expertly cut Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Dark Fate sank like a stone at the box office, turning it into the third straight failed attempt to start a new Terminator trilogy. At this point, it almost seems like the Terminator franchise is cursed, with the initial concepts sounding good, but the final film failing to win over most fans. Terminator Salvation promised a feature-length look at the future war between John Connor and Skynet but ended up boring some and disappointing most.
Then Terminator Genisys tried to retcon the previous two movies and create an alternate timeline, only to succeed in confusing and annoying fans more than anything. Dark Fate arguably succeeded in crafting a good follow-up to onscreen death of John Connor, the foretold savior of humanity. John was shot by another T-800 that Skynet had sent back in time as a contingency, even though by the time it arrived, John and Sarah had effectively prevented Skynet's existence. Here's why the sequel went that route.
Why Terminator: Dark Fate Killed Off John Connor
The initial idea for killing off John Connor early on in Terminator: Dark Fate came from franchise creator James Cameron, who returned to produce Dark Fate after having no involvement with the third to the fifth films. Cameron wanted the moment to shock the audience, and also try to head off complaints that this was just another Terminator movie. Director Tim Miller and the rest of the creative team pretty much immediately agreed that this was the right move, albeit after an understandable amount of surprise at Cameron's proposal. There is also a sense of finality in the character's death, suggesting that even Terminator 7 won't bring back John Connor.
Miller would go on to explain that he was in favor of killing off John for two reasons. The first is that it sets up an all-new character arc for Sarah Connor as a grieving mother and vengeful badass, and the second is that they didn't want to undo Sarah and John's prevention of Skynet at the end of Terminator 2. Instead, they altered things so that a different machine AI eventually arose called Legion, but with Skynet's original rise averted, John had become a man ed over by history. He never had to become the grizzled military leader he became in the original timeline, and Miller didn't believe fans would want to see a John who grew up to become a regular person. By killing off John, Miller and company were able to add an unforgettable dramatic turn to Terminator: Dark Fate's story, while not having to invalidate Terminator 2's seminal narrative and iconic ending.
Why John Connor's Death Couldn't Save The Movie (Or The Terminator Franchise)
Terminator: Dark Fate's decision to kill the franchise's most important hero was an unusually bold and creative choice made amid a questionable era in the franchise's creative evolution. This was the best possible ending for John Connor – in a timeline that's become largely unrecognizable to fans of the first two films. In fact, Terminator: Dark Fate made quite a loss, and there's also been no movement on the intended sequel film since the last one was released. That being said, in a series that's continuously retconned by time travel, killing off John Connor with an unmistakable sense of finality was the only way to truly do justice to the character. Though this isn't enough to save the movie or the franchise, John's death at least opens more paths for the future of the Terminator franchise (should it ever be creatively or financially justifiable again).
