Why was Stingray not in Cobra Kai season 3? | #students | #parents

The official in-universe explanation for why Stingray suddenly goes AWOL right when the terf war between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do heats up comes in season 3, episode 1, “Aftermath.” Daniel LaRusso and his wife, Amanda (Courtney Henggeler), attend a PTA meeting where all the parents have gathered to discuss how they’re going to ensure that something like the season 2 brawl doesn’t happen again. One of the people in the crowd brings up the “neck-beard teacher” who got involved in the scuffle, leading to one of the school administrators to say, “Last we heard [Raymond’s] on probation and not allowed within 500 feet of any child.” 

That restraining order would certainly put a damper on his karate lessons at the Cobra Kai dojo, and it makes for a handy explanation for why he’s also no longer seen hanging out with his old chums outside of school hours. Netflix hasn’t offered any official explanation for why actor Paul Walter Hauser didn’t come back to lay down the pain, but if you look at his IMDb credits as of late, he’s a star on the rise. 

He had the lead role in 2019’s Richard Jewell and has also starred in other high-profile projects, such as BlacKkKlansman, Da 5 Bloods, and Songbird,  the star-studded pandemic thriller that killed it on Amazon. If we were to wager a guess, it’s likely Hauser was just too busy to come back for a supporting role on a show that already has a sizable cast. He’s also fairly booked for the foreseeable future. You can see him next in one of the upcoming Disney movies in 2021 you won’t want to miss, the live-action Cruella. It’s possible he could have time for a quick cameo in Cobra Kai season 4, but either way, the future is very bright for Hauser regardless of whether or not he’s beating up any kids.