History Characters / TerminatorGenisys

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyle_reese_jai_courtney.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"We're here because tonight, he's going to lead us to crush Skynet for good."'']]

This Terminator was sent back to 1973 to protect Sarah Connor from another Terminator sent to kill her in 1973 when she was 9, and has been her guardian angel/bodyguard/parental substitute ever since. His mission didn't stop there, as the mysterious human resistance member who reprogrammed and sent him in the past also left ''plenty'' of informations about the events of 1984 and the rise of Genisys, thus giving this T-800 and Sarah ''much'' leeway in the war against the Machines across time.

This Terminator was sent back to 1973 to protect Sarah Connor from another Terminator sent to kill her when she was 9.

A police officer who is saved by Kyle, Sarah and the "Pops" T-800 in 1984.

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattSmith (adult), Ian Etheridge, Nolan Gross, Seth Meriwether (child)

->'''Played by:''' Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger

->'''Played by:''' Brett Azar,[[note]]A young Arnold Schwarzenegger's face has been recreated with CGI on his head[[/note]] Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger (voice)

->'''Default form played by:''' Byung-hun Lee
->'''Other forms played by:''' Creator/JaiCourtney

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terminator_t_3000_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250: ''"I'm not a man, not a machine... I'm more!"'']]

->'''Default form played by:''' Creator/JasonClarke

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattSmith

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JaiCourtney (adult), Bryant Prince (child)

->'''Played by:''' Creator/EmiliaClarke (adult), Willa Taylor (child)

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JasonClarke

[[folder:Danny]]

->'''Played by:''' Dayo Okeniyi

[[folder:Miles]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/CourtneyBVance

* DemotedToExtra: Compared to ''Terminator 2'', given the role of Cyberdyne developer is fulfilled by his son.

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JKSimmons (old), Wayne Bastrup (young)

Due to CanonDiscontinuity, tropes applying to the ''Film/TheTerminator'', ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' and ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' versions of some of the characters have to be put [[Characters/TerminatorMachines here]] and [[Characters/TerminatorHumans here]], and tropes applying to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' and ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' go on their [[Characters/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines respective]] [[Characters/TerminatorSalvation pages]].

Due to CanonDiscontinuity, tropes applying to the ''Film/TheTerminator'', ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' and ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' versions of some of the characters have to be put [[Characters/{{Terminator}} here]], and tropes applying to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' and ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' go on their [[Characters/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines respective]] [[Characters/TerminatorSalvation pages]].

* [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And The John Connor was a Terminator]]: [[spoiler: The Terminators' greatest enemy becomes one himself.]]

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler: The Terminators' greatest enemy becomes one himself.]]

* StarCrossedLovers: She knows she's destined to fall-in love and conceive a child with Kyle but she knows that he's destined to die so she tries so hard to avert at least the former. Pops being a literal solid ShipperOnDeck with a BecauseDestinySaysSo type of programming doesn't help matters. Still, it's obvious that she gradually still becomes attracted to him.

[[caption-width-right:250:''"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?"'']]

[[caption-width-right:250: ''I'm not a man, not a machine... I'm more!'']]

[[caption-width-right:250: ''You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?'']]

[[caption-width-right:250:"We're here because tonight, he's going to lead us to crush Skynet for good."]]

[[caption-width-right:249:"Everyone who loves me dies."]]

[[caption-width-right:250:"I look at each of you and I see the marks of this long and terrible war. If we die tonight, mankind dies with us."]]

Due to CanonDiscontinuity, tropes applying to the ''Film/TheTerminator'' and ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' versions of some of the characters have to be put [[Characters/{{Terminator}} here]], and tropes applying to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' and ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' go on their [[Characters/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines respective]] [[Characters/TerminatorSalvation pages]].

* OffWithHisHead: Kyle shoots his head out.

* TheQuietOne: Once the Guardian reveals himself, this T-800 never talks. (the only lines before were taken from ''Film/TheTerminator'')

* StrippedToTheBone: When it's restarted by T-1000, Reese shoots it with grenade launcher. Instead of destroying it entirely, the endoskeleton still remains and [[ImplacableMan keeps chasing after Reese]].

* NotSoStoic: Like all Terminators, he's normally stone-faced and focused. But he shows subtle degrees of enjoying being evil.

->'''Played by:''' Brett Azar [[note]]A young Arnold Schwarzenegger's face has been recreated with CGI on his head[[/note]], Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger (voice)

* AdaptationalCurves: Courtney is notably much more bulkier than Creator/MichaelBiehn's portrayal.

* SupernaturallyYoungParent: Due to time travel, he's 15 years younger than his son John Connor.

* CleavageWindow: The black jacket over low cut black top kind.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* RaceLift: Technically, its "robot" ethnicity is unchanged, but its "default" human form has changed from Creator/RobertPatrick to the Asian Byung-hun Lee. Easily justified, as the T-1000 uses the likeness of the first human he meets as his "default" human form, who happened to be an Asian-American cop here (if it can mimic people of different size, shape and ''gender'', a different ethnicity is just as easy).

[[folder:T-3000]]
!!T-3000
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terminator_t_3000_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250: ''I'm not a man, not a machine... I'm more!'']]

->'''Default form played by:''' Creator/JasonClarke

A prototype Terminator unit composed of nanomanchines far more advanced than the ones used to create the T-1000. Created by assimilating human test subjects or victims at the cellular level.

