From the 1980s until the spinoff was created, The Karate Kid fans considered Johnny Lawrence the villain of the karate universe. Thankfully, with Cobra Kai, we learned that William Zabka, aka Johnny Lawrence, isn’t the real villain. We also witnessed the other hidden sides of Danial LaRusso throughout the show. But when the real devil, John Kreese re-entered the universe, instantly he became the villain. However, William has another theory and he made a surprise reveal about the real villain of the karate universe.

The spinoff show, Cobra Kai, has explained the backgrounds of The Karate Kid characters. It has given more depth to each character, through which we came to know about Johnny’s actual condition. He has a troubled childhood and a messy family environment. It made him an emotionally chaotic person. Whereas Daniel also had a troublesome past, he had a good teacher like Mr. Miyagi to guide him. Therefore, he turned out to be pretty well.

John Kreese didn’t really understand that the world is not a war zone. And therefore, he unknowingly messed with the lives of others. However, he is not the real villain as we see him as a changed man towards the end of season 4. So, who is the real villain?

Cobra Kai sensei William Zabka exposes the real villain

The real villain is not from Cobra Kai but from The Karate Kid. In the first installment of The Karate Kid, Ali was Johnny’s girlfriend. After their breakup, she befriended Daniel and became his girlfriend. Zabka opens up about the triangle and reveals that if she would have given him a chance to win her back, Johnny might not have gone down the path that he took.

“She’s really the true villain of The Karate Kid in a way,” revealed Zabka jokingly. He added, “She turned against Johnny, for me. If she would’ve just stuck with Johnny, stuck by his side, maybe he wouldn’t have gone down this path. She jumped ship on me.” However, while saying this, William was totally aware of teenage love and hormones. These dramatic feelings do not last, and he was aware of it.

However, we see Ali coming back in season 3. We see the story from her point of view. And we understand how their relationship with each other is intertwined. She makes peace with Daniel and Johnny and tries to make them do the same with each other as well. What is your take on this situation? Do you also think that she is the real villain? Share your opinions with us in the comment box below.