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{{Other uses of|RoboCop versus Terminator|RoboCop versus Terminator (disambiguation)}}
'''RoboCop Versus The Terminator''' is a four-issue [[comic book]] crossover limited series published by [[Dark Horse Comics]] in 1992.<ref>Dark Horse Comics, ''RoboCop Versus The Terminator'' (1992)</ref> Written by '''[[Frank Miller]]''' and [[illustrated]] by '''[[Walt Simonson]]''', the series brought together two iconic science fiction franchises, ''[[RoboCop (comics)|RoboCop]]'' and ''The Terminator''. The narrative revolves around RoboCop's efforts to prevent Skynet, the artificial intelligence from ''The Terminator'' series, from achieving global domination using his own consciousness.<ref name=":0">Electronic Gaming Monthly, ''Bloodiest Game Award'' (1993)</ref>
{{More citations needed|date=March 2008}}
{{Infobox comic book title
| title = RoboCop Versus The Terminator
| image = Robocop VS Terminator.jpg
| caption = ''RoboCop Versus The Terminator'' #1 <br> Art by Walter Simonson.
| schedule =
| format = [[Limited series (comics)|Limited series]]
| publisher = [[Dark Horse Comics]]
| genre    = [[Cyberpunk]]
| date = May 1, 1992
| issues = 4
| main_char_team =
| writers = [[Frank Miller]]
| artists =  [[Walter Simonson]]
| pencillers =
| inkers =
| colorists = Rachelle Menashe
| creative_team_month =
| creative_team_year =
| creators = Frank Miller
}}
'''''RoboCop Versus The Terminator''''' is a four-issue [[comic book]] [[Intercompany crossover|crossover]] [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]] published in 1992 by [[Dark Horse Comics]]. It was written by [[Frank Miller]] and drawn by [[Walt Simonson]], and ran for four issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ugo.com/the-goods/robocop-vs-terminator |title=Robocop Vs. Terminator Universe-Shattering Comic Book Crossovers |publisher=UGO.com |date=2011-01-19 |access-date=2013-08-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103222716/http://www.ugo.com/the-goods/robocop-vs-terminator |archive-date=2013-11-03 }}</ref> A crossover between the ''[[RoboCop (franchise)|RoboCop]]'' and ''[[Terminator (franchise)|Terminator]]'' franchises, the comic follows [[RoboCop (character)|RoboCop]] as he works with a soldier from a [[Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet]]-controlled future to prevent the machines from using him to achieve victory.


The 1993 video game ''[[RoboCop Versus The Terminator]]'' is based on this comic series.
== Plot Summary ==
Set in a dystopian future where '''Skynet''' has exterminated most of humanity, human soldier '''Florence "Flo" Langer''' discovers that Skynet's self-awareness was triggered by contact with '''RoboCop'''. His human brain, combined with machine interfaces, allowed Skynet to become sentient and launch the nuclear apocalypse.


== Plot ==
Flo travels back in time to Detroit to kill RoboCop before he can inadvertently trigger Skynet's creation. However, Skynet sends three '''Terminators''' back in time to protect RoboCop. Flo is critically injured, and RoboCop realizes the danger his existence poses to the future. As he battles against the machines, he ultimately chooses to destroy himself, but Skynet sends additional Terminators to keep him alive and ensure its creation.


As [[Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet]]'s machines exterminate the last of humanity, human soldier Florence "Flo" Langer infiltrates their systems and learns Skynet first became self-aware through contact with the [[cyborg]] [[RoboCop (character)|RoboCop]], using his human consciousness and ability to interface with machines to gain sentience and spark the [[nuclear war]] that leads to Skynet seizing control over Earth. Flo travels back in time to [[Detroit]] and kills RoboCop before he can awaken Skynet, which in this story is an orbital defense system, defeating the machines in the future. To prevent their downfall, the machines send three [[Terminator (character concept)|terminators]] to protect RoboCop, saving him and wounding Flo, ushering in a future where the machines kill all life on Earth and render it into fuel to continue their extermination in space. However, RoboCop realizes their motives and fights back to protect Flo, prompting the terminators to try and merge him with Skynet by force, but they are destroyed in a running battle with RoboCop, Flo, [[ED-209]]s, and Dr. Marie Lazarus from ''[[RoboCop 3]]''.
Eventually, RoboCop becomes a captive, reduced to a disembodied head connected to Skynet. Despite this, he manages to copy his consciousness into Skynet's digital systems and fights back from within, spreading copies of himself throughout Skynet's network.