* AlienBlood: Has nanomachines in his blood, turning it from red to metallic silver in seconds of being exposed to air.
* AmbiguousRobots: He claims not to be man or machine, but something more. However, in reality, he fits almost every practical definition of "machine", albeit one with human memories and emotions. He no longer has living biological cells, as they've all been replaced by nanomachines.
* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler: The Terminators' greatest enemy becomes one himself.]]
* AntagonisticOffspring: Once sent to the past, [[spoiler:"John's" biggest adversaries are his own biological parents.]]
* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:Of the "human turned artificial" kind.]]
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:He doesn't really feel the need to go out of his way to kill anyone he doesn't have to, since his purpose is to protect Skynet rather than to kill in and of itself, and he, terrifyingly, seems to have maintained most of his personality through the process... but he still ultimately has no real regard for human life any longer. Furthermore, he desperately wants his parents to willingly become nano-cyborgs like him, to the point of ''not'' killing them when he has the chance several times, until it seems it's either them or Skynet.]]
* BadassBoast: [[spoiler:Uses [[MythologyGag Kyle Reese's assessment of the Terminator]] from the [[Film/TheTerminator original film]] to describe himself.]]
* BeautyIsBad: [[spoiler:He takes John Connor's form but removes his facial scars and wears suits instead.]]
* BlobMonster: A GreyGoo variety. However, he's far less of one than the T-1000, making him even more dangerous as an Infiltrator.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Downplayed, since John has kept his personality but not his free will. He can ''seem'' like John Connor while infiltrating, but slips into crazy ranting whenever he gets to "be himself" around his parents.]]
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:To Kyle, who viewed him as humanity's saviour back when he was John Connor.]]
* ButterflyOfDoom: His creation is what causes the TimeyWimeyBall to manifest and create a whole new timeline.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: [[spoiler:Once turned into a Terminator, only [=SkyNet=]'s mission matters.]]
* {{Deceptively Human Robot|s}}: [[spoiler:If it wasn't for his RoboticReveal when T-800 shot him, he would've continued fooling Kyle, Sarah, and the audience into thinking he was human. He's even better at this than most Terminators, since unlike even [[BlobMonster the T-1000]], he bleeds red... [[AlienBlood mostly]].]]
* {{Determinator}}: [=SkyNet=] programmed him to cause Judgment Day. Nothing short of molecular disruption will stop him. Deconstructed, in a sense, [[spoiler:in that his willpower helped him maintain his sanity through the process... but not his free will.]]
* TheDragon: [[spoiler: To Genisys/Skynet.]]
* DragonInChief: [[spoiler: It does most of the planning and work for Genisys in 2017.]]
* EvilCounterpart: Like Pops, he was sent back in time to protect a child from implacable killers from the future who can't be bargained with, reasoned with, and absolutely will not stop, etc etc...
* EvilGloating: To the point the Guardian complains that [[spoiler:"John Connor talks too much".]]
* {{Expy}}: Serves as an upgraded version of the T-1000 in ''T2''.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:The hero of the future became the villain of the present.]]
* FallenHero: [[spoiler:Once humanity's savior, now its most dangerous enemy.]]
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: [[spoiler:While like Sarah and Kyle, he didn't originally belong to that 2017, this John Connor spent three more years in the past so he could put the creation of [=SkyNet=] into motion.]]
* FlayingAlive: His default form is that of a silvery skinless man.
* GrandfatherParadox: Discussed. [[spoiler: Kyle and Sarah ask why John intends on killing them if that means he'll never be born - only for him to reply that [[FishOutOfTemporalWater none of them were supposed to be there]], [[TimeyWimeyBall so it could be possible.]]]]
* GreyGoo: His cells-turned-metallic have this sort of behavior.
* TheHeavy: He is responsible for all of the conflict and physical threat in the final act of the film, but he is only a servant of the real enemy, Skynet.
* IntangibleMan: Once damaged enough, he'll just reform into a more complete form.
* KnightTemplar: He truly believes [=SkyNet=]'s plans will generate overall improvement, even if it means devastating the world and wiping out large chunks of mankind.
* KryptoniteFactor: Magnetic fields disrupt his ability to restore himself, though for most of the film this just means it takes time for the magnetic disruption to die down before he can begin regenerating. [[spoiler: The climax sees him trapped in an incredibly strong magnetic sphere that eventually pulls him apart so forcefully that it creates a [[StuffBlowingUp huge explosion]], destroying him and the nascent Skynet.]]
* LightningBruiser: Is fast and strong enough to bring our heroes down to their knees. [[spoiler: In the final fight he even uses his status as a cloud of nanites held together in humanoid form by magnetism to FlashStep around (though you have to wonder why he never thought to try that earlier)]].
* LiterallyShatteredLives: Magnetic fields can disrupt his molecular structure. And the really strong one the TimeMachine creates is enough to destroy him.
* MadeOfIndestructium: His nature as a shapeshifting "mishmash of metallic cells" means that he is even harder to destroy than the T-1000. One shot reinforces this by showing him walking, completely unfazed, from a gigantic explosion, [[ManOnFire while ablaze]], only to completely restore his human form, complete with clothes, in seconds.
* MonochromaticEyes: His true eyes are cloudy white with no pupils on a black sclera.
* {{Nanomachines}}: The technology of a T-3000 involves a machine phase matter resin seeping into the body of the infected human and reconstructing every single cell into a mechanical replacement. This means that when the user regenerates, they regenerate first a mechanical skeleton, then mechanical muscles, then mechanical skin, then clothes. It also allows for more adept VoluntaryShapeshifting than even a T-1000. As shown by the FinalBattle, [[spoiler:the use of a human body is purely preferential, and the body can seriously bulk up on muscle instead to be more combat able.]]
* PsychoPrototype: One of the most advanced Terminators created by Skynet, that also happens to take a huge toll on the sanity of the converted human victim or test subject.
* PullingThemselvesTogether: No matter how badly the heroes damage him, he can reform on a cellular level extremely quickly.
* ReforgedIntoAMinion: [[spoiler:While he retains some of his personality, John Connor has been literally remade to serve Skynet's will on a cellular level. And, unfortunately, instead of helping him break free, his HeroicWillpower only ensures that the process doesn't drive him ''completely'' insane.]]
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: His default human model is a [[spoiler:slender, brunette man,]] while his overall default form is a skinless silvery man.
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: As the time machine is disrupting him.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can create CombatTentacles and such.
* {{Skelebot 9000}}: Averted. He looks more like a skinless man than a skeleton without the disguise.
* SuperPrototype: Is one of these, mainly due to its nanomachine composition.
* UnwillingRoboticisation: Turned into a mechanic lifeform by [=SkyNet=]. Also can apparently do this to other humans, if his attempt on [[spoiler:Sarah]] and his initial WeCanRuleTogether are any indication.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Capable of transforming into any form, or at least any humanoid one. Also can manipulate his body's structure to reorient himself on the fly, as he shows in battle.
* WalkingSpoiler: [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Albeit one the late trailers and posters revealed]].
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:Formerly known as John Connor.]]
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The previous attempts by Skynet to develop nano-tech infiltration Terminators ended in the subjects going insane. Sarah points out that's not inconsistent [[spoiler:with how her son is acting.]] Unfortunately if that's the case he's the crazy-like-a-fox kind, fully in control of his cognitive abilities.

[[folder:T-5000]]
!!T-5000 (Alex)

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattSmith

An ultra-advanced Terminator who serves as [=SkyNet=]'s last defense. In essence, it is an avatar of Skynet.

* AllThereInTheManual: The name "Alex" comes from pre-film supplementary materials and is never mentioned on screen. Given that the T-5000 initially poses as a resistance member, it might be the human first name it goes under, but then again, this is never stated.
* TheAssimilator: Infects John Connor to cause his UnwillingRoboticisation.
* DiabolusExMachina: Literally. It revealed itself in the most unexpected time and kills John Connor.
* DynamicEntry: Reveals himself by infecting John Connor.
* HiveQueen: Describes himself as an avatar of [=SkyNet=]. "I am no slave".
* OneManArmy: Somehow manages to kill ''every'' resistance soldier in the room with John Connor, after first taking out John himself.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He only gets a few minutes worth of screentime, but in that small span of time he drastically changes the timeline, assimilates John Connor and forcefully turns him into the T-3000, and sends his new minion back in time to ensure Skynet's creation.
* TraitorShot: The camera lingers on him, at that moment by all appearances a simple member of the resistance, amidst a group of other soldiers.
* WalkingSpoiler: To the point early word on the character was only that he served as [[MetaphoricallyTrue "an ally to John Connor"]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Genisys]]
!!Genisys

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattSmith (adult), Ian Etheridge, Nolan Gross, Seth Meriwether (child)

A revolutionary OS under development at Cyberdyne, who manifests himself as a human hologram.
----
* AIIsACrapshoot: Supposedly an operating system. In fact an evil AI.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Implied, as from Skynet's point-of-view it's acting in self-defense against implacable technophobic humans out to destroy it [[WouldHurtAChild before it's even fully developed]].
* CreepyChild: Begins like this, but grows really fast.
* EvilGloating: Mentions how being a machine makes him superior ("Primates evolve across millions of years. I only take seconds!") and thus should be allowed to dominate the world.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Its "human" holographic appearance.
* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: Discussed while trying to deter Kyle and Sarah: "Can't you see I just have to exist?"
* HologramProjectionImperfection: The holograms are grainy blobs shaped into human form.
* InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves: Its justification to why mankind is better off dead.
* KillAllHumans: Its plan once online.
* MasterComputer: The one at Cyberdyne. It attempted to decentralize itself on a global scale akin to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' through Genisys, but the heroes prevent that.
* NonActionBigBad: At most tries to lock Kyle and Sarah away from the fighting Terminators.
* RobotsEnslavingRobots: Skynet ensures that its cybernetic assassins never go beyond their intended programming and develop true sentience to control them better. It openly and contemptuously calls them all slaves as it assimilates John Connor.
* [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl Shameless Fanservice Guy]]: His hologram forms are naked.
* ShutUpHannibal: The protagonists constantly cut off his lectures by shooting up the holo-emitters he uses to project himself.
* VirtualGhost: Sarah and Kyle even complain about how it doesn't have a body.
[[/folder]]


[[folder:T-800 "Pops"]]
!!T-800 Model 101 Terminator, Mark 3 "Pops" (The Guardian)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/popsterminatorgenisys.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Old...but not obsolete."'']]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger

This Terminator was sent back to 1973 to protect Sarah Connor from another Terminator sent to kill her when she was 9.
----

!!Humans

[[folder:Reese]]
!!Kyle Reese
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyle_reese_jai_courtney.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"We're here because tonight, he's going to lead us to crush Skynet for good."]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JaiCourtney (adult), Bryant Prince (child)

A boy rescued by John Connor who later went on to become his right-hand man. Reese was one of the volunteers to go back in time to save Sarah Connor, and John ultimately agreed to let him go.

