10 Awesome Movie Characters Ruined By Terrible Writing

The Terminator series' protagonist John Connor is one of the most iconic characters in all of science fiction - the unborn son who must be protected via his mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton) in the first movie, a feisty kid in the second film (Edward Furlong), and a strung-out young man in the third (Nick Staahl).

Though his portrayal by Christian Bale in the fourth film, Terminator Salvation, was surprisingly flat, the movie didn't really do anything to interfere with Connor's established characterisation, as can't be said for its two successors.

Terminator: Genisys made the ballsy if ultimately misguided decision to reinvent Connor (Jason Clarke) as not only an antagonist but a T-3000 human-machine hybrid.

Needless to say, fans were extremely upset that the future resistance leader had his fate so thoroughly altered like this, and despite the bravery of the twist, it just wasn't interesting or worthwhile.

After Genisys tanked at the box office, it and all post-T2 sequels were jettisoned by the most recent sequel, Terminator: Dark Fate, which once again invoked the ire of the fanbase by killing off a young John in its very first scene.

Given that John is the lynchpin around which the rest of the franchise centers, wiping him off the chessboard entirely wasn't much better than turning him into a villain.

With the series' clear inability to satisfy both existing fans and those new to the IP, it's probably best if Terminator gets put on ice for the foreseeable future.