Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic role as the T-800 in the Terminator franchise continues to be one of the best in the history of sci-fi action cinema, even making its way onto AFI's "100 Years, 100 Heroes and Villains" list as the "22nd greatest villain" and "48th greatest hero" of all time. From the leather jacket, to the black shades, the imposing physical stature, there are few humanoid robots that look as iconic as the Terminator. Created by Skynet, this self-aware AI and its updates have been waging war against humanity since the 80s, kicking butt and traveling through time ever since.
As a machine that is one of many copies, Schwarzenegger portrays several Terminator models throughout the franchise. Schwarzenegger appears in just about every Terminator film in one way or another, including the digital recreation of his likeness used in Terminator: Salvation. He will forever be the iconic face of the franchise, even if his time in the role is set to come to a close. Here are Arnold Schwarzenegger's best moments in the Terminator franchise.
Update January 26, 2024: This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Terminator, so this article has been updated by Amanda Minchin to include even more great moments from across the franchise.
*** Spoilers Ahead ***
10 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) - Crane Chase
Arnold Schwarzenegger's third Terminator film is the weakest in the Terminator trilogy, unable to reach the high bar set by The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. However, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines still manages to feature some fantastic action sequences. In what has come to be lovingly referred to as the "Crane Chase Scene", Kristanna Loken's T-X Terminator pursues John Connor in a massive mobile crane, destroying everything in its path. Schwarzenegger's Terminator avoids the destruction before being knocked off a police motorcycle by the crane's arm. Both Terminators try desperately to get rid of the other.
What Makes It Great
The Terminator franchise revolves around the dynamic of a pursuer, a protector, and the prey. Nowhere is this more apparent in this film, which was meant to incapsulate a final stand against the machines. The chase scene in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines understands this and is executed wonderfully. The chase scene also lacks a musical soundtrack. This is replaced with the sound of sirens, engines, and complete chaos. This is certainly a more fitting ambiance for the moment at hand.
9 The Terminator (1984) - T-800 Removes Its Eye
The Terminator, is much more of a horror film in tone than any of the action films to follow. With a name befitting the genre, this movie hones in on the horror of a machine created for the sole purpose of killing. A scene in the original Terminator film features the T-800 removing its eye in a classic body-horror moment. After injuring the pupil in question during a car crash, the Terminator proceeds to take out his own eyeball with a scalpel. The dingy bathroom, with its dripping faucet, provides just the perfect ambiance for the moment, which is created using practical effects in lieu of CGI.
What Makes It Great
Up until this moment, it was possible to believe that the Terminator could be stopped by the usual mortal means. While the sequels, especially T2 and Dark Fate, attribute very human qualities to Schwarzenegger's Terminator, The Terminator portrays the emotionless machine working to carry out Skynet's original programming. Or, in this case, a serial killer without an obvious off-switch. The Terminator models are designed to appear human, but this scene portrays them as the killing machines they truly are. Stream on Max
8 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - "I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots, and Your Motorcycle"
This scene from Terminator 2: Judgment Day features just one line from Schwarzenegger, but really, that's all he needs to get what he wants. Arriving in the past to protect Sarah and John Connor from the incoming T-1000, the Terminator tells a bar guest it needs three things - his clothes, his boots, and his motorcycle. No one else could get away with this quite like him. A clear callback to the entrances from the previous film, the T-800 stands by idly while the biker begins to harass him. Unfortunately for the biker, this doesn't last long.
What Makes It Great
The audience is still unsure at this moment whether Arnold's character is friend or foe in the film. There is incredible attention to detail, from a holster on the side of a motorcycle that's the perfect size for the Terminator's shotgun, to an iconic song selection in George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone". Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, drives off on the motorcycle with the lights off, still wearing sunglasses at night. Is it a ridiculous scene? Yes. Is it amazing? Also yes. His body language here makes it one of the Terminator franchise's finest moments.
