14 Best Terminator Models In The Movies, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• The T-800 Terminator will always be a classic due to its iconic presence in every Terminator movie so far.
• The T-1000 is potentially the most terrifying Terminator, showcasing advanced features and menacing capabilities.
• The Rev-9 in Terminator: Dark Fate introduces an upgrade with the ability to operate as two separate machines, making it genuinely menacing.

The world of time-traveling robots continues with Terminator: Zero, available on Netflix on August 29, 2024. Before the series, seven Terminator movies, from 1984 to 2019. Each of the movies introduces new ideas, characters, twists, storylines, and new models of the Terminator.

Skynet never stops trying to improve and since the audience has gotten to see the evolution of artificial intelligence since before it was even conceived, it has led to various Terminators being introduced via the convenience of time travel or experiencing the Future War firsthand, with some going down as cinema icons while others remain in obscurity.

14 T1-7

The First Generation Of Terminators Deserved More Screentime

• First Appearance – Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
• Reappears briefly in Terminator: Salvation

With the Terminator that fans know and love being the 800th generation, it is logical that some were excited to see the first generation in Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines. Sadly, they were not what many expected, with the third film revealing them to be smaller versions of the HK-Tanks but less scary.

There is not much else to say when it comes to the T1-7. Despite the movie being called Rise Of The Machines, there is not much focus on the rise. The T1-7 models are seen causing some carnage, but they take a backseat quickly to focus on the T-X and the T-850.

13 T-X

The Concept Of A Female Terminator Was Wasted

• First Appearance – Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
• Remains the first and only female-presenting Terminator in the movies.

The concept of a female-presenting Terminator model is interesting, allowing her to blend in even more as an infiltrator, especially one that is intended to be a perfect combination of a T-800 and a T-1000. With the same mimetic poly-alloy as the T-1000, the T-X could have been a terrifying female villain, but sadly, that was not the case.

While Kristanna Loken does her job playing a relentless hunter, the T-X feels more like a downgrade from the T-1000 rather than the most refined model. The T-X is meant to be a Terminator of Terminators yet fumbles constantly, her arm cannons are nothing special, she’s less effective than the T-1000, and, unfortunately, is brought down by a lot of misplaced humor and poor execution.

12 T-600

Skynet’s Grunts Are Intentionally Lesser Versions Of The T-800

• First Appearance – Terminator: Salvation
• The T-600s were mainly practical in most scenes, with actor Brian Steele portraying the machine.

Finally, Terminator: Salvation dedicates itself to a plot focusing on the Future War. That’s when fans were introduced to the T-600, a lumbering machine that featured rubber-like skin that made them less than effective infiltrators, but they were still powerful grunts. Even John Connor barely survived against a wounded one.

The T-600 would make a return in Terminator: Salvation as the main ground trooper for Skynet’s forces. They are not great models, since they are slower and not as bright for their mission. However, that helps show the evolution of Skynet and how it’s always improving in its effort to wipe out humanity.

11 T-850

Not That Much Different From The T-800s

• First Appearance – Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
• This model is the one that kills John Connor during the Future War.

Even the famous T-800 was later given an upgrade with the T-850, a model only seen in Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines. This is the model that both ended and saved the Resistance, as revealed when it carried out its mission to protect John Connor and Kate Brewster. It was revealed that it terminated John Connor in the Future War before being reprogrammed by Kate.

While it does provide an interesting angle on the Terminator, really solidifying that these machines are heartless killers before their reprogramming, it is still not that different from the T-800. Other than the introduction of the chest-based power cells and Arnold Schwarzenegger playing it more intensely, there is nothing all that innovative about the T-850.

10 Harvester

They Are Bigger Than Any Other Terminator

• First Appearance – Terminator: Salvation
• Possibly the biggest bipedal Terminator in the franchise.

Human-sized Terminators are scary enough, but Terminator: Salvation introduced the massive Harvester models. It rips the roof of a building off like paper and, as its name suggests, it harvests humans by grabbing them with four arms to store them inside Hunter-Killer transports.

Despite looking a bit too much like a Decepticon from Transformers, the size of the Harvester combined with a powerful shoulder cannon makes it a force to reckon with. On top of all that, due to its slower speed, it can deploy faster models known as Moto-Terminators, showcasing a symbiotic relationship between different Terminator models.

9 Hydrobots

Water-Based Terminators For Anyone With Thalassophobia

• First Appearance – Terminator: Salvation
• The first animal-like Terminator.

A surprise addition in Terminator: Salvation, Hydrobots are eel-like Terminators meant to traverse through the water. Not much is explained about them, but they appear less coordinated and more animalistic in how they attack the Resistance. They even screech like animals when attacking or when they are being killed by Marcus Wright.

What is shown, however, is that they are strong and deadly. It takes a whole team of humans to keep one restrained on a table and when they attack a Resistance fighter, the soldier is torn apart in seconds. If the Salvation storyline had continued, Hydrobots could have just been the beginning, with more water-based Terminators potentially having been introduced.

8 Moto-Terminators

Evil Motorcycles That Stole The Show

• First Appearance – Terminator: Salvation
• The first vehicle-based unit seen in the franchise other than the HK-Tanks.

Since most of the ground forces for Skynet are large but slow, it makes sense for more mobile units, such as the Moto-Terminators in Terminator: Salvation. Essentially, they are self-aware motorcycles with eyes and mounted turrets, which makes them a terrifying concept for the Future War.

