John Connor is dead. Sadly, Terminator: Dark Fate killed the legacy character without his death having any true substance to the overall plot. In actuality, there’s nothing wrong with killing off John Connor. It creates a nice layer of unpredictability and opens the scope to tell different stories based on the impact of John’s demise. However, John was killed like he was a worthless extra.
James Cameron himself has confirmed the return of Terminator. There’s been no date set nor is the upcoming film’s script done. However, the Oscar-winning filmmaker assured fans that he’s writing another entry into the long-running series. It would be great if Cameron ignored the events of Dark Fate and wrote one more story with an adult John Connor. The Terminator franchise needs to end with one of the best characters in the series.
Focus On John Connor’s Fight In The Actual War Against Skynet
Say what you will about Terminator Salvation, but it’s the most intriguing entry following Terminator 2: Judgment Day mainly because this installment took place during the war. For a series about the future threat of mankind, it surprisingly doesn’t ever showcase John Connor being in combat during the deadly battle of machines vs. humans.
Showcasing this battle will bring a fresh perspective on the series in general. We’ll finally get to understand why John Connor is such a valuable commodity worth saving. The Terminator mythology has built him up as the ultimate hero who saves the world, so finally witnessing just how heroic Connor is will add to the character’s legacy and bring out more dimension that’s been missing since Judgment Day.
Plus, seeing the fight between machines and humans is surely a great spectacle in itself. What makes John Connor such an elite soldier that terminators are continuously going back in time to stop him from growing up? Showcasing the emotional and physical differences with adult John would only add to the overall lore of a rich franchise that’s rested on its laurels for too long.
This Could Be The Proper Way To Kill John Connor
As I previously stated, there’s nothing wrong with killing off John Connor, but it would have more of an emotional impact if he died heroically. This franchise may have started with Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, but John Connor was always the central figure behind these films. Even then, Cameron doesn’t have to showcase an actual war between the machines and humans.
Perhaps Connor is on a mission to take down Skynet once and for all. Or failed in his quest to stop the machines and build a time machine to go back and make sure that the war didn’t happen. Whatever the case may be, the purpose is to highlight how heroic John Connor is. Despite how lackluster Terminator: Genisys was, the most interesting part was turning John Connor into a robot himself.
Granted, that moment screwed up the Terminator timeline, but that’s an avenue worth exploring as well. It doesn’t have to be a prequel to Gensisys, but an excellent story can be made out of John Connor ultimately becoming a Terminator himself.
It Can Spark A Spin-off With Sarah Connor
Hoping that this franchise would end is wishful thinking. So, if James Cameron and the executives are determined to milk this brand dry, then they could tell a set of compelling stories coming out of this. No more, “Terminator comes back to kill X and save humanity”; that storyline is well played out and hinders the overall potential of the series.
However, killing off John Connor can ignite a story where it’s up to the original Sarah Connor to save humanity. Linda Hamilton‘s character was the most interesting part of Dark Fate. Unfortunately, she was sidelined for a recycled plot with a feminine twist. Sarah Connor is a strong character in her own right and it would be great to give her character more focus after fighting a seemingly never-ending war that lasted for decades at this point.
It can highlight the emotional scars she’s had to deal with knowing the consistent threat of humanity. Her journey can also open the scope of the Terminator world and finally showcase the full potential of the brand.
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