The problem is he also usually gets destroyed at the end of each adventure, so his real super power is just having multiple bodies that keep being sent back in time. As T2, Genisys, and Dark Fate reveal, he’s also capable of learning at least a facsimile of compassion, and functioning as a father figure. The original Arnold model appears in nearly every film (we’ll get to the main exception in a couple more entries).
#Terminator films series#
Cyberdyne Systems 101 Series T-800 (The Terminator) The next generation of variants learned from his mistakes. As the director’s cut of T2 reveals, he was already starting to mess up before the Connors and their cyborg pal messed him up forever in that molten steel. But its vulnerability to extreme heat and cold needs work. And it even has a mildly impish sense of humor to boot (that finger wag rules). The original liquid metal shape-shifter is like a robot Johnny Knoxville - it just keeps moving forward no matter how many times it gets blown apart or knocked down. But they’re invaluable to that whole future war atmosphere, just by hanging in the sky or crushing skulls on the ground, and looking badass. Hunter-Killer – Aerial and Ground (The Terminator)Īre these vehicles piloted by robots, or just giant vehicle-shaped robots? Nobody knows for certain. But because bikes are loud, potential victims will hear them coming, which helps. Nobody can run faster than a robot motorcycle. Humans can run from an Arnold Terminator, because he’s slow and deliberate. The downside is they’re not well suited to be infiltrators, because where would the tentacles fit inside a human skin? 7. It takes cybernetic upgrades for even a fighter as gifted as Grace to have a real shot against them. Spider-Man would have his hands full, and humans barely have a chance. The new infantry of the future, these endoskeletons up the ante by having all the powers of Dr. Had he been more human, he might have known: it’s not the size of your powers, but what you do with them that counts. But ultimately all it succeeded in doing was accidentally turning the Arnold Terminator into a T-1000, giving Skynet an even more powerful enemy. It would also have been the most shocking plot twist if trailers hadn’t spoiled it. The ultimate fusion of man and machine, the nanocyte T-300o is theoretically the most powerful shape-shifter and best infiltrator in the arsenal. With humans waging guerilla warfare against Skynet, giant war machines prove less effective than ground-level soldiers. Giant robots make for great intimidation tactics, but they also make much bigger targets. Infiltrating is tossed out the window with this one. (Mega-expensive Hot Toys figures aside.) 10.
#Terminator films movie#
The biggest disappointment with Salvation not being a great movie is that we never got good consumer-grade toys of these guys. It’s everything scary about Terminators combined with every suppressed fear of mannequins and dolls. They make terrible fake humans, but these rotting rubber-skins with big guns look supremely creepy. However, in the future war, they’re basically cannon fodder. With a look that’s both a throwback to walking-skeleton ghost stories and an echo of future mechanization fears, they strike a primal nerve. Endoskeletons were an instant creepy classic since their introduction. The icon of the franchise, besides Arnold Schwarzenegger in sunglasses. Endoskeletons – T-700 and T-800 (Every installment)
But on land, definitely inferior to humanoids. Robot snakes that can swim are creepy, but ultimately more effective as drain cleaners than human killers. They barely qualify as Terminators, but since they’re officially the first ones, they count. Basically just mildly intelligent miniature tanks.