Terminator: Every Time John Connor Died

In 1984, James Cameron released the first installment in The Terminator film franchise that featured the savior of the world, John Connor, who has died once throughout the six films. While his demise is blatant in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), there’s an allusion made that he may have died more than once throughout the franchise.

When John Connor was first introduced in 1984, he does not make a physical appearance. The Terminator follows the story of Sarah Connor and the need for her survival to give birth to him, as he will lead the resistance against the robotic AI military created by the Skynet corporation. His father is Kyle Reese, who he sent to the past to protect his mother but is unaware of their paternal connection. In the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), John (Edward Furlong) makes his first appearance as a 10-year-old living with foster parents.

By the time Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) released, John Connor was well on his way to reaching his destiny as the savior of the world. In the year 2018, John, portrayed by Christian Bale in Terminator Salvation (2009), and his father have become targets of the terminators and Skynet. As the series progresses, timelines shift and alternate realities result in a variety of circumstances for John. He dies only one time, regardless of how each film has framed a possible death scenario for the character.

The Only Time John Connor Died

In 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, Sarah Connor returns with a young John at her side. As the two are enjoying their life at the beach, he is killed by a T-800 Terminator. As a result, the entire timeline of the original franchise is altered. This is the only instance where the audience is faced with the fact that John Connor may never return to the franchise but it is not the only time his death is eluded to. In the third film, his future is left ambiguous, and the viewer is unsure of what’s to come.

Furthermore, in Terminator Genisys (2015), the timeline is so drastically altered that John Connor should not and could not truly exist. This is because Sarah Connor is already aware of the terminator units and has reprogrammed one in order to assist her in overthrowing Cyberdyne Systems and Skynet. Ultimately, John finds himself in the year 2017 with Sarah and Kyle Reese. When the film ends, Sarah and Kyle do not have sex. Hence, John Connor is not conceived, but somehow remains an evil, time-traveling AI in the film. There is no logical way that he could possibly be born at this point, and he should be presumably nonexistent or dead.

The timeline that came from Terminator Genisys is a bit nonsensical. This could be the second time he dies in, but it’s never overtly mentioned in the franchise’s fifth installment. Until that alternate timeline receives clarification, the only time that John Connor dies in The Terminator franchise is during the beginning of Terminator: Dark Fate. 

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