* AdaptationalCurves: Courtney is notably much more bulkier than Creator/MichaelBiehn's portrayal.
* BadassNormal: Makes his fight against an unstoppable killing machine much more badass.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Sarah. He fell in love with her from the things John told him about her, but when he meets her she's harsh and hostile towards him due to knowing the circumstances of his death in the original timeline. He also argues with her about her closeness to her "Pops", who he doesn't trust.
* ChildSoldier: He was born into a world where cyborgs were attempting to destroy humanity, so yeah.
* CompositeCharacter: His relationship to "Pops" reflect those of Sarah and the T-800 of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. Kyle doesn't like or trust him because of his past experience with terminators. He warms up to him later.
* DeathBySex: DefiedTrope. Sarah is aware that if they fall in love and he fathers John Connor, he will die in 48 hours. To prevent that from happening, she actually refuses to indulge in any romance with him [[spoiler:until she presumes Genisys destroyed at the end of the movie, when she kisses him]].
* {{Determinator}}: He will ''not'' allow Sarah to die, no matter what. Not just because it's his mission, but because he loves her.
* FantasticRacism: A completely justifiable case: he hates all robots, due to being a ShellShockedVeteran from a highly-traumatic BadFuture RobotWar. He gets over it in part for Pops.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: A two-fer: first in 1984, then in 2017. [[spoiler:Where his young self is already living!]]
* ItIsDehumanizing: Originally refuses to call Sarah's guardian "him," and regards the robot with great suspicion. [[spoiler: In time, however, he comes to trust the machine, and tells Sarah "''He'' loved you," after "Pops" seems to have sacrificed itself for her.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Everyone knows he is destined to father John Connor and die soon afterwards... except him. [[spoiler: He is quite shocked when he finds out.]]
* LoveBeforeFirstSight: Fell in love with Sarah after seeing her picture. [[spoiler:Or meeting her as a 13-year old once TimeyWimeyBall kicked in.]]
* MadeOfIron: Immediately after arriving in 2017 with Sarah, he gets hit by a car and is smashed into the windshield but is barely affected.
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: [[spoiler:Eventually meets his younger self in 2017 on multiple occasions. Though he never mentions he's Kyle, he ''does'' plant the important message he himself received during the jump back to ensure he gets it.]]
* NakedOnArrival: As per ''Terminator'' rules, you have to be naked when traveling through time. And he does it twice!
* OneHeadTaller: Jai Courtney is almost a foot taller than Emilia Clarke.
* ProductPlacement: The film would like to let the viewers know that his shoes are made by Nike. [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Time-Terminator-Franchise-Nike-Almost-Went-War-Over-Shoe-68554.html And it wasn't easy to accomplish.]]
* {{Protagonist}}: Kyle is pretty much the center of the plot ''and'' plays the part of POV character.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Albeit one that also received [[RippleEffectIndicator memories from the new timeline]] once it was established.
* ScannableMan: Got his tattoo in a [=SkyNet=] work camp.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Undoubtedly so, given that he was in [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a SkyNet work camp complete with a tattoo]] before he was liberated by John Connor and even afterward spent all of his time either fighting against [=SkyNet=]'s machines or hiding from them.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:This time he's allowed to live.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: He's destined to fall in love with Sarah and die after getting her pregnant with John Connor. This is why she tries to keep him away from her.
* SupernaturallyYoungParent: Due to time travel, he's 15 years younger than his son John Connor.
* TimeTravelRomance: With Sarah. One where the romance has a good deal of plot significance.
* TwoFirstNames: His last name is commonly used as a given name.

[[folder:Sarah]]
!!Sarah Connor
[[quoteright:249:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah_connor_emilia_clarke.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:249:"Everyone who loves me dies."]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/EmiliaClarke (adult), Willa Taylor (child)

The mother of John Connor, who trained him from birth to fight against the machines. In the new timeline, Skynet tried to assassinate her at age nine, and she was saved by a Terminator she took to calling "Pops." By the time Reese meets her, she is a trained soldier who has been waiting for him her entire life.

* ActionGirl: She can kick a major amount of ass due to her forced upbringing by a killer robot.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Creator/LindaHamilton's version has dirty-blonde hair, Emilia Clarke has dark brown hair.
* AdaptationalBadass: Thanks to being trained by a Terminator, she becomes much more competent than she was during the events of the first film.
* AdrenalineMakeover: Unlike her original timeline self, Sarah has a noticeable absence of EightiesHair. In 1984, she's got 21st century type hairstyles.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Cold, distanced, and seemingly as dark as her hair.
* AntiHero: Her upbringing made her a very unhappy person, and she is very resentful of being "destined" to do certain things.
* ArrangedMarriage: Played straight aside from the marriage. Sarah states that Kyle is "the one [she's] been waiting for all [her] life", giving their relationship sort of an "arranged marriage" vibe. We've never been given any indication that she's tried dating or seeing anyone else in the intervening years. However, the marriage part of it was technically never intended, as Kyle is supposed to sleep with her, father their son, and then die.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Kyle, with the hostility mostly generated on her part since she doesn't want to fall in love with him to then lose him like in the original timeline.
* BrokenBird: Having your parents killed when you're nine years old to then spend the rest of your life raised by a killer robot who lets you know about your harsh fate doesn't come without a lot of psychological scarring.
-->'''Sarah:''' Everyone who loves me dies.
* CartwrightCurse: See the above quote.
* CleavageWindow: The black jacket over low cut black top kind.
* ColdSniper: During the scene where "Pops" confronts the T-800.
* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: How she introduces herself to Kyle.
* CompositeCharacter: This Sarah integrates aspects of both Connors from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' during the timeline of the first film.
* DaddysGirl: She's very close to her "Pops", who has raised her and protected her since she lost her family.
* DamselOutOfDistress: Kyle went to the past to protect her, only to find out she needs no protection.
* DefrostingIceQueen: She gradually warms up to Kyle.
* DesignatedLoveInterest: ZigZaggedTrope. As in the original timeline, Kyle Reese was basically set up by destiny to fall in LoveBeforeFirstSight with Sarah. Likewise, because of Pops, Sarah has had it drilled into her head that Reese is the man she's supposed to "mate" with to father John Connor... after which Reese ''dies''. Because of this, their new relationship is rather awkward. Kyle's attraction toward Sarah is still understandable since not only does Sarah still look like her original picture (AdrenalineMakeover notwithstanding), but she's now every bit the badass that John Connor told him about. Where this trope is played its straightest, though, is Sarah's side of things. Other than BecauseDestinySaysSo, there's very few indications that she's interested in Kyle beyond adrenaline and physical attractiveness. There's just one line at the end where Pops calls Kyle a "[[NiceGuy good man]]" right before Sarah [[SexualKarma kisses him]].
* {{Deuteragonist}}: After Kyle, she's the second central character.
* FeetFirstIntroduction: The first shots of her are as she runs up a building to get a vantage point to snipe the T-800.
* FinalFirstHug: With "Pops" prior to the 2017 travel.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Once she arrives in 2017.
* HellBentForLeather: Played with. Despite her leather jacket was heavily featured in promo shots, She loses it to acid rather quickly and never got another one.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Once the Terminator adopts her at the age of 9, she is raised up to be a LadyOfWar.
* MandatoryMotherhood: Sarah's main importance, as we all know, is to become the mother of the savior of humanity, John. However, knowing full well that her importance is directly linked to the ultimate destruction of the world as we know it, Sarah wants no part of it. Further, Sarah now no longer has the same [[RescueRomance chemistry her former counterpart]] had with Kyle, who fathered John in the first movie. She seems to warm up to him at the end, but things leave off on an ambiguous note.
* MoralityPet: To "Pops". The way he cares about her shows he's not a mere killer robot.
* NakedOnArrival: Time travel forces her to do this.
* TheNapoleon: A 5'2" (1.57 m) stature and Sarah's HairTriggerTemper combine to create this effect.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her parents were killed by the T-1000 and the "Pops" T-800 serves as her ParentalSubstitute.
* RaisedByRobots: Sarah was raised by the Terminator sent to protect her after her parents were killed. She calls him "Pops".
* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: Spending all this time off the grid with only a killer robot as company didn't help her social skills.
* ScrewDestiny: She wants to change the course of the timeline to prevent Judgement Day from ever happening and gain the right to live her life the way she wants.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' The story of my life. Look, and it's not just "mating". I'm supposed to fall in love with him!
-->'''Pops:''' My files do not deal with love.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' Shocker there...
-->'''Pops:''' You're being emotional.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' This is ''my'' life! I wouldn't mind being consulted once in a while about how it's gonna go!
* SleevesAreForWimps: She loses her jacket after some acid drips on its sleeve, and spends rest of the movie in sleeveless tops.
* SmallGirlBigGun: She's 5'2" and she sure loves carrying assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, shotguns, grenade launchers...
* SourOutsideSadInside: Her harsh attitude is her way to keep others from getting close to her, as she doesn't want to lose people she cares about again.
* StarCrossedLovers: She knows she's destined to fall-in love and conceive a child with Kyle but she knows that he's destined to die so she tries so hard to avert at least the former. Pops being a literal solid ShipperOnDeck with a BecauseDestinySaysSo type of programming doesn't help matters. Still, it's obvious that she gradually still becomes attracted to him.
* TimeTravelRomance: With Kyle. One where the romance has a good deal of plot significance. To the point Sarah knows it will happen and is attempting to avert it.
* {{Tsundere}}: The more she tries to resist being attracted to Kyle, the more she gets closer to him. She even says to Kyle that he shouldn't be too confident only because both embraced without clothes. Justified as she knows he's destined to die protecting her.
* TwoFirstNames: Her last name can be traditionally used as a given name.
* {{UnPerson}}: When she and Kyle are taken into custody by the SFPD for materializing naked on the freeway and causing an accident as a result, the inspectors who investigate them find Sarah particularly suspicious because they can't find any fingerprint or DNA matches on her, no facial recognition hits on driver's licenses or passports, and no hits on social media accounts, student [=ID=]s or credit cards.

