Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed on to play the President of the United States opposite David Sandberg as Kung Fury, Michael Fassbender as his new partner Colt Magnum, and Jorma Taccone as the “Kung Führer” in the upcoming Kung Fury 2. This cinematic P.O.T.U.S. will likely be a good guy who helps Kung Fury on his quest, but Schwarzenegger has occasionally taken a break from playing noble heroes to play diabolical villains.
Most Schwarzenegger characters are heroes, like True Lies’ Agent Harry Tasker and Kindergarten Cop’s Detective John Kimble, but others are more villainous, like his Batman & Robin baddie Mr. Freeze.
10 T-800 (The Terminator)
Easily the most villainous character that Schwarzenegger has played is the titular cyborg in The Terminator. The original T-800 is an unstoppable killing machine sent into the past with the singular goal of killing Sarah Connor, the mother of resistance leader John Connor.
The T-800 kills whoever he has to kill to get to Sarah. Unlike the version that John teaches to smile in the sequel, this T-800 is completely devoid of emotions.
9 Mr. Freeze (Batman & Robin)
Mr. Freeze is one of the only traditional antagonists that Schwarzenegger has played over the years. He tormented the eponymous Dynamic Duo in Batman & Robin with criminal schemes and goofy ice-based puns. But, unlike most Batman villains, there’s something that makes Mr. Freeze sympathetic.
All of Mr. Freeze’s diamond robberies have the sole purpose of bankrolling his attempts to cure his terminally ill wife. Mr. Freeze is a bad guy, but he has a noble motivation.
8 Doug Quaid (Total Recall)
The protagonist in Total Recall, Doug Quaid, is easy to root for, but he’s not quite heroic (although his other self Carl Hauser might be). After going into a company to have memories of a spy mission on Mars implanted in his mind, Quaid becomes convinced that he actually used to be a secret agent on Mars.
Quaid’s quest is endlessly compelling, but he’s more of an everyman than a hero; he’s more interested in uncovering the mysteries of his identity than helping people in need.
7 Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Predator)
Most of Schwarzenegger’s characters are fueled by testosterone, but perhaps the most hypermasculine role of his career is oiled-up, alien-killing Vietnam War veteran Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer. Dutch is the hero of Predator who learns the alien hunter’s weakness and uses it to emerge as the victor.
Dutch doesn’t manage to save any of his comrades from the Predator’s wrath; he just saves himself after the rest of his platoon have been picked off for sport.
6 Conan (Conan The Barbarian)
Schwarzenegger’s first breakout role was the titular badass warrior in Conan the Barbarian. This version of Conan, who later reappeared in a sequel, was more of a standard Hollywood protagonist than the brutal warmonger seen in Robert E. Howard’s legendary source material.
After suffering the worst trauma imaginable as a child (watching his parents get killed and being sold into slavery), Conan grew up to be a truly fearless fighting machine.
5 Agent Harry Tasker (True Lies)
After Schwarzenegger had worked with James Cameron on a couple of Terminator movies, the two reunited for the Bondian spy thriller True Lies. Schwarzenegger’s lead protagonist, Harry Tasker, struggles to lead a double life as a secret agent and a suburban husband and father.
Harry does some questionable things throughout the movie, like using government surveillance equipment to spy on his wife when he suspects she’s having an affair, but he does whatever it takes to save his wife and daughter when they’re captured.
4 Howard Langston (Jingle All The Way)
Schwarzenegger’s contribution to the Christmas movie canon, Jingle All the Way, revolves around two rival fathers – a mattress salesman played by Schwarzenegger and a postal worker played by Sinbad – each trying to buy a Turbo-Man action figure for their son at the last minute on Christmas Eve.
Howard Langston might not be a hero in the way that badass warriors like John Matrix, John Kimble, and Conan the Barbarian are heroes, but he is a hero to his son.
3 Colonel John Matrix (Commando)
Long before Bryan Mills’ daughter was taken and he went to Paris to save her, Colonel John Matrix’s daughter was taken and he went to Val Verde to save her in Commando. A father going to extreme lengths to save their kidnapped daughter will always be an easy protagonist to root for.
Matrix is a lot like True Lies’ Harry Tasker, except he’s much more likable and heroic because he never uses his government resources to spy on his own family; he just cares about protecting them.
2 T-800 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
After the T-800 was sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor in the first Terminator movie, James Cameron shook up the formula in the second movie. Terminator 2: Judgment Day features a reprogrammed T-800 being sent back in time to protect Sarah’s son John from the even more advanced T-1000.
This T-800 was a true hero, obeying John’s command not to kill anybody, standing in the way of danger to keep the Connors safe, and giving his own artificial life to prevent the rise of Skynet.
1 Detective John Kimble (Kindergarten Cop)
Schwarzenegger’s character in Kindergarten Cop is two different types of hero rolled into one. He’s a badass cop committed to bringing criminals to justice and, while working undercover, he also becomes a substitute teacher who inspires his students to follow their dreams.
As a good-hearted officer of the law who has plenty of patience for the kids who look up to him and no patience for the bad guys who mean them harm, Detective John Kimble is the greatest hero that Schwarzenegger has played.