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The Terminator franchise, created by director James Cameron in 1984, is built for survival. Kind of like a Terminator, only without the glowing red eyes.
Which might explain why, after the first couple of human-versus-nuts-and-bolts-versus-liquid-metal blockbusters, the unstoppable killing machines moved on to a bizarro world of famous foes.
With McG's new Terminator Salvation blasting theaters, imagine Sarah Connor's monologues warning not only about Judgment Day and laser-red eyes but of weird spinoffs. Enter the universe of dubious Terminator crossovers.
In Frank Miller's 1992 comic book series RoboCop Versus the Terminator, Skynet sends Terminators back in time to protect RoboCop from a human soldier out to destroy him. The Terminators claim to share RoboCop's DNA, which means the '80s cyborg vigilante could be the baby-daddy of a bunch of killer 'bots.
Up next: RoboCop versus Terminator versus Maury's paternity test. (What, no Predators thrown in for good measure?)
In Superman Versus the Terminator: Death to the Future, the Man of Steel protects John and Sarah Connor from a wave of Terminators who've taken over Metropolis. See, Lex Luthor really wasn't that bad.
Sarah ends up befriending Lois Lane (Superman gives her Lois' digits), while Supergirl and Superboy fight the onslaught of Cybernetic Living Organisms. This is worth reading for the part where Superman journeys into the future sans clothing, except for an American flag modestly draping his superparts.
Take note, McG: This bad idea about tons of Terminators pouring into the past sounds suspiciously like your idea for T5.
This one is kind of confusing. Kristanna Loken's Terminatrix versus herself as Painkiller Jane? Yikes. Unlike the tormented RoboCop, Painkiller Jane is actually a future human resistance fighter in this four-part series from Dynamite Entertainment.
Ah, the ultimate ménage-a-trois: Aliens vs. Predator vs. Terminator: Two of Cameron's greatest triumphs merge with Arnold Schwarzenegger's rainforest nemesis. In this 2001 comic, Terminators, posing as scientists, attempt to crossbreed with Aliens to create a superior race, but are thwarted by the Predator.
Alien's Ripley pops up in one scene to exclaim, "This can't really be happening. It's - it's too absurd."
Somewhere, Sigourney Weaver cries.
Who knows, maybe these creations are part of the reason Skynet becomes self-aware. Let's prepare the Time Displacement Equipment to ensure that these crossovers were never created.
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