During the first season of Cobra Kai, Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand) is constantly bullied for having a slight disfigurement on his upper lip. In particular, he is targeted by two of the most popular student at West Valley High School, Kyler (Joe Seo) and Brucks (Bo Mitchell).
Later in Season 1, Hawk joins the Cobra Kai dojo to learn self-defense. He soon alters his appearance to distract from his facial scar and adopts an aggressive demeanor.
Hawk Beats up Brucks in Season 3
In Season 3, Kyler and Brucks also become Cobra Kai students, upsetting Hawk. Out of anger, the teenager jumps at the chance to face off with Bruck at the dojo. The intense scene from Season 3, Episode 6 can be watched below.
Before the fight, Brucks mocks him, underestimating his fighting abilities. The bully’s confidence appears to waiver a bit when Hawk takes off his shirt, showing off his tattoos.
Hawk immediately kicks him in the face and then repeatedly punches him, causing Brucks to ask him to “please stop.” However, his pleas are ignored, and Hawk pins him to the ground.
Ruthless Sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) instructs his student to “finish him.” Hawk complies and hits his former bully’s face until his knuckles are bloody. Once the teenager decides Brucks had enough, he stands up and spits on him. He then approaches Kyler and gives him a warning look.
Jacob Bertrand Discussed Filming the Scene in a Recent Interview
During a January interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bertrand discussed shooting the violent scene. He explained that he felt emotional while filming because he was also bullied as a child.
“When I was younger, I was kind of bullied a lot, and it was weird kind of diving back into a character that had that similar backstory. Especially in Season 3 … the episode where I fight Brucks, and I’m on top of him, you know, kind of pounding down on his face, and my hands are all bloody. That was a pretty emotional scene. I was definitely letting a lot out in that take,” explained the actor.
The 21-year-old went on to say that “there’s a lot to be learned from Hawk in the sense of burying your insecurities.”
“Only turning a blind eye to it only works for so long, you know, I think you really have to dive into and work that stuff out and you can’t really just sort of brush over years and years of hurt,” said Bertrand.
He also noted being in Cobra Kai and under Kreese’s influence only worsen Hawk’s issues.
“I think you kind of see that in Season 3 where he’s in an environment that is not letting him work through a lot of problems that he’s had in the past,” stated the actor.
Bertrand said, however, that he is hopeful Hawk will mend his friendships with people who genuinely care about him in the upcoming season.
“I think in the next season he’ll be back with Johnny [Lawrence played by William Zabka] and back with people who really love him and appreciate him,” said the actor.
To see more of Jacob Bertrand, be sure to watch Cobra Kai, available to stream on Netflix.
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WATCH: Hawk Beats Up Former Bully in Cobra Kai Season 3