[[folder:John Connor]]
!!John Connor
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_connor_jason_clarke.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"I look at each of you and I see the marks of this long and terrible war. If we die tonight, mankind dies with us."]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JasonClarke

The leader of the Tech-Com human resistance.

* BigGood: He is fated to be one of these.
* FutureBadass: This is the entire reason Skynet wants him dead. Note that he's badass as a kid and young adult, but he takes it UpToEleven when he becomes leader of The Resistance.
* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Just as Kyle is time traveling, a Terminator reveals himself and strikes John. ([[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity "Did you think it would be that easy?"]])]]
* HeroicBastard: His parents were never married and his father was killed [[DeathBySex shortly after he was conceived]].
* HonorBeforeReason: He recognizes plenty have died before the arrival at the [=SkyNet=] base, but it was for a great cause.
* HopeBringer: As Kyle put it, "He taught us to fight, to storm the wire of the camps, to smash those metal bastards into junk. He turned it around."
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: He was raised from birth by his mom to defeat Skynet.
* LukeYouAreMyFather: [[spoiler:John reveals to Kyle he is his son in 2017. He's understandably shocked. Of course, see T-3000 for more.]]
* MessianicArchetype: Even shares the same J.C. initials as the Son of God Himself.
* RebelLeader: His main plot in the story is to lead the resistance against Skynet.
* TwoFirstNames: His last name can traditionally be used as a given name.

[[folder:Danny]]
!!Danny Dyson
->'''Played by:''' Dayo Okeniyi

The leader and face of Cyberdyne's development team, working on everything from Genisys to time travel.

%%* AlliterativeName
* BlackAndNerdy: The leading scientist on Cyberdyne's development and African American.
* GenerationXerox: Serves the same role as his father in ''Terminator 2''.
* UnwittingPawn: Similar to his father's role in ''T2'', he only joined the projects to make life a little better for humanity. [[spoiler:Too bad John Connor's plans were a little different.]]
* WideEyedIdealist: He's a far cry from the person you'd think would create [=SkyNet=]. Indeed he sees only the possible positives of his creation. This may even blind him to the military applications of his invention or to the dangers of removing humans from certain decisions.

[[folder:Miles]]
!!Miles Dyson
->'''Played by:''' Creator/CourtneyBVance

Father of Danny Dyson and head of Cyberdyson. He has largely passed over his duties to his son.

* DemotedToExtra: Compared to ''Terminator 2'', given the role of Cyberdyne developer is fulfilled by his son.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: His HeroicSacrifice from T2 was omitted.

[[folder:O'Brien]]
!!O'Brien
->'''Played by:''' Creator/JKSimmons (old), Wayne Bastrup (young)

A police officer who is saved by Kyle, Sarah and the "Pops" T-800 in 1984.

* AscendedExtra: Formerly, he was just one of the cops who searched for Kyle at the clothes store. Now he's got a bigger part.
* CassandraTruth: He's seen the T-1000, so he knows killer robots exist. Only those who heard his stories for 33 years never believed him.
* ChekhovsGunman: A literal example. The beat cop that Sarah and Kyle rescued in 1984 becomes an ally when they time travelled to 2017.
* {{Expy}}:
** He's basically [[AgentMulder a believer version]] of Dr. Silberman.
** His role is also similar to that of James Ellison, an FBI Agent who sees evidence about Terminators and realizes Sarah Connor is not insane in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''.
* LastNameBasis: He's only referred to by his last name.
* PoliceAreUseless: The one shining subversion in the franchise, as O'Brien believes and actively helps the heroes. Both Sarah and Kyle actually seem surprised that a cop isn't opposing them.

[[folder:T-800 "Pops"]]
!!T-800 Model 101 Terminator, Mark 3 "Pops" (The Guardian)
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/popsterminatorgenisys.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Old...but not obsolete."'']]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger

This Terminator was sent back to 1973 to protect Sarah Connor from another Terminator sent to kill her when she was 9.

* ActionHeroBabysitter: He was one of these for Sarah Connor [[spoiler:for most of her life]].
* {{Adorkable}}: His fondness for technobabble is endearing.
* AffectionateNickname: Sarah likes to call him "Pops".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParent: He tends to make Sarah feel uncomfortable with his lack of social skills, especially when he insists she "mate" with Kyle.
* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler:He gets badly broken and even shuts down near the end of the battle with the T-3000/John Connor. After the fight, he gets thrown into a mimetic polyalloy pool and resurfaced with a FullPotentialUpgrade (see below).]]
* CastingGag: He [[Film/TotalRecall1990 got a job as a construction worker for a while...]] [[Film/TotalRecall2012 before he got laid off]].
* CatchPhrase: In addition to the ones common to the franchise, he gets a couple of his own:
** ''"Old, but not obsolete"''.
** ''"...theoretically"''
* CharacterAgedWithTheActor: After some {{Time Skip}}s, this Terminator looks as a 66 year old Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2017, with the explanation that his skin ages just like a human's does.
* TheComicallySerious: Like other Terminators, his inept social skills render hilarious moments.
* CrazyPrepared: Took a job as a construction worker [[spoiler:for Cyberdyne, so that he could scout it for later and set up backdoor access for Sarah and Kyle]].
* DeceptivelyHumanRobot: Even after decades of trying he still can’t get hold of passing for human.
* {{Expy}}: This T-800 is like the one from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', given how it becomes a ParentalSubstitute to Sarah much like how the T-800 became one to John in T2.
* FullPotentialUpgrade: [[spoiler: After getting knocked into a vat of mimetic polyalloy by the explosion of the time machine, he is revived and gets upgraded with this liquid metal tech (which composed the body of the T-1000) at the end.]]
* GeniusBruiser: He is the brains of the operations, coming up with most of the long term plans. He also possesses extensive data files on Terminator and time travel technology.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: He specifically targets his fellow T-800 model who came back in time to kill Sarah, as well as other Terminators.
* IWantGrandkids: A comical subversion: he ''is'' a father-figure who constantly and pushily tries to get his "daughter" to have kids, but this is at least partly to ensure that John Connor exists and the future remains stable.
* MeaningfulRename: From the Terminator to the Guardian. Also "Pops" as per his role as a surrogate father.
* NoSocialSkills: Despite everything, he's still a killer robot from the future so his social skills are lacking. Sarah has been trying to teach him to blend in, but it still needs work.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: Given he is Sarah's "father", his scolding filled with {{Death Glare}}s towards Kyle serves as this.
* PapaWolf: He will do anything to protect his daughter figure, [[spoiler:even refusing to start an explosion that would kill Skynet, because it would kill Sarah as well.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes this to Sarah Connor after a Terminator killed her parents.
* RealitySubtext: The catchphrase “Old but not obsolete” seems to apply to Schwarzenegger as much as to the T-800.
* ServileSnarker: He may still have problem with things like smiling or emoting, but he has truly mastered sarcasm over the decades.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: He talks a lot, [[SpockSpeak usually in words not commonly used by humans.]] Kyle is annoyed.
* ShipperOnDeck: He is programmed to ensure that Sarah and Kyle would [[RunningGag "mate"]], much to the former's annoyance.
* TheSlowPath: He all but quotes the trope by name while explaining [[spoiler: how he intends to follow Sarah and Kyle into the future. It's a good thing too: it gives him plenty of time to set up for their arrival.]]
* StrippedToTheBone: In a way - while killing the T-1000, the acid burns the skin out of the T-800's arm. [[spoiler: It also occurs while battling the T-3000.]]
* SugarAndIcePersonality: At first glance, he acts like a cold killer machine. However, he has a notable soft spot for Sarah.
* TechnicalPacifist: "Pops doesn't kill anyone. [[KneeCapping A lot of leg wounds, though]]."
* [[{{Deuteragonist}} Tritagonist]]: He's far less central, and active, to the plot than Kyle Reese or Sarah Connor.
* TrueSight: He is able to detect the T-3000 ''immediately'', whether by sight [[spoiler:or by voice.]]
* TwerpSweating: Despite being a ShipperOnDeck for Kyle/Sarah, he can't help repeatedly showing his disapproval for Kyle as a partner for DaddysGirl.
* TheUnsmile: Normally dons this when he's trying to blend in with humanity or put Sarah or Kyle at ease.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' I've been trying to teach him to blend in. I know, it needs work.

