1984's The Terminator launched a franchise of hit movies that continued to explore the war between humans and robots in the future that threatened important figures within the resistance in the past. The robots were controlled by a sentient artificial intelligence known as Skynet (and later Legion in the Dark Fate timeline) that created a number of different units during the war.
Each film in the franchise not only introduced new robotic Terminators sent back through time as both assassins and protectors but also featured advancements in the technology used to create the infiltration units that continued to threaten humanity's future in every movie and TV installment in the franchise.
10 There Were A Few Different Models Of Both Airborne And Mobile Hunter/Killers
While the most familiar model of Terminator is the humanoid Infiltrators, there were a number of other versions of robotic units known as Hunter/Killers that patrolled both the streets and the skies in the fight against the human resistance.
1991's Terminator 2: Judgement Day introduced the flying fleet of robotic manhunters that targeted resistance members on the ground, while 2009's Terminator: Salvation introduced a fleet of giant Moto-Terminators that housed smaller mobile cycle units that roamed the post-apocalyptic future.
9 The T-600 Was A Failed Infiltrator Turned Into Assault Turrets On The Battlefield
Terminator: Salvation took place entirely in the series' future, though before time travel was used to send assassins back through time. John Connor was a high-ranking soldier in the human resistance who was given the opportunity to save a teenage survivor named Kyle Reese who was destined to head back in time and become his father.
Reese encountered the T-600, a failed infiltration unit with rubber skin that was easily detected by the resistance. Damaged versions of the sturdy robotic units still littered the landscape of the future to kill unsuspecting humans who crossed their path.
8 The T-800 Model 101 Was The First And One Of The Best Infiltrator Units
The first movie in the franchise introduced the T-800 Model 101 played by Arnold Schwarzenegger who was the first Terminator sent back in time to target the mother of John Connor. The T-800 was Skynet's first successful cybernetic organism that featured living tissue over a powerful endoskeleton, allowing it to both infiltrate the resistance and survive the trip through time.
While the T-800 proved to be one of the most effective Terminator units, it wasn't the most technologically advanced. 2003's Terminator III: Rise of the Machines introduced a slightly more advanced version called the T-850 that had a stronger endoskeleton and a more powerful, albeit volatile, power core.
7 The T-888 Had A Larger Endoskeleton With Hidden Deadly Thigh Blades
The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles brought the franchise to television in 2008 and explored John Connor's teen years after T2, after he jumped briefly ahead to the future with his mother to try and escape a new model of Terminator.
The T-888 was an advanced version of the T-800 with a larger endoskeleton made of a stronger metal that also included blades hidden inside their thighs to further add to the threat. A number of T-888s were sent back in time after the Connors, though the main enemy was the original T-888 sent through time, known as Cromartie.
6 The T-900 Was An Advanced Infiltrator Model With A Stronger Robotic Core
The TV series also introduced the T-900, an even more advanced infiltration unit that featured an unprecedented ability to mimic human emotion. The T-900 that was sent through time in The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles to protect John Connor disguised itself as a high school student named Cameron to earn his trust.
It had an advanced CPU with the ability to feel in new ways to better mimic emotions, allowing it to become one of their closest allies in the ongoing war against the Terminators. While the T-900 was smaller when compared to the T-888, it was able to hold its own against the T-888, repairing itself with pieces of the previous model if needed.
5 Marcus Wright Was A Hybrid Human/Terminator Created To Infiltrate The Resistance
The technology to create a new generation of infiltrators was introduced in Terminator: Salvation in the form of Marcus Wright, who first appeared in the movie as a confused Death Row inmate who awoke in the post-apocalyptic future. He found his way to the resistance where he learned that he had an endoskeleton underneath his skin.
Wright was a new human/Terminator hybrid cyborg that retained the human heart and brain to create an infiltration sleeper unit that didn't even know it was a robot assassin. He was able to take on other Terminator models of the era, though edges them out in his advanced ability to infiltrate the human resistance.
4 The T-1000 Was Made Of A Liquid Metal That Greatly Increased Its Threat Level
Terminator 2: Judgment Day introduced one of the most advanced versions of the Terminators with the T-1000, a liquid metal mimetic poly-alloy that was capable of changing its shape to mimic and replace humans to reach its target.
While it couldn't create complex machinery like a gun, the T-1000 could create instant bladed weapons that proved to be deadly to both humans and the T-800 that was sent back to protect John Connor. An advanced T-1001 model that replaced a successful corporate businesswoman named Catherine Weaver appeared in the TV series and helped create a new form of artificial intelligence.
3 The Rev-9 Was A Robotic Skeleton With A Nanotech Body That Could Split Into Two
2019's Terminator: Dark Fate envisioned a different timeline that erased the events of most of the sequels and introduced a new future under attack from a robotic artificial intelligence known as Legion, which had targeted a new potential leader of the human resistance.
Legion sent back a new form of Terminator known as the Rev-9 that featured a powerful endoskeleton covered with mimetic poly-alloy nanotech that replicated a human form. The Rev-9 was able to split both components into independent units to double the threat by combining previous eras of Terminators.
2 The T-X Was Also Known As The Terminatrix And Featured Advanced Weaponry
The Rev-9 wasn't the first model to combine both design elements, as Terminator III: Rise of the Machines introduced the T-X unit that was also known as the Terminatrix. The T-X was designed both for infiltration and for combat and was capable of remodeling its arms into a number of weapons like a plasma cannon or a flamethrower.
The liquid metal exterior also gave it enhanced camouflage abilities, and it was capable of surviving extreme levels of damage thanks to advanced self-repair abilities. The T-X was easily one of the deadliest and most advanced models of Terminators in the cinematic franchise, though its continued existence in the canon is questionable after Dark Fate.
1 Skynet Was Housed In A T-5000 Nanotech Unit That Could Corrupt Humans Into T-3000s
2015's Terminator: Genisys was a prior attempted reboot of the franchise that introduced new versions of iconic characters as well as introducing a couple of powerful new models of Terminators. A highly advanced T-5000 unit housed Skynet from an alternate timeline made of nanotechnology and had a unique ability that made it the most advanced version of the Terminators.
The T-5000 was able to inject nano=phase matter into humans that corrupted them and turned them into equally advanced T-3000 units. John Connor was transformed into a T-3000 and sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, though he was destroyed by a T-800 that was later upgraded with the liquid metal alloy of the T-1000.