Here's every Starship Troopers movie that Johnny Rico has appeared in thus far. Paul Verhoeven's filmography is littered with scenes of outrageous violence and sexuality, and it was his 1987 sci-fi action masterpiece RoboCop that led him to make a string of daring blockbusters. Even in the likes of major releases like 1990's Total Recall and Basic Instinct, he also brought a subversive edge and wit to his work - even when they pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable onscreen.

Starship Troopers arrived in 1997 and makes for a perfect thematic trilogy alongside RoboCop and Total Recall. The movie was based on the sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein and depicted mankind's fight against a race of murderous alien bugs. Starship Troopers - which has subversive shower scene - looked like a gory action film littered with beautiful young actors and was critiqued as such upon release. However, it was soon re-assessed as a sly parody of war propaganda movies, with Verhoeven trusting viewers enough to pick up on this reading for themselves. Sadly, this went over the heads of major critics at the time and the film underperformed.

Related: Starship Troopers Honest Trailer Brings Back Casper Van Dien As Rico

That said, Starship Troopers have become a cult favorite and spawned an entire multimedia franchise. Naturally, its lower-budget follow-ups haven't met the same level of praise the original film is now afforded, though some entries are worth seeking out for fans. Starship Troopers was also the first major movie lead for Van Dien as Johnny Rico, who joins the Mobile Infantry to fight the bugs and becomes a hardened warrior. Here's every Starship Trooper movie the Johnny Rico character has appeared in.

Every Johnny Rico Appearance In The Starship Trooper Series

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  • Starship Troopers (1997)
  • Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)
  • Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)
  • Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)

Every Starship Troopers movie bar the original has gone direct to video in North America. The most recent two outings have also been computer-animated movies, which have allowed them a greater scale in terms of setpieces than the live-action sequels. Johnny Rico has appeared in four out of the five Starship Troopers movies and was only absent for Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation. Despite being helmed by effects wizard Phil Tippett, this outing is commonly considered the franchise nadir.

Rico's role in Starship Troopers: Invasion is also strange. He's a supporting character instead of a main player, and despite Casper Van Dien being credited as an executive producer, he didn't voice Johnny either; the part instead went to Attack On Titans' David Matranga. Thankfully, Johnny Rico reclaimed the lead role for Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars, which also reunited him with Dina Meyer as Dizzy. There has been occasional talk of a Starship Troopers remake, but currently, it appears the franchise has stalled.

Next: Why Starship Troopers Bombed So Hard (And How It Became A Cult Classic)