Hilary Swank’s Disappointing Cobra Kai Update Creates A New Season 6 Mystery

All signs seemed to point to Hilary Swank having a cameo in Cobra Kai season 6, but a surprising update means even more unanswered questions going into the Netflix series’ final season. So far, several The Karate Kid characters have appeared in the spinoff series—even some of the minor ones. For this reason, many have expected Swank’s Julie Pierce from The Next Karate Kid to make an appearance, and there was even a specific Cobra Kai character that seemed to be set up for a big reveal. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this is happening.

Julie Pierce was Mr. Miyagi’s new student in The Next Karate Kid (1994), replacing Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso as the titular character. Though the movie wasn’t nearly as popular as its predecessors, it’s an official installment in what has been dubbed the “Miyagi-verse,” which means Julie would be an easy cameo for Netflix’s spinoff series Cobra Kai. However, five seasons in, and Swank’s character has been nowhere to be seen. Cobra Kai season 6 would be the last chance for such a cameo to happen, but the actor has made it sound like she has received no such invitation.

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Hilary Swank Claims She Won’t Be Appearing In Cobra Kai Season 6

In an interview promoting her upcoming movie Ordinary Angels (via Screen Rant), Swank was asked about possibly returning to the Valley in either Cobra Kai or the 2024 Karate Kid movie starring Macchio and Jackie Chan. She seemingly had no idea what the interviewer was talking about, stating that she was unaware of a new Karate Kid movie. Then, responding to the possibility of appearing in the final season of Cobra Kai, Swank said “I don’t think I am, unfortunately.” This seems like a fairly definitive answer and creates a larger question going into season 6.

Who Is Tory’s Mom If Not Hilary Swank’s Karate Kid Character?

Swank’s claim that she won’t be appearing in Cobra Kai season 6 is surprising since the series seemed to perfectly set up the reveal that Julie Pierce is Tory Nichols’ mother. Early in the series, it was established that Tory’s mom was too ill to care for her family, which meant that the teenager had to pay the bills. Though there was nothing particularly mysterious about this, Cobra Kai season 2 seemed to go out of its way to keep the woman’s face obscured from the camera. This was repeated in season 5, where only the foot of Mrs. Nichols’ bed was seen in Tory’s apartment.

It would have been easy enough to cast someone to play Tory’s mother, even if she was only shown in a few brief scenes. If the woman’s identity wasn’t important, it seems as if Cobra Kai would want to show the sickly character in bed to earn sympathy for the previously antagonistic Tory. This is why it has commonly been assumed that Mrs. Nichols is actually Julie Pierce. If this wasn’t the case, why did Cobra Kai work so hard to keep the character out of sight?

Hilary Swank May Be Misleading Cobra Kai Fans

It’s always possible that Swank is misleading Cobra Kai viewers. This would ensure that, if she did appear in season 6, it would remain a surprise. The actor mentioned in her interview that she is asked about Cobra Kai more than anything else, so Netflix would surely know that the chances of this big cameo being spoiled would be high. Therefore, Swank may have been told to take the route of denial. After all, she did say, “I don’t think I am,” which left the door open just the tiniest sliver.

Of course, this may be a fool’s hope. The fact that Cobra Kai was so secretive about the identity of Tory’s mother could be an indication that the writers were hoping they could eventually get Swank on board, but it might have just not worked out. The way the character was handled, season 6 could drop the whole thing and it wouldn’t have much impact on the overall story. Ultimately, we won’t know until Cobra Kai season 6 hits Netflix, but it may be best to prepare for Swank’s absence.

Cobra Kai

Set decades after the events of the Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai shifts gears and puts viewers into the perspective of a former rival/antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. In his 50s and down on his luck, a chance encounter with a bullied young man leads Johnny back to Karate. Agreeing to help him, Johnny takes the opportunity to revive his former home, the Cobra Kai dojo – becoming a refuge for outcast teens.

Cast

Tanner Buchanan , Xolo Mariduena , Mary Mouser , Connor Murdock , Ralph Macchio , Nichole Brown , Jacob Bertrand , Griffin Santopietro , William Zabka

Seasons

5

Writers

Josh Heald , Jon Hurwitz , Hayden Schlossberg , Michael Jonathan , Mattea Greene , Bill Posley , Stacey Harman , Joe Piarulli , Bob Dearden

Directors

Jon Hurwitz

Showrunner

Jon Hurwitz