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When Arnold famously declared 'I’ll be back,' it wasn’t just a line—it echoed across the entire Terminator franchise, which continues to evolve, offering new takes on the age-old story of time-traveling humans and battling robots. While the basic premise is widely known, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes revelations for those brave enough to journey back in time.
10. A Man of Few Words
Arnold Schwarzenegger has gained fame for his ability to convey a lot with just a few words. Fans may be surprised by just how sparse his dialogue is: In the original *Terminator* film, he only speaks 18 lines, which total less than 100 words.
Despite his modest pay of $750,000 for *The Terminator*, Arnold turned a hefty profit, earning around $7,500 per word. His salary soared to $15 million for *Terminator 2*, and his word count jumped to 700. Remarkably, his famous line, 'hasta la vista, baby,' alone was valued at $85,716. Even the simple command 'Go!' to John Connor was worth $21,429.
Given the escalating dollar-per-word rate, it's no wonder that Arnold had no qualms about keeping his promise to return for future films.
9. More Bale, More Problems
When people think of *Terminator: Salvation* and Christian Bale, their minds likely go straight to the infamous outburst where Bale scolded a crew member. However, fans may not realize that a significant portion of the blame for the film's disjointed script can be traced back to Bale himself.
Initially, Bale was set to portray Marcus Wright, the convict who is resurrected as a confused cyborg in a post-apocalyptic world. John Connor was originally intended to be a smaller, supporting role, reminiscent of Michael Ironside's character, only appearing briefly and staying off the front lines. But Bale pushed for the chance to play John Connor and insisted that the character take center stage in the story. As a result, the film ended up with two major leads, forcing the already troubled script—complicated by the writer's strike—to awkwardly insert Bale into scenes that weren't meant for him.
If this all sounds perplexing, don’t fret—Bale himself is just as confused. In an interview with io9, he admitted that even he *doesn't remember* why he insisted on playing John Connor instead of Marcus Wright.
8. O.J. Simpson Was Considered For The Terminator
It's hard to shake the image of the Terminator as the quintessential '80s horror monster. Like Jason Voorhees and Romero’s zombies before him, the machine didn’t need to run to evoke fear. What truly made him terrifying was the unrelenting thought that he would never stop hunting.
However, in the eyes of Orion Pictures' head, Mike Medavoy, the Terminator had to be highly athletic—someone capable of running, leaping over obstacles, and performing similar feats. Medavoy had his eye on a familiar face from a series of goofy Hertz commercials: O.J. Simpson. So much so that the original plan was for Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the human soldier from the future, Kyle Reese.
In a twist of fate, O.J. Simpson lost the role due to an ironic decision by James Cameron, who felt Simpson appeared too friendly—and that audiences wouldn’t want to see a kind-hearted black man chasing a *white woman with a knife*.
7. Extensive Toys For Rated-R T2
For younger audiences, the *Terminator* films serve as a window into the past, a time when an R rating wasn’t viewed as a barrier to a movie’s potential blockbuster status. Contributing to this success was the extensive marketing, including toys aimed directly at children, such as an action figure line from toy titan Kenner.
Unlike today's ultra-realistic *Terminator* figures made for adult collectors, the toys from back in the day were designed for younger audiences. They followed the disappointing trend seen with Batman toys, where 90 percent of the line consisted of different versions of the main character, with names like 'Power Arm Terminator' and 'Secret Weapon Terminator.'
One of the strangest of these killer robot toys aimed at kids was the 'Bio Flesh Regenerator Playset.' This set used a special, Play-Doh-like substance to create synthetic 'flesh' around Terminator endoskeletons, which could be gruesomely removed in mock battles for the survival of humanity. A truly bizarre, yet normal, toy for kids.
6. The Terminator Movies, The Abyss And True Lies All Share A Universe
In a world where comic book movies reign supreme, the concept of a shared movie universe no longer seems remarkable to the average viewer. When Falcon shows up in *Ant-Man* or Spider-Man swings into Captain America’s third film, it’s just another part of the story. But James Cameron, the creator of *Terminator*, deserves credit for pioneering this idea long before it became a widespread trend.
Cameron’s shared universe idea took root when he brought back the same actor to reprise his role as a news anchor covering the events of *The Abyss*. This actor and role had originally appeared in *Terminator* in 1984. Additionally, the characters in *The Abyss* work for Benthic Petroleum, a company whose logo is also visible at a gas station in *Terminator 2*.
Cameron’s love for reusing actors resurfaced again when he cast the same actor, playing a reporter in *The Abyss*, in an identical role for another Arnold Schwarzenegger hit, *True Lies*. This raises the intriguing question: Do the Terminators share any resemblance to Arnold’s heroic character in *True Lies*? It’s enough to make your mind race.
5. The Terminator Franchise Cannot Figure Out Time Travel
The original Terminator film presented a few surprising twists for its viewers. The first being that Kyle Reese is revealed as the father of John Connor, a role he could only assume because the future version of Connor instructed him to travel back in time. Another twist was the origin of the Terminators themselves. A deleted scene from Terminator and a sequence in Terminator 2 explain that Skynet and the killer robots wouldn't exist if Skynet hadn't sent one of these machines to the past. Feeling confused yet?
This concept is known in time travel theory as the predestination paradox. In this scenario, characters are locked in a time loop where their actions, though seemingly free, are always predetermined. Even the most determined time travelers can't alter the past, a theme highlighted in the first movie, where Kyle ends up holding the same photo that Sarah took at the film's conclusion. No free will, just destiny—at least until the sequels roll around.
