Terminator (character concept)

In the Terminator franchise, a Terminator is an autonomous cyborg, typically humanoid, conceived as a virtually indestructible soldier, infiltrator, and assassin. A variety of models appear throughout the franchise. Within the fictional storyline, Terminators are created in a post-apocalyptic future by a computer AI known as Skynet, after it has launched war on humans. The machines are created to aid Skynet in its quest, and most are designed as infiltrators with a human appearance. Several Terminators throughout the franchise are reprogrammed by the human resistance to instead serve as protectors.

James Cameron introduced the first Terminator character in the 1984 film The Terminator, featuring a single cyborg simply called the "Terminator" or "Cyberdyne Systems Model 101", portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.