[[folder:T-800]]
!!T-800 Model 101 Terminator, Mark 1
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terminatorgenisys1984.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Your clothes. Give them to me now."'']]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/t800genisysendoskeleton.jpg]]

->'''Played by:''' Brett Azar [[note]]A young Arnold Schwarzenegger's face has been recreated with CGI on his head[[/note]], Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger (voice)

This Terminator was sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor before she could give birth to her son John, who will become the leader of the human resistance in the war against [=SkyNet=] and the machines... But this time, Sarah Connor and her new guardian were prepared and waiting for him.

* AchillesHeel: Granted, a .50 caliber sniper round through the center mass could kill ''anyone'', it's still breathtaking to see a Terminator fall to one bullet.
* DeathByAdaptation: It was taken out much earlier than in the first film.
* {{Determinator}}: But once restarted by the T-1000, he resumes his ways without pause!
* EyeScream: The Guardian takes out one of his eyeballs, revealing one of the real ElectronicEyes.
* FullFrontalAssault: This time he never even gets a chance to steal an outfit.
* ImplacableMan: It takes a hell of a lot to bring it down.
* LightningBruiser: Given most of his fights are against another T-800, he's forced to move real fast this time.
* NakedOnArrival: Like all time travellers. And the Guardian prevents him from taking the punks' clothing.
* OffWithHisHead: Kyle shoots his head out.
* OutOfTheInferno: Like in the original, loses his skin after getting burned.
* TheQuietOne: Once the Guardian reveals himself, this T-800 never talks. (the only lines before were taken from ''Film/TheTerminator'')
* RasputinianDeath: Sarah and the Guardian manage to shut him down. But then the T-1000 revives the T-800. And only losing his head, after getting shot, burned, etc. ultimately works.
* SkeleBot9000: The T-800's true form.
* StrippedToTheBone: When it's restarted by T-1000, Reese shoots it with grenade launcher. Instead of destroying it entirely, the endoskeleton still remains and [[ImplacableMan keeps chasing after Reese]].

[[folder:T-1000]]
!!T-1000
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/t_1000_poster_genyis.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"May 12, 1984. The day you arrived."'']]

->'''Default form played by:''' Byung-hun Lee
->'''Other forms played by:''' Creator/JaiCourtney

A liquid metal Terminator sent back in time to kill both Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese in 1984.

%%* AndStarring
* BlobMonster: A liquid metal variety.
* ChromeChampion: Villainous example. His body is composed of shiny silvery liquid metal.
* CognizantLimbs: Puts a piece of himself in Sarah Connor's van to track her down.
* CompositeCharacter: Of the T-1000 from T2 and the first policeman who chases Kyle Reese in the original film.
* DeathByAdaptation: Not only did it debut much earlier, but it was killed much earlier than originally as well.
* DeathGlare: His default expression.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Serves as the main antagonist of the 1984 section.
* {{Deceptively Human Robot|s}}: As best exemplified by when he disguises himself as Kyle.
* {{Determinator}}: Nothing short of total meltdown (literally) will stop him from chasing down his target.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Like the Robert Patrick version, Byung-hun Lee's T-1000 is able to affect a mildly friendly air towards people while posing as a police officer early in the film, while looking for information. However, said air quickly disappears when it no longer needs the person.
* ImMelting: Killed after being showered in acid.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: His regular method of killing. Mostly with his own arms.
* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: Allowing him to drive a police car and such with no problem.
* ImpostorExposingTest: Done when he disguises himself as Kyle. And Sarah ''wasn't even sure'' when shooting his feet to test...
* IntangibleMan: He can allow physical blows to pass through him, he can shrug off bullets, he can even pass through metal bars.
* KnifeNut: Aside from some shots in the shop, his main weapons are the arm blades.
* LightningBruiser: He's just as strong physically as the T-800 model, his liquid body allows him to form weapons for melee fighting, and he does ''not'' walk, he runs and can keep up with cars. And when it comes to destroying him, while he's not as invulnerable as the T-800, recoiling when shot and taking a few moments to recover if damaged heavily, he ''does'' recover that damage, and it takes an explosion to disassemble him, and acid to ultimately dissolve the thing.
* MadeOfIndestructium: His nature as a shapeshifting metallic blob means that he is terribly difficult to destroy compared to other Terminators, as firearms and explosions don't really damage him-- acid, on the other hand...
* NotSoStoic: Like all Terminators, he's normally stone-faced and focused. But he shows subtle degrees of enjoying being evil.
* PullingThemselvesTogether: No matter how much it gets damage, it can reassemble its form. The heroes finally stop it by melting him in acid.
* RaceLift: Technically, its "robot" ethnicity is unchanged, but its "default" human form has changed from Creator/RobertPatrick to the Asian Byung-hun Lee. Easily justified, as the T-1000 uses the likeness of the first human he meets as his "default" human form, who happened to be an Asian-American cop here (if it can mimic people of different size, shape and ''gender'', a different ethnicity is just as easy).
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: Its default human model in this movie is a slender, brunette Asian man, but its actual form is arguably a metal liquid humanoid similar to a mannequin.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: It can't create moving parts with its liquid metal body, so it sticks to knives and stabbing weapons.
* ShoutOut[=/=]{{Technopath}}: It [[spoiler: uses a bit of liquid metal to manually reactivate the Mark 1 T-800 to fight Kyle Reese]], likely a shout out to the TX's ability.
* SilentSnarker: Seems to do this a few times via its facial expressions, such as when Kyle shoots it umpteen times to no effect, it turns and looks at him with an "Are you for real right now?" expression.

!!Humans

[[folder:Reese]]
!!Kyle Reese
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyle_reese_jai_courtney.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"We're here because tonight, he's going to lead us to crush Skynet for good."]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JaiCourtney (adult), Bryant Prince (child)

A boy rescued by John Connor who later went on to become his right-hand man. Reese was one of the volunteers to go back in time to save Sarah Connor, and John ultimately agreed to let him go.

