Ali Mills (character)

Ali Mills is a fictional character portrayed by Elisabeth Shue in the film The Karate Kid (1984), and in the third season of its sequel series Cobra Kai (2021).

Ali Mills grew up in a wealthy family in Encino, Los Angeles. During high school in the early 1980s, she was a cheerleader who enjoyed playing games at a local Arcade. Ali dated a rich kid named Johnny Lawrence for two years until they broke up in 1984. Shortly after the breakup, she began to date Daniel LaRusso who had just moved to Reseda, until they broke up after the Senior Prom in 1985. Ali was later a student at UCLA and then in medical school. She became a pediatric surgeon, and settled in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Dr. Gregory Schwarber (an oncologist whom she met in medical school). They had two children, Lucas and Ava.

In December 2018, Ali returned home and had a short reunion with Johnny, and later Daniel, revealing that she is currently in the process of divorcing Gregory. She reveals to Johnny that her parents are not happy about the upcoming divorce, joking they would want her to still marry someone “suitable” like Johnny.

Johnny (in Cobra Kai) describes both his relationship with Ali and their 1984 breakup (events alluded to but not shown in The Karate Kid). In Season 1, Episode 8 of Cobra Kai, Johnny tells his student Miguel that he first met Ali in the Summer of 1982, when Johnny and his Cobra Kai friends went to see the movie Rocky III. They noticed a group of girls in front of them and one of his friends, Dutch, began to throw Milk Duds at them as an "alpha move". The girls became angry and one of them - Ali - got up and began yelling at Dutch, pouring her buttered popcorn all over him. Johnny said that was the first time he met Ali, and thought that she was a "firecracker". After turning Johnny down many times, Ali finally said yes to a date. Johnny took her to Golf N' Stuff, where they kissed on the Ferris wheel. He said that they were "madly in love" and dated for two years. Ali gave Johnny the black headband he wears in karate. However, the summer before senior year, they had a big fight. While Johnny thought they would "work things out", Ali met Daniel instead, and Johnny believed that she had cheated on him (when they were just friends at the time).

In Season 2, Episode 6 of Cobra Kai, Johnny and his friends (Bobby Brown, Jimmy and Tommy, who they helped to sneak out of the hospital for a 24-hour road trip) talk about his breakup with Ali: on the night that Dutch got so drunk that he smashed a dart board, Johnny also got so drunk that he missed Ali's birthday - ultimately leading up to the "big fight" that ended their relationship. Later that evening, Tommy confesses that he also had a crush on Ali (whom he met in homeroom during freshman year) but never had the courage to ask her out. After Johnny began dating her, Tommy was inspired to become a Cobra Kai so that he could gain Johnny's courage, although he got over Ali as he did not wish to have her come between him and a fellow Cobra. In turn, Johnny admits that he never got over Ali, though Johnny dated many women after her. Ali was the only one with whom Johnny was able to "let his guard down".

In Season 3, Episode 9 of Cobra Kai, Johnny and Ali reunite after he finds her on Facebook. After realizing that they have not seen each other since he lost the tournament (The Karate Kid), they catch up on the past three decades. Johnny apologizes to her for the mistakes he made while they were dating, and Ali tells him that she cannot even remember why they were angry with each other.

Ali first notices Daniel at a beach party the day before the first day of senior year of high school (The Karate Kid). Daniel's friends tell him that she is "off-limits" because Ali is part of the rich clique. However, they bond when Daniel teaches her a few soccer moves. Johnny is infuriated when he sees Ali with Daniel (although Ali ended the relationship a few weeks prior, he did not believe it was over) and races his motorcycle into their conversation. Despite Ali repeatedly telling him to leave her alone, Johnny continues to insist she talk to him. Daniel tries to stick up for Ali and is badly beaten by Johnny, who is experienced in karate. Ali attempts to help him, but Daniel tells her that he is okay.

Daniel and Ali meet the next day at their high school on the soccer field as she prepares to attend cheerleading practice. It is during this conversation that she introduces herself as "Ali — with an 'I'", to which he responds that he is "Daniel — with an 'L'". While practicing with her teammates, Ali even looks on in concern as Daniel gets kicked out of soccer practice for getting into yet another fight with Johnny's friends for tripping him. As they continue to get to know each other, Daniel discovers that Johnny is Ali's ex-boyfriend (as of weeks). As her interest in Daniel deepens, Ali encourages him to stand up to Johnny, whom she feels is a bully and realizes is frequently beating Daniel up. She tells Daniel, "It's just that he [Johnny] thinks he can do whatever he wants to people". Ali also tells Daniel that she would "love to see him [Johnny] get a dose of his own medicine". Unfazed by Johnny's outbursts, Ali frequently tells him off or yells at him, and is angry that he will not leave her alone.