28. The Terminator (T-800)

Appearances: The Terminator series (1984–)

Creator: James Cameron

Performer: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Defining moment: The joy of the “I’ll be back” sequence lies not only in its legacy, but its witty machine-like accuracy: he will indeed be back, smashing his car through the police station, the desk, and the desk clerk.

Fascinating fact: Cameron had devised a version of the plot where there would be two Arnie T-800s, one good, one evil, but ditched it because one would have to look battered throughout, which meant putting Schwarzenegger in make-up every day – he couldn’t face the griping.

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