Cobra Kai Ends Without the One Karate Kid Cameo Fans Were Begging For (And That’s Probably For the Best)

After six seasons, Cobra Kai has come to an end, as Netflix released the final five episodes of the beloved Karate Kid series on Thursday morning. The show wrapped up the story of Johnny and Daniel’s rivalry-turned-friendship and saw their karate students finish up the biggest tournament in the world before heading off to college. There were, of course, a couple of fun cameos at the end of the series, but the one Karate Kid cameo that fans have been asking about for years didn’t come to be.

We’re not going to “spoil” anything about the actual events of Cobra Kai‘s final episodes here, but if you consider “this person who has never been in the show before doesn’t ever show up” a spoiler, then you might not want to keep reading.

As you probably could’ve guessed by now, we’re talking about Oscar-winner Hilary Swank. While she never actually appeared in any of Ralph Macchio’s Karate Kid movies, Swank starred in the fourth installment of the franchise, The Next Karate Kid, back in 1996. The Next Karate Kid saw Swank’s Julie Pierce study under Mr. Miyagi, just as Daniel once did.

Swank herself said that she probably wasn’t going to appear in the final season, but fans held out hope that this was one of those Andrew Garfield/Spider-Man: No Way Home situations, and that everyone was just fibbing to keep the cameo a surprise.

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Heading into the final season of Cobra Kai, Julie was really the only major Karate Kid character who hadn’t appeared in the show, and fans have spent years asking for her to be included in some way. When one of the final season’s storylines focused in on Daniel wrestling with the legacy of Mr. Miyagi, it seemed like Swank’s Julie had an easy way to jump into the world once again.

It didn’t end up happening, but that’s probably a good thing. While Cobra Kai went all over the world and followed a ton of different storylines, the final five episodes brought the focus back to where it all began: Johnny and Daniel. The end of the show was mostly focused on Johnny’s journey to redemption that he started back in the series premiere.

With that focus on those two guys and their relationship, it honestly would’ve been distracting to shift the attention to another beloved franchise returnee. There were absolutely opportunities earlier in the series — and even earlier in Season 6 — where it would have been awesome for Swank to hop in. But in these last episodes, the spotlight was rightfully on Johnny and Daniel, exactly where it needed to be.

What did you think of Cobra Kai‘s final season? Were you disappointed not to see Hilary Swank pop up? Let us know in the comments!