* AdaptationalCurves: Courtney is notably much more bulkier than Creator/MichaelBiehn's portrayal.
* BadassNormal: Makes his fight against an unstoppable killing machine much more badass.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Sarah. He fell in love with her from the things John told him about her, but when he meets her she's harsh and hostile towards him due to knowing the circumstances of his death in the original timeline. He also argues with her about her closeness to her "Pops", who he doesn't trust.
* ChildSoldier: He was born into a world where cyborgs were attempting to destroy humanity, so yeah.
* CompositeCharacter: His relationship to "Pops" reflect those of Sarah and the T-800 of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. Kyle doesn't like or trust him because of his past experience with terminators. He warms up to him later.
* DeathBySex: DefiedTrope. Sarah is aware that if they fall in love and he fathers John Connor, he will die in 48 hours. To prevent that from happening, she actually refuses to indulge in any romance with him [[spoiler:until she presumes Genisys destroyed at the end of the movie, when she kisses him]].
* {{Determinator}}: He will ''not'' allow Sarah to die, no matter what. Not just because it's his mission, but because he loves her.
* FantasticRacism: A completely justifiable case: he hates all robots, due to being a ShellShockedVeteran from a highly-traumatic BadFuture RobotWar. He gets over it in part for Pops.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: A two-fer: first in 1984, then in 2017. [[spoiler:Where his young self is already living!]]
* ItIsDehumanizing: Originally refuses to call Sarah's guardian "him," and regards the robot with great suspicion. [[spoiler: In time, however, he comes to trust the machine, and tells Sarah "''He'' loved you," after "Pops" seems to have sacrificed itself for her.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Everyone knows he is destined to father John Connor and die soon afterwards... except him. [[spoiler: He is quite shocked when he finds out.]]
* LoveBeforeFirstSight: Fell in love with Sarah after seeing her picture. [[spoiler:Or meeting her as a 13-year old once TimeyWimeyBall kicked in.]]
* MadeOfIron: Immediately after arriving in 2017 with Sarah, he gets hit by a car and is smashed into the windshield but is barely affected.
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: [[spoiler:Eventually meets his younger self in 2017 on multiple occasions. Though he never mentions he's Kyle, he ''does'' plant the important message he himself received during the jump back to ensure he gets it.]]
* NakedOnArrival: As per ''Terminator'' rules, you have to be naked when traveling through time. And he does it twice!
* OneHeadTaller: Jai Courtney is almost a foot taller than Emilia Clarke.
* ProductPlacement: The film would like to let the viewers know that his shoes are made by Nike. [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Time-Terminator-Franchise-Nike-Almost-Went-War-Over-Shoe-68554.html And it wasn't easy to accomplish.]]
* {{Protagonist}}: Kyle is pretty much the center of the plot ''and'' plays the part of POV character.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Albeit one that also received [[RippleEffectIndicator memories from the new timeline]] once it was established.
* ScannableMan: Got his tattoo in a [=SkyNet=] work camp.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Undoubtedly so, given that he was in [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a SkyNet work camp complete with a tattoo]] before he was liberated by John Connor and even afterward spent all of his time either fighting against [=SkyNet=]'s machines or hiding from them.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:This time he's allowed to live.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: He's destined to fall in love with Sarah and die after getting her pregnant with John Connor. This is why she tries to keep him away from her.
* SupernaturallyYoungParent: Due to time travel, he's 15 years younger than his son John Connor.
* TimeTravelRomance: With Sarah. One where the romance has a good deal of plot significance.
* TwoFirstNames: His last name is commonly used as a given name.

[[folder:Sarah]]
!!Sarah Connor
[[quoteright:249:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah_connor_emilia_clarke.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:249:"Everyone who loves me dies."]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/EmiliaClarke (adult), Willa Taylor (child)

The mother of John Connor, who trained him from birth to fight against the machines. In the new timeline, Skynet tried to assassinate her at age nine, and she was saved by a Terminator she took to calling "Pops." By the time Reese meets her, she is a trained soldier who has been waiting for him her entire life.

* ActionGirl: She can kick a major amount of ass due to her forced upbringing by a killer robot.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Creator/LindaHamilton's version has dirty-blonde hair, Emilia Clarke has dark brown hair.
* AdaptationalBadass: Thanks to being trained by a Terminator, she becomes much more competent than she was during the events of the first film.
* AdrenalineMakeover: Unlike her original timeline self, Sarah has a noticeable absence of EightiesHair. In 1984, she's got 21st century type hairstyles.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Cold, distanced, and seemingly as dark as her hair.
* AntiHero: Her upbringing made her a very unhappy person, and she is very resentful of being "destined" to do certain things.
* ArrangedMarriage: Played straight aside from the marriage. Sarah states that Kyle is "the one [she's] been waiting for all [her] life", giving their relationship sort of an "arranged marriage" vibe. We've never been given any indication that she's tried dating or seeing anyone else in the intervening years. However, the marriage part of it was technically never intended, as Kyle is supposed to sleep with her, father their son, and then die.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Kyle, with the hostility mostly generated on her part since she doesn't want to fall in love with him to then lose him like in the original timeline.
* BrokenBird: Having your parents killed when you're nine years old to then spend the rest of your life raised by a killer robot who lets you know about your harsh fate doesn't come without a lot of psychological scarring.
-->'''Sarah:''' Everyone who loves me dies.
* CartwrightCurse: See the above quote.
* CleavageWindow: The black jacket over low cut black top kind.
* ColdSniper: During the scene where "Pops" confronts the T-800.
* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: How she introduces herself to Kyle.
* CompositeCharacter: This Sarah integrates aspects of both Connors from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' during the timeline of the first film.
* DaddysGirl: She's very close to her "Pops", who has raised her and protected her since she lost her family.
* DamselOutOfDistress: Kyle went to the past to protect her, only to find out she needs no protection.
* DefrostingIceQueen: She gradually warms up to Kyle.
* DesignatedLoveInterest: ZigZaggedTrope. As in the original timeline, Kyle Reese was basically set up by destiny to fall in LoveBeforeFirstSight with Sarah. Likewise, because of Pops, Sarah has had it drilled into her head that Reese is the man she's supposed to "mate" with to father John Connor... after which Reese ''dies''. Because of this, their new relationship is rather awkward. Kyle's attraction toward Sarah is still understandable since not only does Sarah still look like her original picture (AdrenalineMakeover notwithstanding), but she's now every bit the badass that John Connor told him about. Where this trope is played its straightest, though, is Sarah's side of things. Other than BecauseDestinySaysSo, there's very few indications that she's interested in Kyle beyond adrenaline and physical attractiveness. There's just one line at the end where Pops calls Kyle a "[[NiceGuy good man]]" right before Sarah [[SexualKarma kisses him]].
* {{Deuteragonist}}: After Kyle, she's the second central character.
* FeetFirstIntroduction: The first shots of her are as she runs up a building to get a vantage point to snipe the T-800.
* FinalFirstHug: With "Pops" prior to the 2017 travel.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Once she arrives in 2017.
* HellBentForLeather: Played with. Despite her leather jacket was heavily featured in promo shots, She loses it to acid rather quickly and never got another one.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Once the Terminator adopts her at the age of 9, she is raised up to be a LadyOfWar.
* MandatoryMotherhood: Sarah's main importance, as we all know, is to become the mother of the savior of humanity, John. However, knowing full well that her importance is directly linked to the ultimate destruction of the world as we know it, Sarah wants no part of it. Further, Sarah now no longer has the same [[RescueRomance chemistry her former counterpart]] had with Kyle, who fathered John in the first movie. She seems to warm up to him at the end, but things leave off on an ambiguous note.
* MoralityPet: To "Pops". The way he cares about her shows he's not a mere killer robot.
* NakedOnArrival: Time travel forces her to do this.
* TheNapoleon: A 5'2" (1.57 m) stature and Sarah's HairTriggerTemper combine to create this effect.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her parents were killed by the T-1000 and the "Pops" T-800 serves as her ParentalSubstitute.
* RaisedByRobots: Sarah was raised by the Terminator sent to protect her after her parents were killed. She calls him "Pops".
* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: Spending all this time off the grid with only a killer robot as company didn't help her social skills.
* ScrewDestiny: She wants to change the course of the timeline to prevent Judgement Day from ever happening and gain the right to live her life the way she wants.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' The story of my life. Look, and it's not just "mating". I'm supposed to fall in love with him!
-->'''Pops:''' My files do not deal with love.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' Shocker there...
-->'''Pops:''' You're being emotional.
-->'''Sarah Connor:''' This is ''my'' life! I wouldn't mind being consulted once in a while about how it's gonna go!
* SleevesAreForWimps: She loses her jacket after some acid drips on its sleeve, and spends rest of the movie in sleeveless tops.
* SmallGirlBigGun: She's 5'2" and she sure loves carrying assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, shotguns, grenade launchers...
* SourOutsideSadInside: Her harsh attitude is her way to keep others from getting close to her, as she doesn't want to lose people she cares about again.
* StarCrossedLovers: She knows she's destined to fall-in love and conceive a child with Kyle but she knows that he's destined to die so she tries so hard to avert at least the former. Pops being a literal solid ShipperOnDeck with a BecauseDestinySaysSo type of programming doesn't help matters. Still, it's obvious that she gradually still becomes attracted to him.
* TimeTravelRomance: With Kyle. One where the romance has a good deal of plot significance. To the point Sarah knows it will happen and is attempting to avert it.
* {{Tsundere}}: The more she tries to resist being attracted to Kyle, the more she gets closer to him. She even says to Kyle that he shouldn't be too confident only because both embraced without clothes. Justified as she knows he's destined to die protecting her.
* TwoFirstNames: Her last name can be traditionally used as a given name.
* {{UnPerson}}: When she and Kyle are taken into custody by the SFPD for materializing naked on the freeway and causing an accident as a result, the inspectors who investigate them find Sarah particularly suspicious because they can't find any fingerprint or DNA matches on her, no facial recognition hits on driver's licenses or passports, and no hits on social media accounts, student [=ID=]s or credit cards.