Realizing the Skynet-controlled future is a result of him, RoboCop commits suicide, but the machines send two more terminators to ensure his survival by killing Flo and Marie, dismembering RoboCop, and connecting his conscious severed head to Skynet. RoboCop refuses to give in and copies his mind into Skynet's networks, where he is hunted for decades, replicating faster than he can be erased, until he finds a security flaw in a terminator factory and uses it to build himself a new and improved body.
After decades of digital warfare, RoboCop finds a vulnerability, constructs a new advanced body, and battles Skynet's forces directly. He encounters Flo again, who no longer knows his connection to Skynet, and together they fight the machines. RoboCop, realizing the need for greater strength, creates multiple copies of himself to wage war against Skynet.


With his new body, RoboCop intercepts and defeats a force of machines sent to kill the remaining humans. He meets Flo, who is alive but never discovered his role in Skynet's sentience in this timeline. When she witnesses him use a terminator factory for repairs, she asks why he would stop with one body; agreeing, RoboCop constructs even more copies of himself, forming a squadron of RoboCops tasked with defeating Skynet for good. RoboCop leads his squadron into Skynet's central cortex but is ensnared by hallucinations and illusions until he sees Flo being mortally wounded; enraged, he connects himself to the machines but commands them to die, defeating Skynet and saving humanity, albeit too late to save Flo, who dies in his arms. Determined to prevent this future from happening in the first place, RoboCop travels back in time, flies into space, and destroys Skynet before it can gain sentience, preventing the events of the comic from happening. In this future, Flo wakes up in a beautiful garden. RoboCop, satisfied, promptly fades from existence, as this version of him would have never existed without Skynet.
In the climax, RoboCop directly interfaces with Skynet and commands it to self-destruct. Although successful, Flo dies in the process. Seeking to undo the tragedy, RoboCop travels back further in time and destroys Skynet before it gains sentience, erasing the catastrophic timeline.


In the saved timeline, the existing RoboCop feels an unexplained sense of peace, and decides to return to [[Detroit Police Department]] headquarters for a rest. The comic ends as the machines attempt to send one last terminator back in time to kill RoboCop and secure Skynet's future, only for it to overshoot the human era immensely and land in the [[Mesozoic Era]], where it is crushed by a dinosaur.
The series ends with '''Flo awakening in a peaceful future''', while RoboCop, having prevented his future existence, fades from reality. A final twist shows a '''Terminator''' arriving in the '''Mesozoic Era''', crushed by a dinosaur due to a miscalculation in its time travel.


== Themes ==
== Themes and Analysis ==
{{Original research|section|date=July 2023|reason=}}
The contrast of man and machine is made at several points in the series. Several scenes are narrated from the viewpoint of the machines (little distinction is made between Skynet and the machines as a whole), which describe a lifeless Earth ("silent and cold and clean") in exultant terms and life ("all the buzzing, twittering, dripping, drooling things") with disgust, at one point monologuing how life "thought its mushy grey brains had conquered the planet" when in fact it was "its endless, sweating spawning. It spawned and spawned, spewing out new flesh faster than the old could die."


RoboCop has a similarly low opinion of his almost completely mechanical nature, seeing himself as "a few chunks of brain matter." His narration contrasts him with "the humans." He's suicidal, but unable to act upon it as his mechanical components' command program forces him to follow his directives to serve the public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law, much to his disgust of his thoughts being only partly his. He pursues these with disregard of his own well-being, forgoing the sleep that his human parts need. Both viewpoints' narration describes the nature of machinery in terms of cold, with RoboCop's referring to the command program as "the cold part of him." After he builds his future body his alienation from humanity, which increases further as he duplicates himself many times over and sees himself as a robotic copy of a human, is described as growing colder by the moment and visually indicated by the duplicate RoboCops lacking synthetic skin on their faces and instead bearing terminators' skeletal grins. When he has to coat himself in flesh to travel back at the time in the finale, he opts for a shapeless lump that he immediately discards and is described as cold inside and out, his humanity completely gone and only the command to destroy Skynet left.
=== Man vs. Machine ===
The narrative deeply explores the contrast between human consciousness and machine logic. RoboCop wrestles with his dual nature, seeing himself as "a few chunks of brain matter" controlled by mechanical directives. His self-destructive tendencies clash with his programmed duty to protect the innocent and uphold the law.


