[WARNING: This article SPOILS major plot points for Terminator: Genisys]
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Aside from Avengers: Age of Ultron's titular villain, the other famous sentient robot attempting to conquer the box office - and humanity - this summer is the Terminator. Unlike Age of Ultron, Paramount's reboot/sequel hybrid, Terminator: Genisys, has been met with more trepidation than anticipation.
Which only makes sense, considering the major alterations this installment is making to the entire franchise timeline - the most divisive being turning humanity's greatest hope, John Connor, into something else entirely. With such a game-changing plot twist on their hands, you'd think the filmmakers would want to remain as hush-hush as possible until the film's eventual release, right? Wrong.
As the second trailer already demonstrated, subtlety is clearly not part of a Terminator's programming. The newly released poster only confirms this, spotlighting the spoiler further.
Check it out below:
Before this reveal, fans hoping to avoid any and all Genysis spoilers may have had a fighting chance. But with John Connor's metallic man-machine burning in the center of the poster, those hopes have been all but... terminated.
Indeed, the decision to place Connor at the focal point suggests the filmmakers (hopefully) have much more in store for viewers beyond overhauling the iconic hero's character - such as resetting the entire 'Terminator' universe a la X-Men: Days of Future Past. The poster's emphasis on fire could certainly support such an assumption, creating an understated dichotomy between destruction and rebirth. The question then becomes: what of the series will rise from the ashes, and what will remain in cinders? Considering Genisys is completely and blatantly willing to subvert audience expectations, along with years of franchise mythology, nothing is safe.
One thing is for sure, though, and that's the survival of Arnold Schwarzenegger's original, hunter-turned-protector T-800. With sequels already planned for 2017 and 2018 - and Arnie confirmed to reprise his role in at least the first one - it seems Paramount is not yet willing to sacrifice the Governator's star power and recognition. However, whether or not the actor will factor largely into the shared cinematic universe being planned and built for the franchise remains to be seen. Judging by the filmmakers' overeagerness to release spoilers, though, we'll most likely have some answers soon.
What do you think of the film's major change to the Terminator mythos? Does it add something new or just complicate things further?
Terminator: Genisys opens in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2015. There are currently additional Terminator movies scheduled for release on May 19, 2017 and June 29, 2018.