The Terminator franchise has made once-terrifying Arnie’s T-800 a more human, emotive figure numerous times now, but the villain’s feeling side was originally showcased in a cut scene from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The Terminator franchise has changed the T-800’s level of humanity more than once. In the original R-rated sci-fi horror he was a relentless, remorseless killing machine that felt nothing, whereas in both Terminator: Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate Arnie’s T-800 gained a conscience and a heart.
However, one cut scene from Terminator 2: Judgment Day would have hinted at this humanity a lot earlier. Many of the franchise’s pivotal deleted scenes have changed the course of the series, with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’s darkest cut scene being so central that it could have saved the sequel from its middling reception. In the case of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the effect of the scene’s elision would have been more modest, but the moment would have hinted at emotions under the T-800’s flat affect nonetheless.
As explained by Terminator fansite HopeoftheFuture, of Terminator 2: Judgment Day’s deleted scenes saw John and Arnie’s T-800 talk about emotions as they look through a stockpile of weapons. While the T-800 blithely responds “no” when asked if he ever feels fear, his grinning response to seeing a massive gun in the arsenal proves that the robot does feel some emotion under his steely exterior — an interesting twist that isn’t showcased until the moving ending of the finished film. The grin made it into the movie, but the Terminator sequel cut the preceding conversation between the duo that made Arnie’s reaction to the weapon ironic.
The original scene was cut for not progressing the plot and is reinstated in the special edition, giving the Terminator’s reaction to the weapon more context. The fact that the android assassin claimed to feel no emotion mere moments before grinning at the sight of a huge gun makes the moment funnier but also hints at the reality that the T-800 is hiding his affinity for John and Sarah under a cool exterior. This becomes clear at the close of the movie when the robot sacrifices himself to save the duo, but could potentially have been guessed at by a canny viewer had the scene stayed in place.
However, this is not the only time that James Cameron’s Terminator franchise cut a scene hinting at the humanity in Skynet’s creations. Originally, Terminator: Salvation’s story focused entirely on the character of Marcus, who was only revealed to be an android unbeknownst to himself in the twist ending. While this surprise was kept in the finished sequel, the fact that Terminator: Salvation’s story split its focus between Marcus and John Connor meant the moment lacked the shocking impact it originally had. Unlike this late misstep, however, Terminator: Judgment Day was arguably right to hide the T-800’s softer side for as long as it did by cutting John’s conversation with the Terminator franchise's central character.