Alien & Predator Have Made Comebacks – Can Terminator Too?

The Alien and Predator franchises are both back on their feet (thanks to Prey and Alien: Romulus), and that could signal the potential for The Terminator franchise to do the same. But is it too late for a Terminator comeback?

The Sci-Fi Action Trifecta Revival

Few classics of sci-fi, horror, and movie monsters can compare to the legacy of the Xenomorphs and the Yautja in the Alien and Predator franchises, yet both have had some ups and downs, including their own crossover in the Alien vs. Predator movies. However, both have managed to reverse their fortunes with their latest respective films of 2022’s Prey and 2024’s Alien: Romulus.

With fortune smiling Alien and Predator, The Terminator making a similar comeback could round-out the ultimate ‘80s-‘90s sci-fi action trifecta revival for the modern age. And it is indeed quite arguable that Terminator is far more of a downturn than Alien or Predator have ever been.

The Terminator Franchise Has Had A Rocky Road Post-T2

After The Terminator became a cult hit in 1984, 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day became one of the biggest box office hits of its time, and stands as one of the most universally cherished and popular sci-fi and action movies in history. T2 is also, lamentably, the peak of the Terminator franchise in both respects. None of subsequent Terminator films have managed to reach similar heights as T2 at the box office, with only Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Genysis surpassing $400 million, and Terminator: Dark Fate becoming an epic box office bomb in 2019.

Additionally, no post-T2 Terminator movie has been anywhere near as well-received as the first two, and while the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has built a sizeable audience over the years, and even its own legacy was blunted by its brief two-season run and abrupt cancellation. However, while the woes of the Terminator franchise have certainly been undeniable, Alien and Predator have both shown that a comeback is never out of reach for a popular sci-fi series.

Alien & Predator Also Both Had Low Points & Made Big Comebacks

The Alien franchise is a lot like Terminator, in that it arguably peaked with its second movie, 1986’s Aliens – perhaps not coincidentally under the direction of Terminator creator James Cameron. Alien 3 is where the franchise started running into trouble through its extremely dark tone and numerous controversial storytelling choices, including the inexcusable decision to kill off Hicks and Newt right at the beginning. Alien: Resurrection was another poorly received chapter for the Alien series, and while Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Alien: Covenant have accrued a warmer reputation since their divisive debuts, neither is as widely beloved as Alien or Aliens.

The trajectory of the Predator franchise also started out strong with the phenomenal 1987 original, while 1990’s Predator 2 has also grown into something of a cult classic itself over the years. The Alien vs. Predator movies infamously did neither the Xenomorph nor the Yautja any favours, and while Predator roared back to life with its outstanding 2010 revival Predators, 2018’s The Predator drug the series batting average down again with arguably its worst instalment. Of course, Alien and Predator have begun firing on all cylinders again with the strong reception to Alien: Romulus and Prey, both of which set up further instalments of their franchises. As it turns out, Terminator might have its own comeback story already in the works.

Is Terminator Poised For Its Own Comeback?

Despite the failure of Terminator: Dark Fate seemingly killing the Terminator franchise, the power of Skynet is too strong to end Terminator for good, with Netflix’s upcoming anime series Terminator Zero arriving on the platform on the fitting date of August 29^th, 2024. While Terminator has never been done in animation or anime before, should Terminator Zero be well-received, it could act as a kind of Animatrix-style re-invigoration of the series. Additionally, Terminator Zero being a success could even set the stage for James Cameron’s own forthcoming Terminator reboot (or maybe one directed by Zack Snyder?).

The fact that Cameron himself has returned to writing the franchise he created is sure to excite Terminator fans, while the old saying of “Never Bet Against Cameron” has never found any evidence to the contrary (Cameron laughing all the way to the back at those who doubted the commercial prospects of Avatar: The Way of Water.) If a strong one-two punch of Terminator: Zero and Cameron’s Terminator reboot give the Terminator franchise the energy it has lacked since T2, Alien and Predator could end up being in good company as classic sci-fi action franchises the world had once written off springing back with the very energy they started out with – although with that said, let’s pump the brakes on that Aliens vs. Predator vs. Terminator crossover before overzealous producers get the wrong idea!

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Tell us, do you think the Terminator franchise will make a comeback, too? Watch the trailer for Netflix’s Terminator Zero below.