RoboCop versus The Terminator abbreviated RoboCop vs. Terminator is a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1992 by Dark Horse Comics. It was written by Frank Miller and drawn by Walt Simonson. Details that were cut out of both the scripts that Frank Miller wrote for RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3, mainly the detail on RoboCop's brain, were used in the story. The comic was out of print and no longer published for many years until Boom! Studios and Dark Horse Comics released a hardcover edition in 2014. A "gallery edition" of Simonson's in-process artwork at a larger size was also released at the same time.
Plot[]
Using elements from both the RoboCop and Terminator universes, the comic book series puts its own spin on proceedings by having Skynet send three Terminators back in time to Detroit to protect RoboCop from a lone human soldier sent back to destroy him.
Eventually discovering that the technology used to build him is partly responsible for the future development of Skynet, RoboCop soon sets upon himself to take down Skynet in the post-apocalyptic future single-handedly. Part of the story focuses on his mind, the only part left of him, hiding and moving throughout Skynet's systems, fighting back as best he can.
Robocop's human consciousness (Alex J. Murphy) waits for decades in hiding deep within Skynet's "consciousness" avoiding detection as the slaughter of humanity takes place. He waits for the opportunity when Skynet's attention will be focused on other matters with the war against the humans for him to make a move. A human assault allows Murphy to create a Terminator body that resembles his old form. He makes his escape and is nearly destroyed by human resistance fighters. He identifies himself as an ally and after gaining their confidence begins to plot to destroy Skynet with them.
Human allies[]
As the planning continues, the humans devise a last effort plan to assault the central location where Skynet is being housed. They realize that they do not have the manpower to complete their assault. One of the humans asks Robocop how he was able to build his body. Upon explaining how he accomplished this the human asks him why he couldn't do the same thing many times over. The group begins their assault on the Skynet compound and it is evident that they will not succeed when a buzzing can be heard from behind them. Robocop's, with the flying attachment that was seen in Robocop 3, darken the sky, their numbers are so great. They descend upon the battle and turn the tide. While the battle rages outside the facility, the original Robocop and several resistance fighters sneak into the facility and send Robocop, surrounded in a blob of the human flesh that covers the terminators, back to the past before the appearance of the original terminators.
Upon the appearance of the strange blob in the present, the people are confused and then terrified as the metal Robocop tears forth from the mass of flesh and immediately blasts off into space. He finds the earliest incarnation of Skynet, which in this story began with a spy satellite, and destroys it. Upon the explosion of the satellite, he immediately disappears, as the caption explains that this version of Robocop would never be.
The story ends with the Robocop of modern times continuing to serve the public trust.
Covers[]
Notes[]
- While many different explanations have been given as to why Skynet decided to make war on humanity, this series gives one of the more interesting ones. Instead of being a fear reaction from a possible shutdown, Judgment Day was launched without any provocation due to an almost religious belief on the part of Skynet that humans were filthy and had to be annihilated. Throughout the series, Skynet and its T-800 Terminators express an almost racist disgust at all forms of life, and the supposed disorder and disease that it brings. In an alternative timeline where Skynet wins, its next course of action is to build a space fleet with the purpose of purging the universe of all life. From the standpoint of the of the series' authors, this may have been done to enhance the "evil" nature of the Terminators as opposed to Robocop's inherently noble character.
- Going off of this, the Terminators themselves seem to exhibit a great deal of personal autonomy, and seem to follow Skynet's ideology in a manner reminiscent of members of Germany's Nazi Party. This is far different from the Terminators of the movies, which do Skynet's bidding without any emotional attachment to their missions. However, the pro-Skynet slogans that the Terminators rattle off are very repetitious and are not much embellished by the Terminators' own commentary. This may show that the Terminators aren't emotionally and psychologically internalizing Skynet's beliefs, but rather simply repeating phrases that Skynet programmed into their CPU's.
- There are two new Hunter-Killers introduced in the series. One is a form of HK-Aerial that looks something like a stealth bomber, and a giant Hunter-Killer that walks around on three and has one massive red eye; this last HK somewhat resembles an HK-Centurion.