Does Hilary Swank’s Julie Pierce Appear In ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 6, Part 1?

Nobody does nostalgia better than our pals at Cobra Kai . Series creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have imbued the Cobra Kai universe with a slew of fun Karate Kid callbacks , beloved legacy characters, and memorable musical moments referencing the original films .

Fans were treated to the returns of Daniel and Johnny’s high school love interest Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), Karate Kid villains turned allies Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) and Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), and the always dangerous Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). But there’s still one Karate Kid legacy character the Cobra Kai faithful want to see on the show: Hilary Swank’s Julie Pierce.

The Academy Award-winner memorably starred in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid , the fourth installment of the franchise. The movie wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by critics, it has a 7% Tomatometer score, but that hasn’t stopped fans from clamoring for Swank to reprise her role.

The first five episodes of the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai are now streaming on Netflix, with Part 2 scheduled to drop on November 15, 2024. Will Hilary Swank appear in the final season of Cobra Ka i? Here’s everything we know.

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Nope. Hilary Swank’s Julie Pierce doesn’t appear in the first five episodes of the sixth season of Cobra Kai .

Swank shut down rumors of a potential Cobra Kai appearance during a February 2024 interview with Collider .

“I don’t think I am,” Swank said when asked if she’d be appearing on Cobra Kai . “It’s, like, the number one question I get right now. Most people usually say, ‘What’s it like working with Clint Eastwood?’ But I think, ‘Are you going to be on Cobra Kai has almost surpassed that.'”

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THAT SAID, I absolutely believe Hilary Swank will make her way into the Cobra Kai universe. I’ve interviewed showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg multiple times. Not only do they (obviously) have a palpable love and respect for the original Karate Kid franchise, but they also try to keep all their surprise cameos a secret so streamers can have a spoiler-free viewing experience.

Hurwitz has previously stated that at least one character from the Karate Kid films would make their Cobra Kai debut in Season 6. Dutch (Chad McQueen), who’s referenced in Season 6, Episode 2, is an obvious choice — and I do think there’s a good chance he appears — but I don’t think a show that’s so steeped in nostalgia would miss an opportunity to utilize Swank.

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Hilary’s denial about appearing in the final season is also interesting . Her exact phrasing (“Um…I…don’t…think I am) and the fact that she quickly pivots to how often she’s asked leads me to believe there’s more to the story. Plus, what’s she supposed to say? “Yeah! I’m in the final season, and I have an epic battle with Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim)!”

One final interesting tidbit. The young cast of Cobra Kai was recently asked by Extra about a possible Hilary Swank appearance . They gave the standard answer, but there’s an interesting moment between Xolo Maridueña (Miguel) and Gianni DeCenzo (Demetri). Jacob Bertrand (Hawk) is answering the question, but if you slow down the audio, it sounds like Xolo and Gianni have this exchange:

Xolo: She just might be in the next…
Gianni: What?
Xolo: What?

That’s some very interesting body language, right? “She just might be in the next…” bunch of episodes?

If I had to guess — and this is pure speculation — I’d say the new revelations about Mr. Miyagi will lead to Daniel seeking answers about his mentor from one Ms. Julie Pierce. I have no idea if it’ll be a quick cameo, an episode, or a longer storyline that would lead to a showdown with formidable Cobra Kai baddie Kim Da-Eun, but I’d bet on the return of Julie. And probably a hawk.

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

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