Thomas Ian Griffith Breaks His Silence On Cobra Kai Season 4
"The Karate Kid" franchise is replete with guys who feel comfortable kicking a teenage boy in the noggin. There's John Kreese and his army of pubescent suburban child soldiers. There's Chozen Toguchi in "Karate Kid II" and Mike Barnes in "Karate Kid III" and that skeeze from "The Next Karate Kid" who couldn't handle rejection.
But for fans' money, not one of them holds a candle to Terry Silver, the antagonist from "The Karate Kid Part III" — who seamlessly blended the ponytail and crazy eyes of a soon-to-be disgraced youth group leader with the teaching philosophy of Pinhead from "Hellraiser." Ever since "Cobra Kai" hit the internet in 2018, die hard fans of the series have been wondering when this sadistic hoodlum would be making his return to the lives of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence.
Word finally came down in May of 2021 that Silver, played by Thomas Ian Griffith, was set to star in season four of "Cobra Kai." Not long after, the "Vampires" star took to Twitter to make it official with a special message to fans. In keeping with his character, he even made it a little bit threatening, which is fun.
Cobra Kai comes in first, gets Silver anyway
"Hey 'Cobra Kai' fans," Griffith's message on the "Cobra Kai" Twitter account begins. "I'm so excited to finally be able to share with you that I've joined the cast of season 4. An incredible group of actors, writers, and directors. And Terry Silver's back, so, look out."
And look out we will. Terry Silver was a perfect combination of '80s villain tropes when he was last seen in "The Karate Kid Part III." Not only did he own a toxic waste dump and smoke cigars in a giant bathtub, he also practiced the mean kind of martial arts where people get punched. He was manipulative, sadistic, and capable of turning well-meaning young bucks into big old jerks. His presence in the "Cobra Kai" story promises to throw a wrench in the gears of the newly expanded Miyagi-Do dojo — a wrench that the showrunners apparently planned to throw from the start, according to their recent assertion that Silver's involvement in the "Cobra Kai" story was planned from the very beginning. It all just goes to show you: after school sports like karate are a one-way ticket to 30 years of cyclical vengeance, pain, and regret.