Robots are a staple of science fiction. They've been appearing in films since 1927, and never lose their popularity. Why? Who knows? What do I look like, a psychologist? All I know is they're awesome, and it's high time that we at WhatCulture took a look back at the robots that have been not only successful, but simply iconic amongst movie fans. Some of these are from one lone movie, others from full-fledged franchises, others were introduced in TV shows and later found another life in film adaptions.
Note: We've excluded any robots that have a fully human appearance. Thus, Roy Batty from Blade Runner and such have been left out.
10. Maria (Metropolis)
The first robot character to appear was Maria in 1927's Metropolis, directed by the legendary Fritz Lang. In the film, the mad scientist Rotwang builds a robot designed to be able to take the place of a young girl named Maria whom he suspects is trying to lead the lower class into a rebellion against the rulers of the city. The robot is initially called Maschinenmensch (or Machine Human), but is frequently referred to as Maria due to that being her identity through much of the film. The character of Maria eventually took on a life of her own, with references and homages popping up all over the realm of science fiction (see C-3PO, who was based almost entirely off Maria), and even in the music world, with German electronic band Kraftwerk naming an album after her (Die Mensch·Maschine, which also featured a track named Metropolis).