The New 'Cobra Kai' Trailer Has Sparked Speculation About Ali's Return

The past few years have led to the revitalization of a lot of old franchises. Reboots, remakes, and long-delayed sequels have been incredibly common, and not all of them have turned out to be great ideas. Cobra Kai, which revisits the story of The Karate Kid decades later, is one TV sequel that most people assumed would be a terrible idea. Instead, the show has been a tremendous success. 

Over the course of the show's first two seasons, plenty of actors have reprised their roles from the original film, including William Zabka and Ralph Macchio in central roles. The most notable actor from the original film who has not appeared in Cobra Kai yet is Elisabeth Shue's Ali, who once dated Johnny and gets close to Daniel over the course of the movie. Now, fans are wondering if Ali's return is imminent in Season 3.  

The success of Cobra Kai stems in part from the fact that it decided to revisit the story of The Karate Kid from a new, far more distant perspective. William's Johnny Lawrence takes center stage in the series, which focuses on the shared history he has with childhood rival Daniel LaRusso, who's played by Ralph. Whereas the original film makes the lines between good and evil crystal clear, Cobra Kai is much more interested in the ambiguity of its characters.  

Although Ali has yet to show up on the show, Cobra Kai's second season definitely hinted that a return was possible. We learn that Ali is married and currently works as a pediatric surgeon. 

Johnny is still upset about the end of his relationship with her and inadvertently requests her on Facebook. By the end of the season, Ali has accepted the request. 

Given the fact that the show was willing to address Ali's existence head-on, many fans wonder whether Elisabeth's return to the world of The Karate Kid is in the works. Cobra Kai's third season is set to hit Netflix in January 2021, and Elisabeth could be back when the show is. No definite news has broken in this regard, but Elisabeth has expressed interest in revisiting the role. 

“I have seen it," Ali said of the show in an interview with ET Canada. "And I thought it was really well done. And I’m thinking about it. That’s what I can say… Ali with an I may live once again.” 

Most recently, Elisabeth played Madelyn Stillwell on The Boys. Now that her character is no longer a factor on that show, though, she's free to return to Cobra Kai if things work out. 

Whether Elisabeth joins Cobra Kai in Season 3 or not, the show's new season is sure to be hotly anticipated. January 2021 is right around the corner, and it's likely to bring more of what fans already love so much about the series. Now that it's hit Netflix, Cobra Kai is likely to remain a big deal for years to come.