Given that it is a spin-off of the Marshall Arts classic “The Karate Kid,” Netflix's “Cobra Kai” is a great example of a film franchise that has been a great success, from leading roles like Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to John Cleese (Martin Cove) and Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffiths) to big bads like Silver (Thomas Ian Griffiths), it is no surprise that several prominent characters from that film franchise have been reintroduced

And while Season 6 of “Cobra Kai” brought even more familiar faces like Mike Burns, played by Sean Kanan from “Karate Kid Part III,” one member of the “Karate Kid” universe is noticeably absent from the series

But as “Cobra Kai” co-creator John Hurwitz recently revealed on social media, it was not for lack of trying

McQueen, who played Dutch, a student at the Cobra Kai dojo and a member of Johnny Lawrence's gang, in the original “Karate Kid” film, unfortunately passed away on September 11, 2024, at the age of 63 from organ failure at his California ranch While remembering the deceased, Hurwitz also mentioned why McQueen and his character Dutch did not appear in the “Cobra Kai” series

“We always wanted Chad McQueen to be in it And it almost happened a few times,” Hurwitz revealed in a Twitter post

He said, however, that McQueen, who was a race car driver as well as an actor and martial artist, never fully recovered from the near-fatal injuries he sustained at the speedway Chad was torn His racing injuries limited his abilities, but he loved the idea of playing again with his buddy @william_zabka They were great fun to be with while making 'Karate Kid,'” Hurwitz wrote

When Hurwitz heard that McQueen was interested in appearing in “Cobra Chi,” he visited him: “I drove up to his ranch and met him in person for the first time He and his family gave me a warm welcome He was as unique and hilarious as I had always heard from Billy”

“We left Chad's house excited and determined to make Dutch's return special We kept his name out of episode 602, partly to keep it fresh in the viewer's memory"

”We also wanted to make sure he was still a part of the show I wrote his scene later in the season Dutch was still a badass There was a pathos to that scene It would have touched the hearts of young John, Josh, and Hayden”

But that cameo simply “wasn't meant to be,” Hurwitz wrote

Season 6 of “Cobra Kai” will be released in a three-part series of five episodes The first will be released this July, the second will be released on Netflix on November 28, and the final five episodes will be released on an undetermined date in 2025

Tom's Guide will keep you updated on the latest news surrounding the sixth season of “Cobra Kai,” including behind-the-scenes, showrunner insights, and possible cameos by “Karate Kid” characters Until then, you can revisit the first five seasons of this martial arts comedy-drama via Netflix subscription