5 Epic Terminator Crossovers That Deserve Way More Attention From Fans

The Terminator is one of the most beloved Sci-Fi franchises of all time, as it perfectly blends action and horror elements with truly iconic ideas about what the future holds for humanity. The series presents an evil AI called Skynet that wipes out the vast majority of the human race by launching nuclear warheads around the world, and then it attempts to finish off the remainder of humans with its killer robots dubbed Terminators. So, humanity has to go back in time to keep this grim future from ever happening, and Skynet does the same with its Terminators.

The Terminator is a wild concept that fans have been loving since the very first film back in the ‘80s, and it’s a franchise that’s still going strong to this day. It’s so iconic, in fact, that The Terminator has actually invaded other franchises on numerous occasions in the past, resulting in some truly epic crossovers. Sometimes Terminators are challenging other Sci-Fi monsters like Xenomorphs and Predators, other times they’re fighting fellow robots like the Autobots and RoboCop, and sometimes the full-force of Skynet is going toe-to-toe with Superman himself. Here are the 5 best Terminator crossovers of all time!

5 Terminators Go Head-To-Head with Other ‘80s Sci-Fi Icons: Alien & Predator

Aliens vs Predator vs The Terminator by Mark Schultz and Mel Rubi

Terminators might be some of the most terrifying Sci-Fi 'monsters' the genre has to offer, but there are two others that are equally horrific: Xenomorphs and Predators. The '80s brought these monsters to life, though each one of them existed in their own separate continuity. That is, until Dark Horse Comics brought them all together in truly epic fashion in Aliens vs Predator vs The Terminator.

In Aliens vs Predator vs The Terminator, readers are thrown into the distant future, one that is set after the events of Alien: Resurrection. This story reveals that the events of The Terminator franchise happened in the Alien franchise's past. Humans defeated Skynet before the Nostromo ever touched down on LV-426, but there were a few Terminators who survived. These Terminators have found a way to merge their robotics with Xenomorph DNA, creating a Sci-Fi monster like no other - and the Predators are hellbent on killing them before they spread across the galaxy.

Aliens vs Predator vs The Terminator isn't just an epic crossover event, but a truly fascinating story that bends the established canon of all three franchises around each other in a really cool way. Plus, at the end of the day, simply seeing the Terminators going head-to-head with these other iconic '80s Sci-Fi monsters is just awesome, making this a Terminator crossover that fans will not want to skip.

4 RoboCop Plays a Fascinating Role in The Terminator Lore

RoboCop vs The Terminator by Frank Miller and Walter Simonson

The Terminator might be the most iconic '80s Sci-Fi android in the genre, but an equally iconic '80s cyborg gives the T-800 a run for its money: RoboCop. Like Terminator, RoboCop throws fans into a world where an evil tech company is creating killer robots under the guise of protecting humans. However, this company accidentally lets a genuine hero slip through the cracks of its corrupt agenda, and that hero is RoboCop himself. Unfortunately, when RoboCop's continuity gets merged with that of The Terminator, the titular cyborg's hero status gets called into question.

In RoboCop vs The Terminator, a human rebel is sent back in time, not to protect someone of importance to the future who's been targeted by a Terminator, but to assassinate the root cause of the rise of Skynet: RoboCop. In this shared continuity, RoboCop's existence gives life to AI, which is later developed into Skynet. Without RoboCop, an AI system as advanced as Skynet would never exist. So, the human rebels are trying to kill him in order to wipe out the Terminators, and while RoboCop doesn't simply turn over and die, he is willing to help the humans defeat the Terminators once and for all.

Connecting RoboCop lore with The Terminator in this way elevates this crossover beyond a simple 'versus' comic, but an intricate story that makes fans wish all of it was actually canon for both franchises. While that's sadly not the case, fans will always have this amazing Terminator crossover to go back to.