When Terminator 2 came along, director Cameron changed the focus with the unforgettable line: 'no fate but what we make for ourselves.' Instead of the fatalistic time loop, the good Arnold Terminator's mission is to prevent Skynet's creation entirely. However, Terminator 3 reverses this outlook, asserting that while you might change some things, fate can't be escaped: Judgment Day is inevitable, no matter the efforts.
The most ironic twist in this chaotic web of time travel is that if the heroes succeed in their mission, they paradoxically fail. Destroying Skynet would erase Kyle Reese’s journey to the past, which would ultimately prevent John Connor’s birth altogether!
4. The Rodney King Beating Left Its Mark on Terminator 2
The notorious Rodney King incident, where shocking video footage revealed four LAPD officers brutally striking King 56 times, leaving him with a fractured skull, is well-remembered. However, what many don’t realize is that the first part of that footage also captured scenes from the filming of Terminator 2.
George Holliday, a resident of Los Angeles, was in a unique position to record both the assault and a scene from Terminator 2, where Schwarzenegger, naked, fights off a gang of bikers. Cameron later explained that while Rodney King was being attacked, they were still shooting the movie on location.
The decision had already been made that the T-1000’s default form would be a cop—a figure of authority who secretly hides his deadly nature. Yet, the events surrounding the Rodney King beating influenced some aspects of the T-1000’s scenes. Cameron would later mention in an interview with The LA Times that the connection between the video footage and Terminator 2 was ironically fitting, “considering that the LAPD are strongly represented in Terminator 2 as a dehumanized force,” adding that the film symbolically explores “the dehumanization we do on a daily basis.”
Given the rise of citizen-recorded instances of police brutality today, it seems as though Cameron, obsessed with time travel, might have gotten an eerie glimpse into the future.
3. The original endings of *Terminator: Salvation* were completely wild.
When the movie first came out, it was no secret that the Internet had effectively ruined *Terminator: Salvation* by leaking its original ending. That ending involved the human resistance leader, John Connor, dying and being replaced by the Cyborg Marcus Wright, who even underwent a face transplant. The finished film, however, featured Marcus sacrificing himself to save Connor. Not only was it remarkable that a major studio scrapped all future plans for Wright’s character after the leak, but even more surprising was the discovery of several other insane endings that were considered.
In the initial ending, there was a twist where Skynet wasn’t trying to destroy humanity, but instead save it. Skynet had calculated that humanity would be extinct within two centuries, so it decided to convert humans into cyborgs. The heroes discovered this when they found a resort where Skynet was turning people into hybrid humans/machines. Kyle Reese even died, his brain uploaded into Skynet. In the end, Wright prevented this by using the least ambitious time travel ever, going back just minutes instead of days or hours. Despite their struggles, the heroes were mostly victorious, though Connor died and was replaced by Wright, and the day was saved.
But wait, there’s more. Director McG reveals an even darker twist to the original ending. After waking up with Connor’s face, Wright’s eyes would turn red, and he would proceed to murder all of the resistance fighters in the room, including Connor’s wife Kate and his future father, Kyle Reese. The screen would then fade to black, with Skynet triumphing over humanity.
2. *Terminator: Genisys* sent Nike back in time.
Interestingly, the most unyielding machine on the set of *Terminator: Genisys* wasn’t Arnold Schwarzenegger, but rather costume designer Susan Matheson. One of her tasks was to ensure that Jai Courtney, who portrayed Kyle Reese, would resemble the original actor, Michael Biehn. However, a challenge arose: Nike had stopped producing the Nike Vandals, which were featured in the first *Terminator* movie.
Nike suggested a simple fix—creating new shoes inspired by their popular Air Force Ones. But Matheson refused, arguing that real fans would spot the difference and recognize the faux shoes. She explained that the original *Terminator* and *Mad Max* films inspired her to pursue filmmaking, and she firmly stated that she wouldn’t work on the movie unless she could do justice to the iconic footwear.
In a surprising twist, Nike relented, halting other projects long enough to craft exact replicas of those quintessential '80s shoes. Matheson is forthright about her opposition to the dual corporate powers of Hollywood and Nike, calling this moment her 'single greatest moment on this entire movie.' But naturally, it’s all fun and games until future Nike sends a bare Air Force One back in time to reverse her triumph.
1. Linda Hamilton endured a lot for *Terminator 2*.
Linda Hamilton has long been the epitome of strength for many women when they focus on building muscle. She put in the effort herself. She trained in judo and automatic weapons with Israeli ex-commando Uzi Gaz, despite her pacifist views at the time. She also dedicated an entire year to mixed workouts, working out at least three hours a day with a combination of weightlifting, cycling, and aerobics.
Thanks to her newfound strength, Hamilton performed most of her own stunts, refusing to give up any screen time after putting in so much effort on her physical transformation. Unfortunately, this determination took a toll. During a scene in an elevator, she forgot to wear earplugs, and was startled and partially deafened when shotguns began firing around her. In the long term, this caused partial deafness in one ear, and in the short term, it led to shell shock, which she began experiencing after what she called a day of 'running around on broken glass.'
Despite the challenges, she kept her sense of humor intact. When asked if she suffered any long-lasting mental damage from her experiences, she quipped, 'from my marriage, definitely,' referring to her brief union with *Terminator* director James Cameron.
