New Cobra Kai season 5 pictures tease the return of another major character

Mike Barnes in Cobra Kai season 5
(Image credit: Netflix)

With Cobra Kai season 5 just a month away, a new look at the next installment in the Karate Kid spin-off has arrived – and it reveals a major villain is back in the Valley. None other than Sean Kanan's Mike Barnes has returned, and from the looks of things, he's going to be causing more trouble. 

In the new picture, which you can see above, Barnes is in a fierce fighting stance, though he's not quite dressed for a fight. The character was a major antagonist in The Karate Kid 3, alongside the returning Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), so we can assume he'll be up to his old tricks again in the new series. 

"So excited to FINALLY announce that Mike Barnes will be a part of season 5! [Co-creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg] wrote me an awesome story. Can't wait for you all to see it!" Kanan wrote on Twitter of his return.  

The new pictures also give a look at the rest of the returning cast. There's Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence, and Yuji Okumoto's Chozen standing together, along with Peyton List's Tory with her trophy, a meeting between Silver and Courtney Henggeler's Amanda LaRusso, newcomer Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun, what looks to be a tense meeting between Tanner Buchanan's Robby Keane and Xolo Maridueña's Miguel Diaz, and much more besides. Check out all the pictures below. 

Interestingly enough, Martin Kove's John Kreese is entirely absent from the pictures after season 4 ended with him jailed thanks to Silver's schemes. It also looks like Robby has switched allegiances back to Miyagi-Do. 

Cobra Kai season 5 hits Netflix this September 9. In the meantime, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist. 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.