7 Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) - An Untimely Demise
Some revisionist history was at play for this entry into the Terminator franchise. Following canonically after the events of Terminator 2, Terminator: Dark Fate picks up just three years later in 1998. Having retreated to Guatemala, Sarah and John Connor are ambushed by yet another Skynet special - a T-800 who looks far too similar to their recent hero. This nonchalant Terminator strolls into the scene mid-motherly revoire. He is at last successful in his mission, taking out John Connor once and for all, mere minutes into the movie... even though Skynet is no longer around to do much about it.
What Makes It Great
While it might have been tempting to de-age many of the characters from the original T2 film, this was the only scene that held that honor. Dark Fate production and ILM VFX supervisor Eric Barba's team used body doubles (coached by the actors) and facial ADR sessions to cut and paste the desired effect. The result was a scene that could have easily been an outtake from T2.
After the poor performance of the Terminator films that followed T2, it's no wonder the creators of the latest franchise entry decided to place this latest film canonically in line after T2. This franchise entry tried and succeeded in doing what hadn't been done before - kill its dang mark. Audiences were left awestruck just minutes into this newest rendition. It would be up to a brand-new human to overcome any further nuclear holocausts. In doing so, this film set the tone for a film that wasn't your father's Terminator.
6 Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) - Carl's Goodbye
Now free from Skynet, the T-800 of Terminator: Dark Fate lives in a picturesque cabin with his wife and child. Years after murdering John Connor, he's now known simply as Carl. He's grown the equivalent of a human conscience over the years, and has used his ability to suss out an incoming Terminator to warn Sarah of upcoming threats. Having already warned his newfound family that he might one day be called upon to right the wrongs of his past, he's forced to say goodbye to them. To do so, he draws upon a well-known line from the franchise, adding a simple tweak - "I won't be back."
What Makes It Great
An aging T-800 is perhaps the last thing audiences expected when it came to Arnold's reintroduction to the franchise. But, that's exactly what they got. Director Tom Miller said he was against any de-aging of the character from the start.
"... We're [embracing] the reality of what it means to be a person of a certain age who is called upon to be heroic... And he looks great. There were so many women on the set who were like, 'Oh my God, this is the best Arnold ever looked.' It's different from Mr. Olympia - he was a god, but there's something about him at this age. He has this regalness."
It should be noted that the only exception was made for the first few minutes of the film, during which a young John Connor is murdered by said T-800.
More importantly, this is the first truly emotionally resonant moment for Carl, who takes the sudden arrival of Sarah Connor, the cyborg Grace, and Dani (aka the new John) with relative ease while under constant fire from a rightfully incensed Sarah. Having to come to the man who killed your son for help saving the world is an impossible decision, one that this Terminator is finally starting to recognize, thanks in part to his time spent among humanity, changing diapers and picking up groceries. It is now that he finally has something to lose and he does so willingly, as penance.
5 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - Thumbs Up
It's Sarah Connor panics when she first sees the Terminator in Terminator 2: Judgment Day... he was, after all, in the same form sent to kill her just a few short years earlier. T2's T-800 Terminator is identical to the Terminator from the first film, so Sarah Connor initially sees the same machine that caused the death of Kyle Reese, John's father. Sarah Connor soon learns that this Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is actually another Terminator model sent from the future to protect Connor and her son. While John Connor quickly grows fond of the machine sent by his future self, Sarah is not so easy to trust.
Throughout the film, the Terminator protects Sarah and John Connor from the new Terminator sent to kill them, the T-1000. After finally defeating the T-1000, the Terminator instructs Sarah to lower him into a vat of molten steel in order to prevent its technology from being used to create Skynet. They tearfully do as he requests. However, as he's lowered in, he leaves behind a parting shot in the form of a thumbs up to his newfound pal.
