid story, and has also been forced to cooperate with the wealthy Silver as a means of survival. Whereas Silver is the more conniving, sneaky, well-funded variety of villain, Kreese and Wolf are more earthy antagonists with chips on their shoulders and points to prove.
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Sensei Wolf Can Be The Karate Kid Franchise’s Main Villain For Years To Come

Sensei Wolf Has Massive Potential For Karate Kid’s Future

Beyond just his similarities to John Kreese, Sensei Wolf possesses an abundance of qualities that make him a perfect villain for Karate Kid‘s future. Lewis Tan’s martial arts prowess, demonstrated in previous projects such as Mortal Kombat, makes him an ideal actor for such an action-heavy franchise. Sensei Wolf feels like a formidable fighter in a very legitimate way, and that is largely thanks to Tan’s own talents.

Just as Wolf could become Karate Kid ‘s new Kreese, the Iron Dragons could become the franchise’s international version of Cobra Kai.

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There is also far more of Sensei Wolf’s backstory with the Iron Dragons to explore. The dojo largely comes out of nowhere in Cobra Kai season 6, part 2, and none of the Miyagi-do characters were even aware the Iron Dragons existed. As it stands, Wolf’s motivations and goals beyond simply winning the Sekai Taikai are only thinly mapped out.

Nevertheless, Wolf’s flashback with surprise Cobra Kai season 6 returnee Terry Silver confirms a larger story lurking beneath the surface. How Wolf learned martial arts, the origin of the Iron Dragons dojo, the ownership problems he suffered prior to Silver’s interference – all plot points that are ripe for exploration in future Karate Kid projects. And just as Wolf could become Karate Kid‘s new Kreese, the Iron Dragons could become the franchise’s international version of Cobra Kai.

Cobra Kai was the dominant dojo at the All-Valley in the years prior to Daniel LaRusso’s victory.

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At the All-Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, Cobra Kai was always the troublesome dojo other competitors would struggle to knock from their perch. The Iron Dragons dojo serves essentially the same purpose at Cobra Kai season 6’s Sekai Taikai, so if the international tournament continues to be a feature of the Karate Kid franchise, Wolf and his students will become the de facto main villains. As the Sekai Taikai’s worldwide renown is a step up from the All-Valley, Wolf’s Iron Dragons are a step up from Kreese’s Cobra Kai, raising the stakes for the entire franchise.

Sensei Wolf Is The Perfect Villain, But Karate Kid Might Not Let It Happen

The Biggest Obstacle To Lewis Tan’s Future As Sensei Wolf

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The snake in the ointment of Sensei Wolf’s Karate Kid future is the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends movie featuring Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han. The 2025 release confirms Karate Kid will continue to forge ahead as an entertainment franchise after Cobra Kai has ended, but it currently remains unclear who the main villain of Karate Kid: Legends will be and exactly what their intentions are. Alas, Lewis Tan’s name is not among the cast members, meaning Sensei Wolf is highly unlikely to play any sort of role in Karate Kid‘s next chapter.

Wolf could be the villain tormenting Miguel Diaz and Samantha LaRusso’s children in years to come.

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Indeed, Karate Kid: Legends is oddly ignoring the appeal and legacy of Cobra Kai altogether. While the upcoming movie does take place after Cobra Kai in the Karate Kid timeline, there appears to be no real connection between the new movie and the soon-to-be-ended TV series besides Daniel LaRusso. None of Cobra Kai‘s young cast members have been announced to appear, and Cobra Kai‘s showrunners have spoken of Karate Kid: Legends as a completely separate entity. In all likelihood, Karate Kid‘s new movie will totally ignore Sensei Wolf and attempt to install a brand-new villain all of its own.

Happily, that does not spell the end of Sensei Wolf, nor the Cobra Kai narrative as a whole. Such is Cobra Kai‘s popularity, even during its final season, the possibility for spinoffs or sequels remains very much alive, whether that be via more TV shows or a switch to movies. If Karate Kid: Legends can exist in isolation from Cobra Kai‘s world, Cobra Kai‘s world can do its own thing away from Karate Kid: Legends, especially if the movie performs below expectations.
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Karate Kid Movie/TV Show
Rotten Tomatoes Score (Tomatometer)

The Karate Kid
90%

The Karate Kid Part II
47%

The Karate Kid Part III
15%

The Next Karate Kid
7%

The Karate Kid (2010)
67%

Cobra Kai
93%

The possibility of more Cobra Kai stories gives Lewis Tan’s Wolf a lifeline as a part of the franchise’s future. If that hope becomes a reality, Wolf could be the villain tormenting Miguel Diaz and Samantha LaRusso’s children in years to come.