'Karate Kid' spoilers! 'Legends' director talks ending, 'Cobra Kai' connection
Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points and the ending of “Karate Kid: Legends” (in theaters now), so beware if you haven’t seen it yet.
A big tournament championship between rivals is the hallmark of any “Karate Kid” movie, and the latest installment in the Miyagi-verse literally takes the competition to new heights.
In “Karate Kid: Legends,” Ben Wang is the latest actor to wear the franchise’s underdog mantle as Li Fong, a kung fu-trained transplant from China to America. He makes an enemy out of Conor (Aramis Knight), a Brooklyn karate champ and ex-boyfriend of Li’s friend Mia (Sadie Stanley). Unsurprisingly, they're on course for a high-stakes matchup when Li enters the famed Five Boroughs tourney to win money to help Mia’s dad Victor (Joshua Jackson) pay off a loan shark.
To conquer Conor, though, he’s going to need more than just kung fu moves. So his sifu Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) travels to Southern California to recruit sensei Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to teach Li some karate skills with just days to spare.
Let’s dig into all the best spoilers, from a different sort of “Karate Kid” ending to a mid-credits scene with a surprise “Cobra Kai” connection.
What happens in the ending of ‘Karate Kid: Legends’?
“Karate Kid” tourneys have leveled up since the days of the original film's 1984 All Valley championship where teen Daniel tussled with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Li conquers several foes via montage in the Five Boroughs, with each match taking place at a street location, leading to the final on top of a skyscraper against Conor. And like four decades ago, a signature kick is significant to the climax: Earlier in “Legends,” Li tried to do his late brother’s acrobatic Dragon Kick on Conor, which the bully easily countered. In the tourney, Li uses it as a trap, unleashing the kick, ducking under Conor’s counterattack, and landing a decisive blow that leads to his victory.
Director Jonathan Entwistle explains that he wanted to honor past movies but also avoid what he calls “the tournament trap.” So his twist on the familiar was “based on how kung fu itself is perceived in Western movies,” he says. “What we had with kung fu and karate was this idea of street fighting and Bruce Lee vs. the sports movie.”
The climactic match was built to be “my ‘Lord of the Rings’ moment," Entwistle adds, "where we get to the top of the mountain and the wind's blowing, and that's where the fight is. That's what I wanted, to buy myself the ability to have a 12-minute martial arts finale with very little dialogue in a perpetual sunset.”
Does ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ have a post-credits scene?
Yes, it does! And it ties into the final scene where Li is working at Victor’s pizza shop following his tourney win. After the end title card and before the credits roll, the movie cuts back to LaRusso’s SoCal dojo and Daniel gets a surprise pizza delivery. He opens the box, sees a thank you note from Li and brings it into the house where Johnny’s hanging out – a familiar sight for lovers of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” series.
Daniel tells him he needs to try this pie but Johnny argues that “the best pizzas are in Encino.” Then Johnny has the great idea to do a karate-themed pizza parlor called Miyagi-Dough (a play on LaRusso’s Miyagi-do karate).
“That’s disrespectful,” Daniel says. “To pizza?” Johnny counters. “To Mr. Miyagi!” Daniel replies. Johnny then brainstorms some punny advertising: “Miyagi-Dough: Pepperoni’s the best defense,” “Slice first, slice hard, no anchovies” and “Olives on, olives off.”
A “Cobra Kai” fan himself, Entwistle wanted to further connect the dots in the Miyagi-verse. “We just let Billy and Ralph go because that's the joy of where we were,” he says. “I hope that that alone helps make people realize we didn't make a ‘Cobra Kai’ movie. We made a ‘Karate Kid’ movie.
"But it's the homage to what has just finished to lead us on to a brand new chapter, a brand new novel in the series that hopefully can go on.”