They quickly steal the spotlight in the chase after Kyle Reese, Star, and Marcus Wright, able to roll on their sides and get back up with ease, and then John Connor reprograms one to get to Skynet Central. Sadly, that’s all fans ever saw of them, and they proved to be one of the more interesting expansions of the machine army.

7 T-3000

A Neat Concept But Bigger Doesn’t Always Mean Better

• First Appearance – Terminator: Genisys
• Despite its differences, its endoskeleton is still based on the T-800 design.

One of the common complaints fans had with Terminator sequels such as Terminator: Genisys was that they kept trying to go bigger and crazier with the villainous Terminators and that is illustrated with the T-3000. Yet another advanced prototype made from the body and mind of John Connor, comprised of magnetic particles akin to nanotechnology.

Perhaps in a better film than Terminator: Genisys, the concept could have worked because the action sequences with the T-3000 are spectacles, especially when the evil John can move at super speed and overpower a T-800 with ease. Unfortunately, the potential was wasted on a poor movie, which led to the planned trilogy and any further development of the T-3000 being canceled.

6 Hunter-Killers

Aerial Enemies That Have Been There Since The Start

• First Appearance – The Terminator
• The first Terminators to appear in the franchise.

In the modern world, Hunter-Killers are starting to become more and more realistic after they were introduced in The Terminator. The flying variant of Terminators has made an appearance in almost every Terminator movie, especially in any scenes featuring the Future War.

Hunter-Killers, or HKs, were fast and deadly, able to keep up with Resistance vehicles, imprison many humans at once for transport, and raise or lower with ease. This is because HKs are essentially mechanized drones and were likely the inspiration for many drone designs seen in the real world, making their design seem less fantastical and more scarily realistic.

5 HK-Tanks

Helped Lay The Foundation Of Horror Of The Future War

• First Appearance – The Terminator
• The second Terminator ever seen in the series.

The HK-Tanks are the more advanced versions of the T1-7 but the size of a building as shown in The Terminator. At the time, people had seen giant robots, but the more militarized and realistic design of the HK-Tanks left many speechless and afraid, showing Skynet’s control over the post-apocalyptic wastelands of the future.

Like the drones, the HK-Tanks have appeared in most Terminator movies, from the original Terminator up to Genisys. Their towering presence with the visual of rolling over fields of human skulls make them horrifying and their laser-based weapons helped make the opening scene of the original movie so impactful.

4 Terminator/Human Hybrid

Marcus Wright Was A Cyborg Hero Created By Skynet

• First Appearance – Terminator: Salvation
• The only Terminator whose endoskeleton is never fully shown.

An official designation for this model is never given, but Marcus Wright in Terminator: Salvation is an enigma. Rather than a machine designed to look like a human, Skynet took a human and surgically replaced most of him with machine anatomy, turning him into a cyborg, thus allowing him to be an infiltration unit without even knowing it.

However, Skynet also made the mistake of creating a model with a conscience. Marcus Wright, combining his new Terminator traits with his human skills before the war, was able to fend off almost every kind of Terminator unit sent after him, including the powerful T-800 prototype. Ironically, Skynet’s greatest advancement ended up being the most humanized model.

3 Rev-9

The Best New Terminator Since The T-1000

• First Appearance – Terminator: Dark Fate
• Rev-9s serve a new artificial intelligence known as Legion.

Regardless of the controversial and divisive route that Terminator: Dark Fate took, one of the highlights was Gabriel Luna as the new Rev-9 model. Not only was the Rev-9 the first villainous Terminator since the T-1000 to have a large body count, but it also featured the liquid metal over an advanced endoskeleton like the T-X had, as well as the nanoparticle technology of the T-3000.

In a way, the Rev-9 took the wasted ideas of past movies and portrayed them better with a Terminator who is fast, deadly, and genuinely menacing. One of the best upgrades Dark Fate gave its Terminator was the ability to split its liquid metal and exoskeleton apart, allowing them to operate separately, making him like two machines in one.

2 T-1000

Potentially The Most Terrifying Machine In Cinema History

• First Appearance – Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Robert Patrick learned to run without breathing and to fire a sidearm without blinking to properly play the T-1000.

The T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day proved to be an iconic villain, constantly a threat like something out of a horror game. He could form blades from his body, shapeshift, move fast, defeat the T-800 in battle, and properly imitate a human personality. Robert Patrick was so effective in the role that he made it believable that he was the deadliest weapon in the hands of Skynet.

Throughout Terminator 2, he displays curiosity, vexation, twisted humor, and in several instances, fear. There are multiple hints that he is an organism that serves Skynet’s command of his own free will, which is even more terrifying than a programmed machine.

1 T-800 Model 101

The Original Terminator Will Always Be A Classic

• First Appearance – The Terminator
• Arnold Schwarzenegger has been the face of the T-800 in every single movie so far.

The signature infiltration model of the franchise, the T-800 has appeared in every single Terminator project since 1984. From the seven movies to the plethora of Terminator video games, the T-800 is the poster child and a large part of that has to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who began as the villain hunting down Sarah Connor in the original Terminator.

However, where the T-800 shined was in Terminator 2: Judgment Day when another was sent back in time to protect Sarah and her son John. The more heroic approach not only made for a great sequel, but nearly every sequel since has featured a protector T-800 with one-liners and memorable action scenes. Even in his final appearance in Dark Fate, Schwarzenegger shined as the T-800.