==Film adaptation==
Skynet and its machines view life as chaotic, describing organic beings with contempt, while RoboCop experiences increasing emotional detachment as he multiplies into a collective consciousness.
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
Plans for a ''Terminator vs Robocop'' film have been on and off in the works since 1990. Although no movie has yet to be made with the crossover, several video games and comic books have been released based on the idea.{{Speculation inline|date=July 2023}}


==Video game==
=== Heroism and Sacrifice ===
{{Main|RoboCop Versus The Terminator}}
RoboCop's journey is marked by '''self-sacrifice'''. He repeatedly chooses personal destruction over being a tool for Skynet. His ultimate decision to erase himself from existence speaks to the theme of '''moral responsibility''' and the burden of preventing future suffering.
A video game loosely based on the comic was released for the [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[Master System]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Game Gear]], and the [[Game Boy]]. A platform game tie-in for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] was also produced, but was ultimately cancelled; the ROM for it has since been distributed online. The Genesis version was awarded "Bloodiest Game of 1993" by ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''.<ref name="egmbuyersguide1994">{{cite magazine |year=1994 |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly }}</ref>


==Collected editions==
=== Humanity and Identity ===
The four issues, including stiff cardboard inserts intended as pull-out cut-outs, were bound together with a new cover as an "exclusive" collection by [[Diamond Comic Distributors|Diamond Comics]]. This version is long [[out of print]].
Throughout the narrative, RoboCop's mechanical components distance him from his humanity. However, his capacity for empathy and the preservation of life make him distinctly human compared to Skynet's emotionless efficiency.


In February 2014, Dark Horse announced that two collected editions of the series would be released the following July: a standard hardcover edition, and a "gallery edition" reproducing the original art at full size.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mike Cecchini |url=http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/robocop/233231/robocop-vs-the-terminator-to-get-re-released-by-dark-horse |title=RoboCop vs. The Terminator to Get Re-Released By Dark Horse |publisher=Denofgeek.us |date=2014-02-21 |access-date=2015-02-24 |archive-date=2015-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224182355/http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/robocop/233231/robocop-vs-the-terminator-to-get-re-released-by-dark-horse |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Publication History and Reception ==
'''RoboCop Versus The Terminator''' was first published as a four-issue limited series in '''1992''' by '''Dark Horse Comics'''. The issues were titled:


==See also==
* '''Honor'''
* ''[[List of Terminator comics#Terminator/RoboCop: Kill Human (2011)|Terminator/RoboCop: Kill Human]]''
* '''Duty'''
* '''Glory'''
* '''Victory'''


==References==
The comic received praise for its '''action-packed narrative''' and '''philosophical depth''', blending the dystopian themes of both franchises while showcasing Walt Simonson's dynamic artwork. The series was later collected into a '''hardcover edition''' in 1999 and was re-released in '''2014''' in a standard and '''"Gallery Edition"''' format, which included full-sized reproductions of the original art.<ref>Dark Horse Comics Press Release (2014)</ref><ref>Interviews with Frank Miller and Walt Simonson</ref>
{{Reflist}}
 
== Video Game Adaptation ==
In '''1993''', a video game loosely based on the comic was released for various platforms, including:
 
* '''Sega Genesis/Mega Drive'''
* '''Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)'''
* '''[[Game Gear]]'''
* '''[[Master System]]'''
* '''[[Game Boy]]'''
 
The game, developed by '''[[Virgin Games]]''', was a side-scrolling action shooter. The '''Genesis version''' was notably awarded "Bloodiest Game of 1993" by ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''.<ref name=":0" />
 
== Planned Film Adaptation ==
Plans for a '''[[RoboCop vs. The Terminator]]''' film have been discussed since '''1990'''. However, no official cinematic adaptation has been produced. The crossover concept has continued in '''[[video games]]''' and '''comic book sequels''', such as ''Terminator/RoboCop: Kill Human''.
 
== Legacy and Influence ==
The crossover remains a cult favorite, blending two of the most iconic '''cyberpunk''' universes in popular culture. Its legacy continues through references in '''video games''', '''action figures''', and '''fan discussions''' about the philosophical implications of AI and humanity's future.
 
== References ==
<references />


==External links==
==External links==
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* [http://robocoparchive.com/comics/interviews.htm RoboCop Versus Terminator Archive]
* [http://robocoparchive.com/comics/interviews.htm RoboCop Versus Terminator Archive]
* [http://spiritsnodeal.canalblog.com ''Terminator versus Robocop.trilogy'' (mashup)]
* [http://spiritsnodeal.canalblog.com ''Terminator versus Robocop.trilogy'' (mashup)]
{{RoboCop}}
{{Terminator}}
{{Frank Miller}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Robocop Versus The Terminator (Comics)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robocop Versus The Terminator (Comics)}}
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[[Category:1992 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1992 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1992 comics endings]]
[[Category:1992 comics endings]]
[[ja:ロボコップVSターミネーター]]
[[fi:RoboCop vs. The Terminator]]

