How Cobra Kai Fixed Ali Mills' Terrible Karate Kid 2 Exit, 35 Years Later

Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) had a frustrating exit from the Karate Kid franchise. Fortunately, Cobra Kai managed to retcon some of the big issues with her departure. Ali Mills may have only appeared in one of the Karate Kid movies, but her memorable role in that first film from 1984 has enshrined her as one of the key figures in the franchise. From the outset, Ali is an awesome character. She's proud, cool, and willing to stand up for herself and others. She has a confidence about her that both Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) sorely lack.

Her blossoming relationship with Daniel is patiently crafted and honest to both characters. Ali doesn't fall head over heels for Daniel right away, it takes some time, and he makes plenty of mistakes along the way. At the end of The Karate Kid, before Johnny and Daniel's legendary fight, Daniel asks Ali to be ringside with him, and it's a heartfelt and satisfying moment because of how the relationship has grown. As great as their relationship was in The Karate Kid, it made their fallout in The Karate Kid Part II all the more frustrating.

The Karate Kid Part II Gives A Perplexing Reason For Ali Mills' Absence

Ali Is Rudely Handwaved Away By Daniel

Elizabeth Shue as Ali Mills smiling at Daniel (Ralph Macchio) in The Karate Kid (1984) — Elizabeth Shue as Ali Mills in The Karate Kid (1984)

Elisabeth Shue did not end up coming back for The Karate Kid Part II, which wasn't that unusual. The sequel premiered in 1986, and while that wasn't a long time after the first film, it was enough time that Elisabeth Shue had cleary had set her sights on stardom and was positioning herself for a different sort of career. However, The Karate Kid Part II director John G. Avildsen and writer Robert Mark Kamen could have given her character a more elegant exit from the franchise than the one they went with.

At the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II, Daniel explains to Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) that Ali broke up with him. He says she decided to pursue a UCLA football player instead, and for good measure, wrecked Daniel's car. That's all that's said about it. It's a pretty ignoble end for a character who had proven herself to be a loyal and down-to-earth girlfriend.

With what the audience knows about Ali, it makes no sense that she would break Daniel's heart and destroy his car on the way out.

With what the audience knows about Ali, it makes no sense that she would break Daniel's heart and destroy his car on the way out. Either the writers didn't think twice about their explanation or they were personally miffed that Shue did not return for the film. They could have simply said she moved or written any other innocuous reason characters don't reappear in sequels. Instead, they drag her through the mud for no real reason.

Cobra Kai Lets Ali Tell Her Side Of The Story

Ali's Version Of The Events Paint Her In A Better And More Logical Light

Johnny (William Zabka) and Ali (Elisabeth Shue) smiling at a carnival in Cobra Kai Season 3

Thankfully, Cobra Kai manages to retcon that The Karate Kid Part II Ali Mills storyline, and it does so without ignoring the movie's plot. Ali reappears in Cobra Kai season 3 after being teased in the season 2 finale, and she finally gets to explain why she and Daniel broke up. Ali's side of the story makes much more sense, both logically and in regard to the characters' personalities. Ali explains that at the senior prom, she reconnected with an old friend but Daniel immediately got jealous, as he was wont to do, and ended things.

Ali Mills has two children in Cobra Kai and is in the process of divorcing her husband, Dr. Gregory Schwarber.

Furthermore, Ali reveals that she had constantly warned Daniel about the faulty brake pads in the car, which is what led to the crash. It's not that Daniel lied about what happened, it's that he saw things differently, shaped by a young man's temperament. Cobra Kai doesn't let Ali off completely, however, which is important in keeping her a fully realized character. She admits that when Daniel started getting jealous at prom, she egged him on. After this revelation, Daniel apologizes, but Ali tells him the good always outweighed the bad.

What The Cobra Kai Creators Said About Bringing Ali Back

Elisabeth Shue And Ralph Macchio Were Both Annoyed With Ali's Exit In The Karate Kid Part II

It wasn't just fans who were upset about Ali Mills' unceremonious write-off from the series. The Cobra Kai creators were determined to correct that flaw in Ali's characterization. Creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg said about Ali Mills' departure in The Karate Kid Part II (via BusinessInsider),

"We didn't like that reason. Elisabeth didn't like that reason. So we tried to think of a way to make a way that didn't make Daniel out to be a liar but also gave Ali her own side of the story."

They did manage to craft a story that didn't make Daniel out to be a liar, but also gave Ali her day in court, and helped to explain why Daniel may have misunderstood things. Hurwitz added,

"Hearing what happened at the start of that movie was such a bummer for us. So we knew when we brought her on the show we would find a way to explain and get her side of the story."

It was a bummer, and thankfully, Cobra Kai made a point to address Ali's story. Ralph Macchio was also always annoyed with Ali's story and regrets not standing up for Shue as an actress by defending her character (via TheGuardian),

"I never looked at it from the perspective of Ali's character or from the perspective of Elisabeth as an actor. As an older person, there was a recognition of missteps, of things I should have done differently."

Shue herself was frustrated with the decision to handwave her character away in The Karate Kid Part II (via AVClub),

"In Karate Kid 2, my character was kind of pushed aside in a way that didn't feel so great. So it's funny how the idea of Ali coming back [started]. At first, I thought, 'Well, her character really left the world of The Karate Kid in a way that wasn't so great…would people care about her coming back?'"

Among the many reasons why Ali Mills' return to the franchise is great, the regrets it settles with the cast and creators is one of the most important.

Ali Mills' Cobra Kai Storyline Rights The Wrongs Of Her Karate Kid Part II Story

Elisabeth Shue Is A Critical Part Of The Karate Kid And Cobra Kai Reminds Everyone Of That

Elizabeth Shue as Ali Mills smiling at someone in The Karate Kid (1984) — Elizabeth Shue as Ali Mills in The Karate Kid (1984)

Ali Mills' Cobra Kai storyline really fixes the issues with her The Karate Kid Part II "storyline". Had her character been left with that one line about her mistakes, Ali would be remembered as a shallow character who didn't actually care about Daniel or anything that happened in The Karate Kid, which would not have been honest to the character. In Cobra Kai, Ali gets to reconcile with both Johnny and Daniel and reaffirm just how important her character was to that original movie.

Daniel and Johnny are still dealing with teenage frustrations in Cobra Kai which are tied up in their relationships with Ali. Their young crushes on her shaped them, maybe not in totality but in part at least. Her return to the series makes that abundantly clear. Shue reminds the Karate Kid audience why her character was such a wonderful friend to Daniel, and at one point Johnny, and by telling Ali Mills' story in Cobra Kai, the whole universe gets richer for the deeper investigation into her character and her history with the leads.