‘Blue Beetle’ Star Xolo Maridueña Loves ‘Cobra Kai’ As Much As We Do

Before his star turn in DC’s Blue Beetle, in which he plays the main character Jaime Reyes, Xolo Maridueña’s best-known work was in the Netflix series Cobra Kai. A spinoff of the Karate Kid films, the series brings together old and new talent as they explore the lives of Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso decades following their major standoff. Maridueña, in an interview with Rolling Stone, mentions hoping for a reunion of his own 30 years down the line.

When asked if he wants to keep doing karate following the end of the series, he says:

“I will say I definitely am gonna keep stretching, just on the off chance that we get to bring the gis out again. I just hope that 30 years down the line, we’ll get to pick up the gi again and do a whole other revival.”

His love for the series is infectious, mentioning the lovable nature of William Zabka despite the character’s blunt personality, and his hope for Miguel to get a happy ending.

“So much of these young kids’ journeys have been in search of a sense of belonging, and that’s something that, as a teenager, I definitely related to and understood.”

Having started the series at just 16 years old, the actor mentions growing into acting through his character and then having to further develop his skills as Jaime.

While shooting the final season was interrupted due to the WGA strike, he mentions that there’s a definite sense of finality to the tone of the series. With the series ending in the future, and the release of Blue Beetle upon us, the actor, along with his fellow newcomer co-stars such as Belissa Escobedo, deserve the same career trajectory chances that their industry counterparts are given — even under the circumstances of the strike.

Frankly, there’s no walking away from Blue Beetle not utterly charmed by Maridueña’s performance. Here’s hoping his star only continues to rise.