3 Not Even a Terminator Can Defeat the Unkillable Painkiller Jane

Painkiller Jane vs The Terminator by Jimmy Palmiotti and Nigel Raynor

If there's one thing that The Terminator franchise does perfectly, it's spotlighting a badass heroine who does not hesitate to take on the titular killer androids. Sarah Connor is a perfect example of this, though she's far from the only one in The Terminator series. In fact, in the previously mentioned Aliens vs Predator vs The Terminator crossover miniseries, the Terminators even go up against the original Sci-Fi heroine, Ellen Ripley (technically her clone, Ripley8). However, even when considering Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley, the Terminators might have faced their greatest challenge when they went head-to-head against Painkiller Jane.

In Painkiller Jane vs The Terminator, a T-800 finds itself face-to-face against Painkiller Jane after the android was sent back in time to kill its target. While Painkiller Jane just seemed like another human that the Terminator simply had to kill before continuing its mission, this T-800 was shocked to discover that Painkiller Jane was unlike any human it had ever gone up against. Painkiller Jane has a healing factor that could rival Marvel's Wolverine, and she is an expert fighter/marksman. In other words, the fight between the Terminator and Painkiller Jane was truly one to behold.

Painkiller Jane is definitely one of the most obscure franchises The Terminator has ever had a crossover with, but that shouldn't suggest it's any less awesome than the others. Again, The Terminator franchise is an expert at delivering a badass heroine for the androids to fight, and this crossover hits that out of the park.

2 Transformers are an Even Greater Threat to Humanity Than the Terminators

Transformers vs The Terminator by David Mariotte, John Barber, Tom Waltz, and Alex Milne

In the original Terminator series, humanity gets overrun by Terminators after Skynet effectively wipes out most of the human race with nuclear attacks. This is the catalyst for the entire franchise, but when the Terminators go up against Transformers' Autobots and Decepticons, that major plot point in The Terminator franchise is changed completely. No longer were the Terminators and humans mortal enemies fighting for control of the entire world, but rather allies fighting a much greater threat: Cybertronians.

In Transformers vs The Terminator, humanity sees no difference between Autobot and Decepticon, as every Transformer is merely a Cybertonian - robotic alien invaders trying to take over the Earth. So, humanity did the only thing it could that would even the playing field against these invaders: create killer robots of their own. Terminators became the ultimate weapons against the Cybertronians, but even the killer androids weren't enough to win the war. The humans and Terminators needed to prevent the war from happening in the first place, meaning they needed to send a soldier back in time to kill the few Cybertronians before they could grow in strength.

This series is an awesome twist on classic Terminator lore, while also presenting the Transformers as a terrifying threat. Plus, in true Transformers fashion, there's more to this comic than meets the eye, as it's revealed that the Terminators haven't ventured too far from the iconic Sci-Fi villains fans know them as. From the visual spectacle of seeing Transformers vs Terminators, to the quality storytelling, this is easily one of the greatest Terminator crossovers in the bunch.

1 Terminators Receive Unprecedented Upgrades While Fighting Superman

Superman vs The Terminator: Death to the Future by Alan Grant and Steve Pugh

The Terminator franchise is not only one of the most iconic series out there, but it's also one of the most versatile. Terminators can fit into any continuity, as they are the result of humanity's desire to create something greater than itself, and stronger than anything that could pose a threat to survival. Ironically, the Terminators always present the greatest threat to humanity's survival after agreeing with their human creators that they are, in fact, superior - something that's even true in the DC Universe.

In Superman vs The Terminator: Death to the Future, a strike force of Terminators were sent back in time to kill Sarah and John Connor just like in the original Terminator series. Except, this time, Superman is there to protect them. Unfortunately, the Terminators were more than prepared for the Man of Steel, as the Terminators Skynet sent back in time had the ability to mimic Superman's abilities, making them a terrifying threat that even Superman struggles to defeat.

If that isn't cool enough, Superman actually finds himself trapped in the post-apocalyptic future fighting a Terminator even more powerful than the ones sent back in time, and the battle that ensues is absolutely legendary. While Superman would probably be the last character fans would expect to fight the Terminators, this crossover proves that he's the perfect choice, as it's one of the 5 greatest Terminator crossovers in the series' history.