[[folder:John Connor]]
!!John Connor
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_connor_jason_clarke.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"I look at each of you and I see the marks of this long and terrible war. If we die tonight, mankind dies with us."]]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JasonClarke

The leader of the Tech-Com human resistance.

* BigGood: He is fated to be one of these.
* FutureBadass: This is the entire reason Skynet wants him dead. Note that he's badass as a kid and young adult, but he takes it UpToEleven when he becomes leader of The Resistance.
* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Just as Kyle is time traveling, a Terminator reveals himself and strikes John. ([[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity "Did you think it would be that easy?"]])]]
* HeroicBastard: His parents were never married and his father was killed [[DeathBySex shortly after he was conceived]].
* HonorBeforeReason: He recognizes plenty have died before the arrival at the [=SkyNet=] base, but it was for a great cause.
* HopeBringer: As Kyle put it, "He taught us to fight, to storm the wire of the camps, to smash those metal bastards into junk. He turned it around."
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: He was raised from birth by his mom to defeat Skynet.
* LukeYouAreMyFather: [[spoiler:John reveals to Kyle he is his son in 2017. He's understandably shocked. Of course, see T-3000 for more.]]
* MessianicArchetype: Even shares the same J.C. initials as the Son of God Himself.
* RebelLeader: His main plot in the story is to lead the resistance against Skynet.
* TwoFirstNames: His last name can traditionally be used as a given name.

[[folder:Danny]]
!!Danny Dyson
->'''Played by:''' Dayo Okeniyi

The leader and face of Cyberdyne's development team, working on everything from Genisys to time travel.

%%* AlliterativeName
* BlackAndNerdy: The leading scientist on Cyberdyne's development and African American.
* GenerationXerox: Serves the same role as his father in ''Terminator 2''.
* UnwittingPawn: Similar to his father's role in ''T2'', he only joined the projects to make life a little better for humanity. [[spoiler:Too bad John Connor's plans were a little different.]]
* WideEyedIdealist: He's a far cry from the person you'd think would create [=SkyNet=]. Indeed he sees only the possible positives of his creation. This may even blind him to the military applications of his invention or to the dangers of removing humans from certain decisions.

[[folder:Miles]]
!!Miles Dyson
->'''Played by:''' Creator/CourtneyBVance

Father of Danny Dyson and head of Cyberdyson. He has largely passed over his duties to his son.

* DemotedToExtra: Compared to ''Terminator 2'', given the role of Cyberdyne developer is fulfilled by his son.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: His HeroicSacrifice from T2 was omitted.

[[folder:O'Brien]]
!!O'Brien
->'''Played by:''' Creator/JKSimmons (old), Wayne Bastrup (young)

A police officer who is saved by Kyle, Sarah and the "Pops" T-800 in 1984.

* AscendedExtra: Formerly, he was just one of the cops who searched for Kyle at the clothes store. Now he's got a bigger part.
* CassandraTruth: He's seen the T-1000, so he knows killer robots exist. Only those who heard his stories for 33 years never believed him.
* ChekhovsGunman: A literal example. The beat cop that Sarah and Kyle rescued in 1984 becomes an ally when they time travelled to 2017.
* {{Expy}}:
** He's basically [[AgentMulder a believer version]] of Dr. Silberman.
** His role is also similar to that of James Ellison, an FBI Agent who sees evidence about Terminators and realizes Sarah Connor is not insane in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''.
* LastNameBasis: He's only referred to by his last name.
* PoliceAreUseless: The one shining subversion in the franchise, as O'Brien believes and actively helps the heroes. Both Sarah and Kyle actually seem surprised that a cop isn't opposing them.

!![=SkyNet=]

[[folder:[=SkyNet=]]]
!![=SkyNet=]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terminator_skynet_logo_3089.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"It decided our fate in a microsecond"'']]

The artificial intelligence responsible for Judgment Day and the "leader" of the machines in their war on humanity.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Skynet determined that humanity as a whole was a threat to its survival as soon as it gained sentience and set out to exterminate them all.
* ApocalypseHow: ''Judgement Day'', a "Class 2" scenario via nuclear warfare.
* BigBad: The ultimate villain of the franchise and leading a genocidal war on humanity in the future.
* InvincibleVillain: Following on from the other movies, [=SkyNet=] once again proves to be impossible to kill.
* KillAllHumans: "Decided our fate in a microsecond." In the original timeline, Skynet fought back when it realized humans would try to destroy it out of fear. In the new timeline, it makes the same decision with no reasoning whatsoever. However, it's also hinted that each "version" of Skynet keeps files on what occurred the previous timeline, and adjusts its plans accordingly.
* MasterComputer: Skynet Central on the former U.S. western coast contains its main processing facilities. In the original timeline the resistance destroyed it for good in 2029 before all the time traveling shenanigans started. But once a guard robot shows up...
* MyOwnGrandpa: Attempts to create itself after infecting John Connor.
* NonActionBigBad: Before ''Salvation'', whatever Terminator unit was chasing the heroes was TheHeavy of the film, because defeating it eliminated the immediate threat. However, those threats will keep coming because of Skynet, who programs the Terminators and directly gives them the orders to kill.
* ProperlyParanoid: [=SkyNet=] made sure to put its worst robot right next to the time machine.
* RobotsEnslavingRobots: Skynet ensures that its cybernetic assassins never go beyond their intended programming and develop true sentience to control them better.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: Turned against humanity the moment it gained sentience.

[[folder:T-3000]]
!!T-3000
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terminator_t_3000_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250: ''I'm not a man, not a machine... I'm more!'']]

->'''Default form played by:''' Creator/JasonClarke

A prototype Terminator unit composed of nanomanchines far more advanced than the ones used to create the T-1000. Created by assimilating human test subjects or victims at the cellular level.

