Is Miguel From 'Cobra Kai' Gay? Plus, Does He Really Know Karate?
Fans would love 'Cobra Kai's Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) to be gay, but is he actually? Plus, does the actor know karate like the character he plays?
Season 2 of Cobra Kai was a stressful one for karate champion Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) who was left in a coma and ended up at the hospital after Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) attacked him and left him unable to walk.
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The new season, which arrived on Netflix in early January, picks up with Miguel at the hospital, where he's forced to relearn how to use his legs. Aside from his dramatic storyline, however, fans are wondering whether Miguel from Cobra Kai is gay. How about the actor? Is he dating anyone today? And did Xolo Maridueña learn any karate for this challenging role?
Keep reading for details.
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Is Miguel from 'Cobra Kai' gay?
"Thinking about how Cobra Kai could've been if Miguel were a closeted gay kid," one fan wrote on Twitter, adding that the dynamic could have "played out beautifully" and "added a whole other level to Johnny struggling to mentor this kid who is his polar opposite." The fan also mentioned that an LGBT lead in the show would have added a nice contrast to "the show's themes of toxic masculinity."
Many other viewers agree, thinking that Robby and Miguel's violent energy could have been better manifested as a romantic relationship.
But from what we know now, neither Miguel, nor the actor who plays him, is gay — though that might, of course, change. According to HITC, the actor Xolo was reportedly dating his Cobra Kai co-star Hannah Kepple, who plays Moon in the series.
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The outlet writes that the stars were "pictured together several times on their respective Instagram accounts" after wrapping Season 1. But the "images of the couple have seemingly been removed" from social media, which has prompted many fans to speculate that Xolo and Hannah are not still together.
As for the character he plays on screen, Miguel is also straight — and the karate champion has dated both Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) and Tory Nichols (Peyton List) over the course of the last few seasons.
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Does Xolo Maridueña actually know karate?
While Miguel holds the title of the reigning All-Valley Karate Champion, the truth is that he has less experience than many of his Cobra Kai co-stars when it comes to martial arts.
"To be quite honest, I had minimal experience when it came to karate," the actor told The Wrap. "I had taken a year or so of karate when I was very young. I never really got into it until booking the first season of Cobra Kai."
"Now that we've filmed almost two seasons, I have more karate experience, but the majority of what we practice is stunts and boxing," he continued. "I can say confidently that I am more comfortable doing those than traditional karate."
But Jacob Bertrand, who plays Hawk, also told The Wrap that producers set the cast up with a series of private karate lessons in the months leading up to filming.
"We learned so much," he said. "We did so much training for the show."
Watch all three seasons of Cobra Kai on Netflix today.
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