Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 is one of cinema’s cruel villains, but in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, writer/director James Cameron switched this iconic character to become a hero. 1984’s sci-fi classic The Terminator has Schwarzenegger playing a cyborg assassin sent back in time from an apocalyptic future where machines have taken over to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the future’s resistance leader John. Arnie was already a rising star thanks to 1982’s Conan the Barbarian, but The Terminator’s success cemented his status as a leading man.
By the time T2 was released in 1991, Schwarzenegger had already dominated the box office for seven years, starring in action films such as Commando and Total Recall, as well as popular comedies Gemini and Kindergarten Cop. Although The Terminator remained his signature role, audiences now saw him as a hero rather than a villain; someone to root for and save the day. Cameron chose to play with these perceptions and expectations when writing the sequel, hiding the T-800’s mission as John Connor’s (Edward Furlong) protector for much of the first act and marketing.
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Once the T-800’s “protector” status is revealed, Schwarzenegger’s established presence as a cinematic hero gives viewers a subconscious shortcut to get on board with this sudden twist. Meanwhile, the role of the villain went to Robert Patrick’s liquid metal T-1000. This more advanced Terminator was faster, stronger, and virtually unstoppable, serving as the perfect antagonist from a storytelling perspective. Despite being smaller in stature than Arnie, Patrick’s intimidating performance helps drive home the point that the T-800 is outdated and superior in comparison; Schwarzenegger becomes the underdog, giving viewers even more reasons to root for him.
This change also adds value from a story perspective. Despite some grand and original concepts, the original Terminator film is at its core a chase/horror film with an unforgettable jump scare. However, the sequel expands the scope and scope, adding significant depth and human emotion between the characters. The Terminator becomes John Connor’s father, and the audience is included in this journey. He switches from being a monster who cannot be bargained with or reasoned with, to representing hope for the future by learning the value of human life. It’s a compelling narrative that’s unique to the series (a similar development for other movie monsters of the time like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees or Leatherface simply wouldn’t have worked).
Of course, the T-800 wasn’t the only character that had to be reinvented: Sarah Connor’s role shift from fearful survivor to battle-hardened warrior reflected Arnie’s change in character while giving cinema one of its best heroines. James Cameron’s instinct to expand the story by reversing the roles of both characters was correct, although he also admitted that he was concerned that younger audiences would see the original Terminator as a heroic figure in light of Arnie’s subsequent fame. This is another reason why he made the T-800 a good guy who never kills another human character later on. Audiences clearly didn’t mind: Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a huge critical and financial hit and was considered by many to be one of the greatest sequels of all time.