* AlienBlood: Has nanomachines in his blood, turning it from red to metallic silver in seconds of being exposed to air.
* AmbiguousRobots: He claims not to be man or machine, but something more. However, in reality, he fits almost every practical definition of "machine", albeit one with human memories and emotions. He no longer has living biological cells, as they've all been replaced by nanomachines.
* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler: The Terminators' greatest enemy becomes one himself.]]
* AntagonisticOffspring: Once sent to the past, [[spoiler:"John's" biggest adversaries are his own biological parents.]]
* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:Of the "human turned artificial" kind.]]
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:He doesn't really feel the need to go out of his way to kill anyone he doesn't have to, since his purpose is to protect Skynet rather than to kill in and of itself, and he, terrifyingly, seems to have maintained most of his personality through the process... but he still ultimately has no real regard for human life any longer. Furthermore, he desperately wants his parents to willingly become nano-cyborgs like him, to the point of ''not'' killing them when he has the chance several times, until it seems it's either them or Skynet.]]
* BadassBoast: [[spoiler:Uses [[MythologyGag Kyle Reese's assessment of the Terminator]] from the [[Film/TheTerminator original film]] to describe himself.]]
* BeautyIsBad: [[spoiler:He takes John Connor's form but removes his facial scars and wears suits instead.]]
* BlobMonster: A GreyGoo variety. However, he's far less of one than the T-1000, making him even more dangerous as an Infiltrator.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Downplayed, since John has kept his personality but not his free will. He can ''seem'' like John Connor while infiltrating, but slips into crazy ranting whenever he gets to "be himself" around his parents.]]
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:To Kyle, who viewed him as humanity's saviour back when he was John Connor.]]
* ButterflyOfDoom: His creation is what causes the TimeyWimeyBall to manifest and create a whole new timeline.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: [[spoiler:Once turned into a Terminator, only [=SkyNet=]'s mission matters.]]
* {{Deceptively Human Robot|s}}: [[spoiler:If it wasn't for his RoboticReveal when T-800 shot him, he would've continued fooling Kyle, Sarah, and the audience into thinking he was human. He's even better at this than most Terminators, since unlike even [[BlobMonster the T-1000]], he bleeds red... [[AlienBlood mostly]].]]
* {{Determinator}}: [=SkyNet=] programmed him to cause Judgment Day. Nothing short of molecular disruption will stop him. Deconstructed, in a sense, [[spoiler:in that his willpower helped him maintain his sanity through the process... but not his free will.]]
* TheDragon: [[spoiler: To Genisys/Skynet.]]
* DragonInChief: [[spoiler: It does most of the planning and work for Genisys in 2017.]]
* EvilCounterpart: Like Pops, he was sent back in time to protect a child from implacable killers from the future who can't be bargained with, reasoned with, and absolutely will not stop, etc etc...
* EvilGloating: To the point the Guardian complains that [[spoiler:"John Connor talks too much".]]
* {{Expy}}: Serves as an upgraded version of the T-1000 in ''T2''.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:The hero of the future became the villain of the present.]]
* FallenHero: [[spoiler:Once humanity's savior, now its most dangerous enemy.]]
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: [[spoiler:While like Sarah and Kyle, he didn't originally belong to that 2017, this John Connor spent three more years in the past so he could put the creation of [=SkyNet=] into motion.]]
* FlayingAlive: His default form is that of a silvery skinless man.
* GrandfatherParadox: Discussed. [[spoiler: Kyle and Sarah ask why John intends on killing them if that means he'll never be born - only for him to reply that [[FishOutOfTemporalWater none of them were supposed to be there]], [[TimeyWimeyBall so it could be possible.]]]]
* GreyGoo: His cells-turned-metallic have this sort of behavior.
* TheHeavy: He is responsible for all of the conflict and physical threat in the final act of the film, but he is only a servant of the real enemy, Skynet.
* IntangibleMan: Once damaged enough, he'll just reform into a more complete form.
* KnightTemplar: He truly believes [=SkyNet=]'s plans will generate overall improvement, even if it means devastating the world and wiping out large chunks of mankind.
* KryptoniteFactor: Magnetic fields disrupt his ability to restore himself, though for most of the film this just means it takes time for the magnetic disruption to die down before he can begin regenerating. [[spoiler: The climax sees him trapped in an incredibly strong magnetic sphere that eventually pulls him apart so forcefully that it creates a [[StuffBlowingUp huge explosion]], destroying him and the nascent Skynet.]]
* LightningBruiser: Is fast and strong enough to bring our heroes down to their knees. [[spoiler: In the final fight he even uses his status as a cloud of nanites held together in humanoid form by magnetism to FlashStep around (though you have to wonder why he never thought to try that earlier)]].
* LiterallyShatteredLives: Magnetic fields can disrupt his molecular structure. And the really strong one the TimeMachine creates is enough to destroy him.
* MadeOfIndestructium: His nature as a shapeshifting "mishmash of metallic cells" means that he is even harder to destroy than the T-1000. One shot reinforces this by showing him walking, completely unfazed, from a gigantic explosion, [[ManOnFire while ablaze]], only to completely restore his human form, complete with clothes, in seconds.
* MonochromaticEyes: His true eyes are cloudy white with no pupils on a black sclera.
* {{Nanomachines}}: The technology of a T-3000 involves a machine phase matter resin seeping into the body of the infected human and reconstructing every single cell into a mechanical replacement. This means that when the user regenerates, they regenerate first a mechanical skeleton, then mechanical muscles, then mechanical skin, then clothes. It also allows for more adept VoluntaryShapeshifting than even a T-1000. As shown by the FinalBattle, [[spoiler:the use of a human body is purely preferential, and the body can seriously bulk up on muscle instead to be more combat able.]]
* PsychoPrototype: One of the most advanced Terminators created by Skynet, that also happens to take a huge toll on the sanity of the converted human victim or test subject.
* PullingThemselvesTogether: No matter how badly the heroes damage him, he can reform on a cellular level extremely quickly.
* ReforgedIntoAMinion: [[spoiler:While he retains some of his personality, John Connor has been literally remade to serve Skynet's will on a cellular level. And, unfortunately, instead of helping him break free, his HeroicWillpower only ensures that the process doesn't drive him ''completely'' insane.]]
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: His default human model is a [[spoiler:slender, brunette man,]] while his overall default form is a skinless silvery man.
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: As the time machine is disrupting him.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can create CombatTentacles and such.
* {{Skelebot 9000}}: Averted. He looks more like a skinless man than a skeleton without the disguise.
* SuperPrototype: Is one of these, mainly due to its nanomachine composition.
* UnwillingRoboticisation: Turned into a mechanic lifeform by [=SkyNet=]. Also can apparently do this to other humans, if his attempt on [[spoiler:Sarah]] and his initial WeCanRuleTogether are any indication.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Capable of transforming into any form, or at least any humanoid one. Also can manipulate his body's structure to reorient himself on the fly, as he shows in battle.
* WalkingSpoiler: [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Albeit one the late trailers and posters revealed]].
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:Formerly known as John Connor.]]
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The previous attempts by Skynet to develop nano-tech infiltration Terminators ended in the subjects going insane. Sarah points out that's not inconsistent [[spoiler:with how her son is acting.]] Unfortunately if that's the case he's the crazy-like-a-fox kind, fully in control of his cognitive abilities.

[[folder:T-5000]]
!!T-5000 (Alex)

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattSmith

An ultra-advanced Terminator who serves as [=SkyNet=]'s last defense. In essence, it is an avatar of Skynet.

* AllThereInTheManual: The name "Alex" comes from pre-film supplementary materials and is never mentioned on screen. Given that the T-5000 initially poses as a resistance member, it might be the human first name it goes under, but then again, this is never stated.
* TheAssimilator: Infects John Connor to cause his UnwillingRoboticisation.
* DiabolusExMachina: Literally. It revealed itself in the most unexpected time and kills John Connor.
* DynamicEntry: Reveals himself by infecting John Connor.
* HiveQueen: Describes himself as an avatar of [=SkyNet=]. "I am no slave".
* OneManArmy: Somehow manages to kill ''every'' resistance soldier in the room with John Connor, after first taking out John himself.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He only gets a few minutes worth of screentime, but in that small span of time he drastically changes the timeline, assimilates John Connor and forcefully turns him into the T-3000, and sends his new minion back in time to ensure Skynet's creation.
* TraitorShot: The camera lingers on him, at that moment by all appearances a simple member of the resistance, amidst a group of other soldiers.
* WalkingSpoiler: To the point early word on the character was only that he served as [[MetaphoricallyTrue "an ally to John Connor"]].

[[folder:Genisys]]
!!Genisys

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattSmith (adult), Ian Etheridge, Nolan Gross, Seth Meriwether (child)

A revolutionary OS under development at Cyberdyne, who manifests himself as a human hologram.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Supposedly an operating system. In fact an evil AI.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Implied, as from Skynet's point-of-view it's acting in self-defense against implacable technophobic humans out to destroy it [[WouldHurtAChild before it's even fully developed]].
* CreepyChild: Begins like this, but grows really fast.
* EvilGloating: Mentions how being a machine makes him superior ("Primates evolve across millions of years. I only take seconds!") and thus should be allowed to dominate the world.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Its "human" holographic appearance.
* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: Discussed while trying to deter Kyle and Sarah: "Can't you see I just have to exist?"
* HologramProjectionImperfection: The holograms are grainy blobs shaped into human form.
* InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves: Its justification to why mankind is better off dead.
* KillAllHumans: Its plan once online.
* MasterComputer: The one at Cyberdyne. It attempted to decentralize itself on a global scale akin to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' through Genisys, but the heroes prevent that.
* NonActionBigBad: At most tries to lock Kyle and Sarah away from the fighting Terminators.
* RobotsEnslavingRobots: Skynet ensures that its cybernetic assassins never go beyond their intended programming and develop true sentience to control them better. It openly and contemptuously calls them all slaves as it assimilates John Connor.
* [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl Shameless Fanservice Guy]]: His hologram forms are naked.
* ShutUpHannibal: The protagonists constantly cut off his lectures by shooting up the holo-emitters he uses to project himself.
* VirtualGhost: Sarah and Kyle even complain about how it doesn't have a body.

->''Default form played by:'' Byung-hun Lee
->''Other forms played by:'' Creator/JaiCourtney

* EarlyBirdCameo: The Robert Patrick version (which is either this movie's T-1000 or at least one of its "brother units") is the BigBad of the second movie. Here, it debuted during the first movie's timeline.

This Terminator was sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor before she could give birth to her son John, who will become the leader of the human resistance in the war against [=SkyNet=] and the machines... But this time, Pops was already there waiting for him.

[[folder:"Pops"]]
!!T-800 Model 101, Mark 3 "Pops" (The Guardian)

[[folder:The Terminator]]
!!T-800 Model 101, Mark 1

Due to CanonDiscontinuity, tropes applying to the ''Film/TheTerminator'' and ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' versions of some of the characters have to be put [[Characters/{{Terminator}} here]].

Tropes applying to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' and ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' go on their [[Characters/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines respective]] [[Characters/TerminatorSalvation pages]].