John Kreese, played by the one and only Martin Kove, has been as central to "Cobra Kai" as he was to the original "Karate Kid" films.

Martin Kove reprises his role as John Kreese, a Vietnam war veteran and the no-nonsense sensei at the Cobra Kai Dojo

They say Cobra Kai never dies but John Kreese (Martin Kove) sure seems to have met his end in the penultimate episode of the series. In a fight with longtime friend-turned-rival Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffin) on a yacht,