The end of a series likely means big changes for a show’s main characters, and it’s not uncommon for some characters to not survive. That was the case for Kwon (Brandon H. Lee) in the last episode of Netflix’s Cobra Kai season 6 part 2, “Eunjangdo.”
Hayden Schlossberg, one of the Cobra Kai creators, said in an interview with Variety that Kwon was “the new big, bad antagonist” and “for him to get killed by another opponent is a surprise we were looking forward to.”
During an epic scene involving a huge fight at the Sekai Taikai, Kwon and Axel (Patrick Luwis) battle one another, and Kwon takes John Kreese’s (Martin Kove) eunjangdo knife. Viewers hear someone yelling and see that Kwon’s chest has the knife in it. A fan wrote on X, “It’s been days and I’m still not over Kwon’s death.” They continued by saying, “BRING HIM BACK!!” and added, “I’m choosing to believe he was critically injured and in the hospital.”
Others shared their shock and displeasure at the way this storyline played out.
If someone is intended to be the villain of a story, one would assume fans would cheer when that villain gets their comeuppance, either by death, disgrace, or some other form of retribution. That’s not the case here. As shown in these X posts, fans think the way Kwon died was particularly terrible.
Although fans didn’t want Kwon’s death to happen, this storyline is definitely part of a larger plan as the show gets ready to ride off into the sunset. The co-creators have all discussed this death in different interviews, and it had to take place. With Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 streaming in February 2025, fans can be sure that Kwon’s demise will inform the last episodes. Jon Hurwitz told The Hollywood Reporter the final five episodes are about “exploring everyone’s reaction to what happened.” Hayden Schlossberg told Entertainment Weekly the goal is “to make each season next-level insane” so that’s why Kwon’s arc ended this way.
Like the Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai focuses on the world of youth karate and all the lessons and huge moments that happen therein. Although the show doesn’t have a high kill count like dramas where characters die in dramatic car crashes or at the hands of a serial killer, danger does lurk in the background. It was only a matter of time before there was a massive death that viewers would keep thinking and talking about.
Although fans would have been shocked if any big character had died, Kwon’s passing allows the show to examine a bigger issue. Josh Heald told TV Line that since this fight aired on TV, “It throws the whole idea of competitive karate and the safety of that into question.”
Kwon only appeared in Cobra Kai season 6, part 2, but despite his low episode count, fans are still grieving. As several shared on X, they’re wondering if this is just a bad dream. When the show returns, will Kwon actually still be alive? Talk about a big twist, right? Sometimes it can be disappointing to tease a huge death and then it turns out that the person was fine all along. This time, fans might be fine with that. Since the showrunners have talked about his death, however, that doesn’t seem likely. But many viewers love Kwon too much to not have some hope.
Published: Nov 18, 2024 03:24 pm