Cobra Kai Season 4 recently completed filming and, amid the announcement of one key return from The Karate Kid franchise, there are still some characters fans are missing. Paul Walter Hauser's fan-favorite character, Stingray, was a hilarious addition to the cast in Season 2 but was absent in the third season. Now, Hauser has broken his silence on why his character was absent from the latest season.
Hauser recently spoke to Insider about many things, including his character in Cobra Kai. When asked about why Stingray didn't make it into the latest season, the actor revealed what kept him out of Season 3 and whether a future appearance was out of the question:
There were conversations of how to put in Stingray, but I think it came down to the wire because they were prepping it at the same time I was heading out to shoot Cruella, so it just wouldn't have worked out timing-wise. But maybe going forward there will be time to slip me back in there.
It turns out that Paul Walter Hauser's role as Horace in Cruella kept Stingray out of Cobra Kai Season 3. Fans may remember that Stingray became a security guard at the high school in Season 2 and was involved in the brawl between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai in the finale. It was announced in Season 3 that Stingray had been fired from his job following his role in the brawl, in which he beat up several children. Stingray was legally obligated to stay 500 feet from any minor, and a restraining order kept him from the bulk of the school's faculty.
Given the circumstances of the character's exit, it could be hard to bring Paul Walter Hauser's character back to Cobra Kai. Of course, Hauser's star-power in Hollywood is on the rise, and one would think if there was an avenue for the series to bring him back, it would be figured out. As for whether Hauser thinks he will ever return, he said the following:
I love that show. I was on it in the YouTube days and then once it went to Netflix everyone realized how great it is, so I hope they bring me back. I think they will eventually, but it's such a large ensemble.
Paul Walter Hauser doesn't know for sure whether he'll be back because, as he mentioned, Cobra Kai has a large cast. Characters come and go in the cast, and there's no telling where the story will head in Season 4, especially with Terry Silver back in the universe. I'm not sure Stingray would be the person to bring him down but, if that happened to be the case in Season 4, I wouldn't be mad.
Cobra Kai Season 4 is expected to arrive later in 2021. In the meantime, you can stream the first three seasons on Netflix and, for more on the upcoming season, read up on why one star of the show was nervous about returning for the upcoming season.
