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Joe Seo plays Kyler in ‘Cobra Kai.’
As fans of Cobra Kai are aware, Kyler, portrayed by Joe Soe, appeared in the show’s third season, which premiered on January 1. The character spent most of Season 1 bullying Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) and being a bad boyfriend to Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser). The West Valley High School student, however, was noticeably absent in Cobra Kai Season 2.
In the show’s latest season, he returns to his role as an antagonist and joins John Kreese’s dojo, Cobra Kai.
One of the Show’s Co-Creators Commented on Kyler’s Return
During a January 2021 interview with /Films, the show’s executive producer and co-creator Jon Hurwitz commented on Kyler being featured in the show’s third season.
“We fall in love with the characters in our universe. When there’s a performer that we enjoy and that’s meaningful to other characters on the show, we’re always looking for an opportunity to bring them back,” explained Hurwitz.
The executive producer went on to say the series’ writers realized that Kyler’s presence could help develop another character’s plot. He told the publication:
We love the work that Joe Seo did in Season 1 and when we’re entering the season 3 writers room and thinking about the storylines of our characters, Hawk is in the Cobra Kai dojo. He’s top dog but what are things that we can be doing this season that are going to challenge Hawk/Eli mentally as he’s trying to be the top dog in Cobra Kai? To have a kid who bullied him in the past or a group, a couple bullies, kids who made fun of him show up there and be right there in his face with this new version of himself, it felt like something that would be additive. We felt that Kyler also brings a comedic voice that we enjoy on the show.
Seo Has Discussed Working on ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 3
In December 2020, Seo discussed returning to Cobra Kai while being interviewed on the podcast, Popternative. He revealed that he was approached by producers while they were still shooting the show’s second season.
“The producers reached out to me saying, ‘yeah, I’m still — Kyler is still in the universe of you know of Cobra Kai,’” said the actor.
He also explained the in-universe reason for Kyler not playing a part in Cobra Kai Season 2. He stated that the season was “about summer break” and his character was not going to “hang out with losers,” during his time away from school.
He proceeded to note that fans may have forgotten about his character before the Season 3 trailer was released.
“I think for a lot of people, it really blindsided them like oh s*** I forgot Kyler was in this gosh I hate that d*** I wish he never came back… I’m that splinter in someone’s bum you get what I’m saying,” quipped the actor.
Seo also stated that he wanted the Cobra Kai fandom to understand Kyler’s importance to the show’s overall storyline. He noted the character had a huge part in Miguel’s character development, as he would have not become Johnny’s student if not for being bullied.
“I just hope the fans really see this character as a necessity because he is the main reason Miguel is Miguel now, you know what I’m saying… I really hope that this antagonist in this story kinda grows as well as Miguel, you know, just to parallel their growth,” said the actor.
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