Robots have been a source of human anxiety and fear since we first started producing machines. Often times, they blur the line between what is considered human and what is considered inhuman. It bring a lot of topics to the science fiction table from paranoia about who is human and who is not to robots becoming even better than their makers.
Television has produced a ton of memorable A.I. and robot characters from good to evil and all across the motivation spectrum. Here are ten that we consider to be the scariest in all of television.
Santa Bot From Futurama
Futurama is known for having many robot characters. None of them are quite as twisted and frightening as Santa Bot. The Christmas special episdoes always feature Santa Bot, who is a robot that wants to destroy and kill as much as possible once a year. Christmas in Futurama is a time where families bunker down and try to survive the night.
While the show is a comedy, there is no doubt that Santa Bot is one of the most terrifying versions of Santa on television.
The Robots From "Metalhead" in Black Mirror
The anthology show Black Mirror was a science fiction hit known for its various episodes about how technology can go too far. One of their creepier episodes, "Metalhead", featured a post-apocalyptic world where dog-like robots roamed the world and killed any human in sight.
The episode has been compared to The Terminator in terms of the horrors of powerful robots hunting down humans. To boot, the episode has a lot of predator and prey symbols and imagery. It shows how cold machines can dominate over human nature when it comes to survival.
Megatron From Transformers
To be fair, any Transformer would be terrifying to a human. They are extraterrestrial war machines. However, if one had to be selected then it would be the main antagonist for most of the series, Megatron. He believes that his race is the strongest and wisest lifeform in the universe and, thus, they are meant to rule over all weaker lifeforms. He is powerful, charismatic, and totally colonialist and nationalistic.
Luckily though, his plans are not usually subtle due to his pride.
Light Hope From She-Ra
Light Hope from the She-Ra reboot is rather new to television. It was only in the most recent season that she revealed her true colors, which was to turn the entire planet into a weapon.
What puts her on this list is that she was a mentor and later it was discovered that her plans for the protagonist were sinister. The most scary part is that we do not really know what happened that made her change in the past. She used to be friends with the previous She-Ra but something happened that made her wipe those memories and commit to the evil plan.
General Grevous From Star Wars: Clone Wars
This feared general is actually a cyborg, but his only organic parts are his lungs, heart, brain, and eyes. His arms can split so that he has for arms for double the lightsabers. What makes him so scary is that he collects lightsabers from the Jedi that he kills. They are his trophies so seeing them is pretty intimidating.
The only way Obi Wan manages to beat him is through use of the Force and even then it is a narrow victory.
Ultron From Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Ultron is an example of how we can build robots for one thing but then they get all evil and become monsters.
This guy was created by both Tony Stark and Hank Pym. It was originally programmed to be a peaceful robot but all goes downwards once it is ordered to use violence to protect people. Ultron comes to the conclusion that humans can never achieve peace and should just be destroyed.
The Borg From Star Trek
These recurring antagonists from Star Trek are linked through hive mind. While the idea of a hive mind is scary, what is really terrifying about these guys is that they assimilate other people into drones.
They inject nano-machines into people's bodies, and surgically augment them with cybernetic parts. Why? To achieve perfection of course!
Cylons From Battlestar Galactica
Created by a reptilian race of the same name, Cylons are robots that are at war with humanity. Their nature and origins actually differs greatly depending on which Battlestar Galactica continuity you look into.
In one version, they raise up against their masters due to an inspired belief of a "One True God." There are also different kinds, such as ones that resemble more toaster-like models and others who can pass as human.
Daleks From Doctor Who
Being inspired by Nazis, these robots definitely had to make this list. They exterminate any race that they deem inferior and are completely devoid of mercy. They use violence to get results and demand conformity to their desires at all cots. There is little individuality between them and they experience no emotions other than hate and anger.
Doctor Who is a popular show, so it is a big deal when its a fact that the Daleks are the series' most popular villains.
Casshern From Casshern Sins
Anime has its share of terrifying robots. None of them are very well known compared to Daleks and Borgs, though. One anime, Casshern Sins, is a pretty interesting story about a robot who ended the world and forgot what he did. Since he ended the world, everyone wants to kill him.
While he can seem gentle at times, he completely changes in a scenario with violence. He becomes an indestructible monster that tears people and machines limb from limb.