Karate Kid: Legends Director Told Me How That Post Credit Scene Joke Came About, And I Love The Cobra Kai Connection

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SPOILERS ahead for Karate Kid: Legends, now playing in theaters.

2025’s “Karate Kid: Legends” has long been one of my most anticipated movies. Ever since I learned about it, I’ve wondered how it might connect or contrast with the “Cobra Kai” series finale from earlier this year. Now that it’s playing in theaters (complete with a special popcorn bucket!), I can confirm that it doesn’t directly relate to or mention “Cobra Kai”… at least not until the post-credits scene, where Ralph Macchio and William Zabka brilliantly rekindle their on-screen chemistry as Daniel and Johnny!

Following six exciting seasons of “Cobra Kai”, I believe the creators behind “The Karate Kid: Legends” wisely opted against delving into the series’ backstory. The scenes featuring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han were a joy to watch, especially since I learned that he performs his own stunts. Moreover, the unexpected appearance of Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka) at the end was hilarious, with his classic dad joke about Daniel LaRusso opening a pizza place called “Miyagi Dough”. This joke left me pondering whether there’s actually a pizza parlor in “Legends” purely for that punchline. Here’s how Jonathan Entwistle responded to this:

*The creators of “Cobra Kai” chose not to explore the series’ history in “The Karate Kid: Legends”, and I appreciate their decision. The moments featuring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han were delightful, as I was intrigued to discover that he performs his own stunts. Furthermore, William Zabka’s surprise appearance at the end with a classic dad joke about Daniel LaRusso opening a pizza place called “Miyagi Dough” left me wondering if there’s a pizzeria in “Legends” specifically for that gag. This is how Jonathan Entwistle responded:*

You know, a large portion of that scene was unscripted, so we basically said, “Let’s wing it.” We had the Miyagi house, our cast, and we thought, “Alright, let’s film some hilarious lines.” I was like, “You know what? I really need a good punchline for the last line of the movie. Let’s brainstorm.” So, we were bouncing ideas off each other and with our natural chemistry, it turned out great.

As you can see! The humor in that joke was so strong, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had sparked the entire storyline about Ben Wang’s Li Fong developing a connection with a New York pizza place owned by a family. However, Entwistle explained that the joke actually originated from some leisurely time spent together by Macchio and Zabka while they were filming the scene between the two of them.

According to the director’s statement, he wasn’t sure about the dialogue when setting up the scene where Macchio receives a pizza from across the U.S., but aimed for an impactful line to conclude the film. The actors certainly came through with their delivery! You could say they delivered it, and the post-credits scene is a subtle tribute to Cobra Kai fans who have been following the Karate Kid spinoff for years, yet haven’t seen the original fighters from the first Karate Kid films on the big screen since then.

This brief scene offers fans a glimpse into the friendship dynamic between the characters following the finale of Cobra Kai, where they shifted from being adversaries to allies instead of engaging in another confrontation. Moreover, it seems that the ending maintains a cheerful and ambiguous tone for the characters played by Ben Wang (Li Fong, Daniel, and Johnny) as well as Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han, without explicitly hinting at any forthcoming developments.

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2025-05-30 20:38