Terminator: Dark Fate’s cast features a mix of new and familiar faces. Here’s everything we know about all of the characters, and who plays them.
The cast of Terminator: Dark Fate features a mix of familiar faces and new actors. This movie is the sixth film in the Terminator franchise, but serves only as a sequel to first two movies The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, while ignoring the last three sequels.
Directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and written by David S. Goyer (Krypton), Billy Ray (Captain Phillips), and Justin Rhodes (Grassroots), Terminator: Dark Fate takes place in the present day, almost three decades after Terminator 2. It appears Judgment Day – the day the
artificial intelligence program Skynet becomes sentient and launches nuclear weapons which kill billions – has been averted, but that doesn’t mean humanity is safe. Instead, a new generation of Terminator has been sent back in time to kill a young woman, Dani Ramos, who has an important role to play in the war between humans and machines. The Terminator: Dark Fate cast that’s been assembled is a delightful mix of returning cast members and key newcomers. Here is every actor in Terminator: Dark Fate, as well as a breakdown of the character they play.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger As Carl The T-800
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Carl, a T-800 originally sent back to kill John Connor who, in Terminator: Dark Fate, becomes entangled in protecting Dani Ramos from the Rev 9. Over the years since he accomplished his mission, he’s been living in the modern, pre-Judgment Day world and changed, eking out a life for himself as his flesh coating visibly ages. Despite this, Carl is still spry enough to take on Rev 9, a much newer and more capable generation of Terminator. Now remorseful for ending John’s Life, Carl helps Dani and Sarah defeat Rev 9 in an attempt to make amends, even though doing this costs him the family he’s built in the decades since. Dark Fate is Schwarzenegger’s fifth time playing a Terminator in the franchise (he was digitally recreated in Terminator: Salvation). The action star has been an integral part of the franchise since the very beginning, and played a pivotal role in getting James Cameron to return for Dark Fate. This Terminator film is one of the more high-profile films Schwarzenegger has done lately, with roles in indie films like Killing Gunther and Maggie serving as some of his most recent work.
Linda Hamilton As Sarah Connor
Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate, the third time Hamilton has played the role (discounting a voice cameo in Terminator Salvation). In The Terminator, Sarah was introduced as the future mother of a revolution leader hunted by robots from the future. In Judgment Day, she had grown into a skilled fighter, locked away for insanity, who comes to trust the T-800 sent back to protect John. In Terminator: Dark Fate, Sarah teamed up with Grace to help protect Dani Ramos from Rev 9. This brought her face-to-face with Carl, forcing her to relive John’s tragic death at the reformed T-800’s hands. In the end, Carl and Grace sacrifice their lives to defeat Rev 9, leaving Sarah as Dani’s unorthodox mother figure and mentor going forward. Hamilton may be best known for her role in the Terminator franchise, but she has other notable credits on her resume, many in television. The early years of her career included roles on popular shows like Hill Street Blues and Beauty and the Beast. In recent years, Hamilton has popped up on shows like Weeds, Chuck, and the sci-fi series Defiance.
Edward Furlong As John Connor
Edward Furlong returned as John Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate, in a manner of speaking, as CGI was used to recreate his younger self just long enough for Carl the T-800 to succeed in killing him. This marked his first appearance in the franchise of any kind since 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. John was the son of Sarah Connor, destined to grow up and become the leader of the Human Resistance against Skynet and all of its sentient machines following the events of Judgment Day. With the original Judgment Day averted and John now out of the picture, this left Dani Ramos to rise in his place and fight a different machine force. Furlong’s role (such as it is) in Dark Fate is arguably his most high-profile since Judgment Day. Playing John Connor in the second Terminator film launched Furlong’s career back in 1991. In the immediate aftermath of the movie, Furlong nabbed roles in films like Before and After co-starring Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson, Pet Sematary 2, and Detroit Rock City. Issues with drug addiction kept Furlong out of the public sphere for years, and many films he’s made more recently have been straight-to-DVD fare.
Mackenzie Davis As Grace
In Terminator: Dark Fate, Mackenzie Davis plays Grace, a human-machine soldier and assassin sent from the future to protect Dani Ramos, the eventual leader of the human resistance. Grace is one of Dani’s top generals, and volunteered to be cybernetically enhanced in order to become a more effective soldier in the war against Legion, the machine conquerors that arose after Skynet was averted. Sadly, she dies saving Dani’s life from the Rev 9, but Dani is able to use her power source to help kill the advanced Terminator. Davis is known for previous roles in high-profile TV series Halt and Catch Fire and Black Mirror, as well as roles in Blade Runner 2049 and The Martian. After Dark Fate’s release, Davis was next seen in a modern adaptation of Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw called The Turning. The movie also starred Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project).
Natalia Reyes As Dani Ramos
Natalia Reyes plays Dani Ramos, a young woman targeted by the Rev 9 Terminator that ends up under the protection of both Grace and Sarah Connor. Sarah originally believes Dani to be the mother of humanity’s new destined savior after John’s death, but in actuality, Dani is that savior, and must be kept alive at all costs. Thankfully, she survives. Reyes’ role in Dark Fate will introduce her to a more international audience, but she’s been a growing presence in Mexican movies and TV shows over the last decade or so. She has racked up more than 20 credits to date, frequently appearing for long arcs on Spanish-language TV shows like Cumbia Ninja and 2091.RELATED:
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Gabriel Luna as Rev 9
Gabriel Luna plays the Rev 9, a Terminator sent from the future to kill Dani. Rev 9’s design incorporates elements of the T-800 and the T-1000: it appears human but its exterior is really made of mimetic polyalloy – essentially liquid metal – which makes it nearly indestructible from artillery and gives it the ability to separate from the more standardized skeleton underneath. The Rev 9’s arms also turn into blades, making it a real threat in hand-to-hand combat, as eventually experienced by Sarah, Carl, and Grace. Rev 9 does eventually meet its end thanks to a team effort, but not before killing Dani’s father and brother, as well as mortally wounding Grace and Carl. Luna’s role as Rev 9 is his biggest one to date. He broke out on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where he played Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider. Earlier in his career, Luna has had supporting TV roles on shows including Prison Break, NCIS: Los Angeles, and True Detective.