David

David
Biographical Information
Name	David
Status	Unknown
Occupation	College Student Football Player
Personal Information
Friends	Betsy (Formerly) James
Enemies	John Kreese Betsy
Love Interest(s)	Betsy (Ex-Girlfriend)
Affiliation	Football Team
Series Information
First Appearance	Nature Vs. Nurture
Last Appearance	Nature Vs. Nurture
Portrayed By	Jesse Kove

"They're the opponent. You don't show them mercy."

―David to Betsy

David is a minor antagonist in Season 3 of Cobra Kai. He appears in flashbacks to 1965.

He is portrayed by Jesse Kove, who is the son of Martin Kove.

Cobra Kai

Season 3

In a flashback to 1965, David and his girlfriend, Betsy, along with his friend James, arrive at a diner to eat. Betsy is upset with David because he kept kicking the opposing football team while they were down by continuing to score points against them despite the fact that they had already lost the game. David asserted that the enemy deserves no mercy. An army recruiter arrived and asked if they would consider joining the military to fight the war in Vietnam. David feigned interest, then crumpled up and threw away the paper once the recruiter had gone. He and James laughed, while Betsy was upset by this. A busboy, John Kreese, saw this and picked up the flier for himself. He and Betsy looked at each other, which angered David. He tripped Kreese who was taking the dishes back into kitchen. Kreese was humiliated and frustrated in front of everyone, which further upset Betsy.

Later, David was upset that Betsy had made eye contact with Kreese in the diner. He and his friend went outside with Betsy. David grabbed her firmly and told her never to do it again, and brutally smacked her across the face when she told him to let her go. Kreese was angered at the assault and dropped everything to confront him, demanding to know if David had ever learned to "keep his hands to himself." The boys fought with Betsy being pushed aside when she tried to intervene; at one point, when David is about to punch Kreese, Kreese ducks, and David punches James instead. Just as David is on the verge of defeating Kreese, Kreese manages to defeat both David and James, by knocking David unconscious. Exhausted and bruised, but ultimately victorious, Kreese caught Betsy's eye once more, and offered her a lift home. Betsy and Kreese later began a relationship.

Personality

"A freak is a freak. If you love him so much, start a circus."

―David

David is a rude and controlling bully. He is abusive to others, including his own girlfriend. David enjoys demeaning others, something which upsets Betsy as he kept scoring points against the opposing team despite the fact that they had already lost the game, as well as bullied Kreese for making eyes at her. David even pretended to be polite to an army recruiter, only to crumple up the brochure and throw it away while laughing. David also seems to share Kreese's philosophy that the enemy deserves no mercy and may be where Kreese first got the idea of showing no mercy.

Trivia

• David is initially presented such that the audience is led to believe he is Young Kreese, via his bullying, no mercy ethos, and physical resemblance to Kreese. The bait-and-switch is unveiled when he crumples up and rejects the military application that the real Kreese then accepts.
• David is portrayed by Jesse Kove, the son of Martin Kove, who plays John Kreese.