Skynet threatens the world once again in the next Terminator project, but Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, Sarah Connor, and John Connor will look nothing like their usual selves. Ever since James Cameron chose to move forward with the then largely untested amateur actor Arnold Schwarzenegger for the titular role in 1984’s The Terminator, the bodybuilding legend has been the face of the franchise. Even Terminator Salvation, which focused on the Future War, found a way to integrate Schwarzenegger’s musclebound robot into the story in order to pay homage to the original movie and its star.

Several actors have played Sarah and John Connor throughout the years. Lena Headey starred in the cult 2008 series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Emilia Clarke played an alternative young version of the hero in Terminator Genisys, where Jai Courtney took up the Kyle Reese role from Michael Biehn. John Connor has famously changed actors the most, starting with Michael Edwards in T2: Judgment Day‘s flashbacks, and later Nick Stahl in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Thomas Dekker in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Christian Bale in Terminator Salvation, and Jason Clarke in Terminator. Genisys.

That said, T2: Judgment Day is still the crown jewel of the Terminator franchise to this day, and its acclaimed status reinforces the idea that the first Sarah and John Connor actors, Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong, provide the original portrayal of the characters on which all other interpretations are based.

The T-800, Sarah Connor, And John Connor Look Remarkably Different Now

Archie vs Terminator; Written By Rory McConville; Art By Steven Butler & Lily Butler

As the Terminator movies take a break while James Cameron works on developing Terminator 7, Dynamite Entertainment presents a new crossover involving Skynet and none other than Archie Andrews. Penned by 2000 AD, Spawn, and Judge Dredd writer Rory McConville and illustrated by Archie artists Steven and Lily Butler, the upcoming Archie vs Terminator miniseries takes Skynet to Riverdale and introduces a brand-new take on Sarah Connor, John Connor, and the iconic T-800, none of whom resemble the original Terminator cast. Sarah sports darker and shorter hair, and both John and the T-800 have blond hair with a new hairstyle.

Concept art for Archie vs Terminator shows Sarah Connor wearing a tank top and sunglasses while wielding a gun, which suggests the story takes place after an alternative version of the events of The Terminator, or perhaps after T2: Jugdment Day as well. However, Sarah’s clothes are noticeably more colorful than usual. Likewise, gone are the T-800’s typical dark leather jackets and coats. Instead, the Terminator wears a bright blue Riverdale shirt and black vans that allow the robot to blend in with Archie‘s colorful cast of characters.

The Terminator Franchise Desperately Needs To Leave The Original Cast Behind

The Original Cast’s Era Is Officially Over

Archie vs Terminator‘s redesigns for Terminator‘s three main characters serve as a reminder that the Terminator franchise’s long-term future depends on embracing an entirely new cast and continuity. Sarah Connor, John Connor, the T-800, and the original conflict with Skynet have shaped the series for more than four decades, yet nearly every recent installment has revisited the same ideas, to increasingly divisive results. Terminator: Dark Fate pays a final tribute by bringing Linda Hamilton back as Sarah Connor, giving Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 a meaningful conclusion, and directly addressing John Connor’s legacy. Revisiting these portrayals no longer offers anything new.

A completely fresh continuity with no narrative obligation to the original movies would give writers the freedom to rethink humanity’s relationship with artificial intelligence without forcing every conflict to orbit the Connor family, or at least their original portrayals. Artificial intelligence has become a central topic in global culture in the past few years. A new timeline could build its own mythology around contemporary, real-world concerns with completely new protagonists, new antagonists, new resistance movements, and entirely different rules for time travel that could expand the universe to unprecedented horizons.

What do you think about the original Terminator cast’s redesigns?

Archie vs. The Terminator #1 is available from Dynamite on October 1st 2026.

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  Movie(s)

  The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

  Created by

  James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd

  First Film

  The Terminator

  Latest Film

  Terminator: Dark Fate

  First TV Show

  Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

  Latest TV Show

  Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

  
  

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  Writer

  Bob Montana, John L. Goldwater

  Penciler

  Various

  Inker

  Various

  Colorist

  Various

  Letterer

  Various

  Publisher(s)

  Archie Comic Publications