Tribute to Chad McQueen explained

Split into three parts, “Cobra Kai” Season 6 brings the best “Karate Kid” project until today to a conclusion — though not necessarily an end, given the creators' stated desire to create spin-off centered around the beloved “Karate Kid” sensei Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita, Brian Takahashi plays the latest iteration of the character in “Cobra Kai”). The show is known for paying homage to its past in general and the cast of the original Karate Kid trilogy in particular, and the latest season is no exception. “Cobra Kai” season 6, part 2, first episode titled “Benwinguts a Barcelona” features a touching tribute to Chad McQueen, who plays Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) fellow Cobra Kai student Dutch in “The Karate Kid” (1984). and its 1986 sequel, The Karate Kid II.

McQueen died on September 11, 2024 at the age of 63, while “Benwinguts a Barcelona” was released just two months later, on November 15. That said, the show paid tribute to the actor, the first time it received a credit card featuring McQueen's image with the actor's name, birth and death years, and the time-honored tagline: “Cobra Kai Never Dies.”

Chad McQueen's Dutch is one of the few notable characters from the first three “Karate Kid” films not to appear in the modern “Cobra Kai” timeline. When his old group of Cobra Kai friends, including Johnny, Bobby (Ron Thomas), Jimmy (Tony O'Dell), and Tommy (Rob Garrison), reunite in the Season 2 episode “Take a Right,” we discover that it's because , that Dutch is in prison. Series co-creator Josh Heald narrated TV line In 2024, there were many attempts to bring back the Dutch language, however:

“We love Chad McQueen so much. We were so lucky to meet him and sit down with him, and we explored the possibility of bringing him on the show many times. We tried to finish it in Season 2 and the schedules just didn't work. He couldn't be with to the rest of the OG Cobras, because they were riding a motorcycle with Tommy for episode 5, and the production schedule was so unbearable that we once again thought, “How can we bring into this world?” Because Dutch is such an important character to us.”

As it stands, McQueen's Dutchmen get their “Cobra Kai” laurels only through flashbacks and anecdotes. Tragically, the actor isn't the only member of the original Cobra Kai team to receive recognition either. The reason the gang gets back together in Season 2 is because Tommy suffers from a serious illness and dies before the end of the series. Sadly, Rob Garrison himself passed away in 2019 at the age of just 59 and received a tribute card similar to McQueen's Cobra Kai in the season 3 opener Aftermath.