The closing chapters of “Cobra Kai” have introduced us to plenty of new faces by way of the global competition known as the Sekai Taikai. Within the collection of lethal fighters, all with their eyes on the prize, is one of the most intense teachers and the best fighter in “Cobra Kai” season 6 part 2 — The Wolf. Head of the Iron Dragons and a master that was saved by the former co-head of Cobra Kai, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), the Wolf has a fierce teaching method that gives him an edge over the likes of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). In this world of bad guys from a forgotten era, The Wolf has teeth that are just as sharp as the likes of John Kreese (Martin Kove) and Silver.

While there’s certainly a dark and dismal history to The Wolf’s origin story, the man behind the fist-throwing myth gained a bit of an edge elsewhere, which made him a perfect choice for the part. Before he boarded “Cobra Kai,” actor Lewis Tan squared off against some equally iconic characters with otherworldly moves of their own. Indeed, Tan previously dished out fatalities and brutal blows that were standard fare in the world of 2021’s (cue the music) “Mortal Kombat.”

When “Mortal Kombat” made another, and far more successful, attempt at becoming a live-action movie, Lewis Tan filled the shoes of Cole Young before he started hitting his opponents in the face with them. Unlike iconic characters like Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) and Cole’s father, Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Cole was a brand new character in the franchise. The role also demanded Tan, already skilled in martial arts, train a very different way for “Mortal Kombat.” The pressure was already on given the legacy of the beloved beat-em-up. “You don’t want to f**k it up because it’s so iconic,” Tan told Entertainment Weekly in 2021. “You want to bring something new to the table that people haven’t seen before, but at the same time really respect and pay homage to these legendary worlds that were already created.” It’s a world he’ll apparently be going back to soon with “Mortal Kombat 2,” which is set to mark the arrival of Karl Urban’s take on legendary crotch-puncher Johnny Cage.

Besides appearing in one of the better video game movies out there, Tan also appeared alongside equally brutal brawler Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in the “Deadpool” movies. Tan initially co-starred in “Deadpool 2” as X-Force member Shatterstar, a character who, after getting caught on the wrong end of a wood chipper, made a cameo-level comeback in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” There’s no word yet on what the future holds for Shatterstar, but given that mutants are gearing up to make a big entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a chance the character will shine again somewhere down the line.

Until then, you can catch Lewis Tan in “Cobra Kai,” with season 6 part 3 arriving February 13, 2025, on Netflix.