What Makes It Great
It may have already been established that Terminators don't process emotions like humans do. By the film's end, however, the iconic T-800 is torn between his prime directive and the hurt that following the prime directive will cause to the person he's been sent to save. The Terminator apologizes to a tearful John Connor, which is odd seeing how machines can not process emotion. This and the farewell to thumbs that follows implies that the young boy may have accidentally trained the old cyborg in emotional intelligence. His parting salute is a fitting, if not heartwrenching, end to the film.
4 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - Escape from the Hospital
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor orders the Terminator to help save his mother, who has been placed in a mental hospital, from being killed by the T-1000. They get there in the nick of time, but with the T-1000 nipping at their heels. After taking care of the orderlies who are trying to sedate her, the Terminator reaches a hand out to Sarah, delivering the iconic catchphrase, "Come with me if you want to live." This exact phrase was first uttered by her former lover Kyle Reese when he tried to save her from the T-800 in the first film. This connection helps get Sarah on board and following them out, right as the T-1000 gets set to show off his morphing moves.
What Makes It Great
While the Terminator is a villainous killing machine in the original Terminator film, Schwarzenegger plays a heroic role in the sequel. The line being reused by the Terminator after its initial use [by Kyle Reese] is brilliant, shifting to a new character in the role of protector. However, the catchphrase is associated more with Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator. Him using it in this instance is the first indication Sarah has to finally trust him in what is sure to be an uphill battle to come.
3 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - Bike Chase
Even decades later, the bike chase in Terminator 2: Judgment Day reserves its spot as one of the best chase scenes in film history, ever. In the scene, a young John Connor attempts to flee from the ruthless truck-driving T-1000. Just then, the Terminator arrives to rescue John Connor. Terminator 2's chase features a great motorcycle jump, an epic one-handed shotgun reload, and spectacular explosions.
What Makes It Great
The chase between motorcycle and truck is incredibly well-shot. It does not rely on CGI, instead using practical effects to create a scene that stands the test of time. Unlike others of its time, it holds up as one of the greatest vehicle chases of all time. Thanks to steady camera work, the action is clear and showcases the beautiful stunts, with not a shot to waste. Very few films come anywhere close to successfully conveying the suspense and intensity of T2's chase scene.
2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - "Hasta la vista, baby"
Some of the Terminator's iconic one-liners actually originate from none other than the person he's sworn to kill/protect. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor tells a Terminator reprogrammed to protect him to use a catchphrase. His selection? The eve classic "Hasta la vista, baby." Later in the film, Schwarzenegger uses the famous catchphrase before shooting Robert Patrick's frozen T-1000. Unfortunately for the Terminator and the Connors, the T-1000 is surprisingly resilient and is not yet defeated.
What Makes It Great
This is easily one of the most iconic one-liners throughout the course of the franchise. Schwarzenegger's delivery of the line, featuring a brief pause before the word "baby," makes the catchphrase one of the most recognizable. It's also a nod to his former roles as an 80s action hero. While the literal translation is closer to "Until the view", the more colloquial translation is closer to "Until the (next) time we see each other" or "See you later"... a fitting rebuke for the Energizer Bunny of villains.
1 The Terminator (1984) - "I'll Be Back" / Police Station
Even more iconic than "Hasta la vista, baby" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back" catchphrase in The Terminator. After tracking Sarah Connor to a police station, the Terminator is told it must wait before it can see her. His response? "I'll be back." Moments later, he makes his triumphant return, smashing a truck right through the walls of the precinct, ready to kill anyone who stands in his way. The police fight back, but are unable to defeat a robotic killing machine sent from the future.
What Makes It Great
This line has become a Schwarzenegger staple over the years. Its monotone delivery is followed by the quick one-two of the punchline as the Terminator weaponizes an everyday vehicle for his own devices. This guy clearly does not play by the rules of the road. This scene also serves to raise the stakes dramatically. After all, an entire police station is unable to stop it! This scene, with this line and its delivery, is the perfect encapsulation of Arnold Schwarzenegger's role in the franchise.