Warning: Spoilers for Cobra Kai season 6 part 3
Cobra Kaiquietly laid the groundwork for the secret partnership between Terry Silver and Dennis De Guzman in the show’s season 4 finale. In a surprising turn of events,the tattooed fighter inCobra Kaithat orchestrated Daniel LaRusso’s kidnapping in Barcelona turned out to be Dennis, a minor antagonist fromThe Karate Kid Part III.
Mike Barnes, John Kreese, and Terry Silver were the three most noteworthy villains inThe Karate Kid Part III, but they weren’t the only characters meaning Ralph Macchio’s character in the film. Also in on the scheme were Dennis and Snake, two low-level thugs who worked as henchmen for Terry Silver. Both helped Mike Barnes bully Daniel in the movie. Given the show’s penchant forbringing backKarate Kidcharactersand his history, the return of at least one of these two villains was a no-brainer. And it would seem thatCobra Kaihad been hiding his role for a while.
Cobra Kai Set Up Dennis' Return In Cobra Kai Season 4
Terry Silver Already Indicated To Kreese He Would Re-Hire One Of His Karate Kid 3 Henchmen
When Kreese was being carted off by the police in theCobra Kaiseason 4 finale, Terry Silver teased him by saying he would bring back “old friends” to help run the dojo in Kreese’s absence. At the time, the leading theory was that Silver was referring to Mike Barnes, but him calling on the services of Dennis and Snake made sense as well. But season 5 cast doubt on that idea when Silver brought in Kim Dae-Eun and instructors from Kim Sun-Yung’s Tang Soo Do dojo in South Korea. Now, however, it stands to reason that Terry Silver really was referring to Dennis in season 4.
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The specific use of the phrase “friends” is a sign that he may have also been talking about Snake at the same time. This idea ties into a line from Silver’s lawyer inCobra Kaiseason 6 part 2, which confirmed thatSnake met an unfortunate end sometime after theKarate Kid Part III. Based on that reveal, it’s possible that Silver did indeed to recruit both Snake and Dennis after the season 4 finale, and it was during his search for him that he learned about Snake’s death.
Terry Silver Hiring Dennis After Season 4 Explains Cobra Kai’s Mike Barnes Twist
It Looks Like Dennis Was Working For Terry Silver Before Season 6
Of course, Dennis had no hand in Cobra Kai’s operations in season 5, but that’s not to say that he wasn’t working for Silver at this time. In fact,Cobra Kai’spenultimate episode hinted at this very possibility when Dennis responded to Silver’s command that he target Johnny Lawrence’s family. Dennis explained that kidnapping wasn’t the same as burning down a furniture store, thus implying that it was he who committed that crime in season 5. Presumably,Dennis retaliated against Mike Barneson Silver’s behalf.
From the looks of things, Terry Silver contacted Dennis after his takeover of Cobra Kai, and had him working for him behind-the-scenes, rather than have him deal with Johnny and Daniel directly.
That fits in neatly with Terry Silver’s “old friends” tease, as it creates a plausible timeline of events concerning his relationship with Dennis. From the looks of things, Terry Silver contacted Dennis after his takeover of Cobra Kai, and had him working for him behind-the-scenes, rather than have him deal with Johnny and Daniel directly. In this way, he was able to covertly arrange the destruction of Mike Barnes' furniture store, without anyone having any direct knowledge of how he pulled it off.
Cobra Kai
Cast
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