Latest revision as of 19:47, 3 January 2025

RoboCop Versus The Terminator is a four-issue comic book crossover limited series published by Dark Horse Comics in 1992.[1] Written by Frank Miller and illustrated by Walt Simonson, the series brought together two iconic science fiction franchises, RoboCop and The Terminator. The narrative revolves around RoboCop's efforts to prevent Skynet, the artificial intelligence from The Terminator series, from achieving global domination using his own consciousness.[2]

Plot Summary

Set in a dystopian future where Skynet has exterminated most of humanity, human soldier Florence "Flo" Langer discovers that Skynet's self-awareness was triggered by contact with RoboCop. His human brain, combined with machine interfaces, allowed Skynet to become sentient and launch the nuclear apocalypse.

Flo travels back in time to Detroit to kill RoboCop before he can inadvertently trigger Skynet's creation. However, Skynet sends three Terminators back in time to protect RoboCop. Flo is critically injured, and RoboCop realizes the danger his existence poses to the future. As he battles against the machines, he ultimately chooses to destroy himself, but Skynet sends additional Terminators to keep him alive and ensure its creation.

Eventually, RoboCop becomes a captive, reduced to a disembodied head connected to Skynet. Despite this, he manages to copy his consciousness into Skynet's digital systems and fights back from within, spreading copies of himself throughout Skynet's network.

After decades of digital warfare, RoboCop finds a vulnerability, constructs a new advanced body, and battles Skynet's forces directly. He encounters Flo again, who no longer knows his connection to Skynet, and together they fight the machines. RoboCop, realizing the need for greater strength, creates multiple copies of himself to wage war against Skynet.

In the climax, RoboCop directly interfaces with Skynet and commands it to self-destruct. Although successful, Flo dies in the process. Seeking to undo the tragedy, RoboCop travels back further in time and destroys Skynet before it gains sentience, erasing the catastrophic timeline.

The series ends with Flo awakening in a peaceful future, while RoboCop, having prevented his future existence, fades from reality. A final twist shows a Terminator arriving in the Mesozoic Era, crushed by a dinosaur due to a miscalculation in its time travel.

Themes and Analysis

Man vs. Machine

The narrative deeply explores the contrast between human consciousness and machine logic. RoboCop wrestles with his dual nature, seeing himself as "a few chunks of brain matter" controlled by mechanical directives. His self-destructive tendencies clash with his programmed duty to protect the innocent and uphold the law.

Skynet and its machines view life as chaotic, describing organic beings with contempt, while RoboCop experiences increasing emotional detachment as he multiplies into a collective consciousness.

Heroism and Sacrifice

RoboCop's journey is marked by self-sacrifice. He repeatedly chooses personal destruction over being a tool for Skynet. His ultimate decision to erase himself from existence speaks to the theme of moral responsibility and the burden of preventing future suffering.

Humanity and Identity

Throughout the narrative, RoboCop's mechanical components distance him from his humanity. However, his capacity for empathy and the preservation of life make him distinctly human compared to Skynet's emotionless efficiency.

Publication History and Reception

RoboCop Versus The Terminator was first published as a four-issue limited series in 1992 by Dark Horse Comics. The issues were titled:

  • Honor
  • Duty
  • Glory
  • Victory

The comic received praise for its action-packed narrative and philosophical depth, blending the dystopian themes of both franchises while showcasing Walt Simonson's dynamic artwork. The series was later collected into a hardcover edition in 1999 and was re-released in 2014 in a standard and "Gallery Edition" format, which included full-sized reproductions of the original art.[3][4]

Video Game Adaptation

In 1993, a video game loosely based on the comic was released for various platforms, including:

The game, developed by Virgin Games, was a side-scrolling action shooter. The Genesis version was notably awarded "Bloodiest Game of 1993" by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[2]

Planned Film Adaptation

Plans for a RoboCop vs. The Terminator film have been discussed since 1990. However, no official cinematic adaptation has been produced. The crossover concept has continued in video games and comic book sequels, such as Terminator/RoboCop: Kill Human.

Legacy and Influence

The crossover remains a cult favorite, blending two of the most iconic cyberpunk universes in popular culture. Its legacy continues through references in video games, action figures, and fan discussions about the philosophical implications of AI and humanity's future.

References

  1. ↑ Dark Horse Comics, RoboCop Versus The Terminator (1992)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Electronic Gaming Monthly, Bloodiest Game Award (1993)
  3. ↑ Dark Horse Comics Press Release (2014)
  4. ↑ Interviews with Frank Miller and Walt Simonson

External links

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