Summary
- RoboCop is revealed to be a direct prequel to The Terminator, as RoboCop's existence and connection to Skynet led to the development of Terminators and the eventual destruction of humanity.
- The crossover between RoboCop and Terminator is a creative approach that fits perfectly in terms of tone and meta criticisms, highlighting the dangers of corporate power and the consequences of human invention.
- The ever-changing timestream in the Terminator universe creates multiple origins, making it possible for RoboCop to exist in the same universe and serve as a canonical prequel.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that there’s a version of both The Terminator and RoboCop where the two continuities are connected, as both are beloved ‘80s Sci-Fi franchises featuring cybernetic heroes battling monstrous robotic villains. However, what may come as a bit of a shock is the extent of their connection, as RoboCop is actually a direct prequel to Terminator.
RoboCop is a 1987 film about a Detroit police officer named Alex Murphy who was killed in the line of duty by a gang of dangerous criminals. Rather than allowing Murphy to die, the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products revive him as a superpowered cyborg called RoboCop. Soon afterward, RoboCop proved to be a nearly unstoppable asset to the Detroit Police Department, but not only that, he proved to be a legitimate hero who stood up against corruption, even when that meant gunning down the very company that created him. However, for all the good RoboCop does throughout his franchise, it can’t compare to the horror his existence brings upon the world during this Terminator comic book crossover (which, interestingly enough, is actually canon).
RoboCop Gave Humanity Its Blueprint For Skynet & Terminators
In RoboCop vs The Terminator #1 by Frank Miller and Walter Simonson, a human rebel of the future uncovers the truth of how Skynet was really created: Alex Murphy. Murphy's human mind that was merged with software upon his rebirth as RoboCop was eventually ‘married’ to Skynet, creating a chain reaction that made Skynet self-aware enough to effectively eliminate humanity in an event Terminator fans know as Judgment Day. Not only that, but his physical form was essentially the blueprint for the original Terminator design, meaning RoboCop’s existence led to the development of Skynet, and its development of Terminators, confirming that RoboCop is indeed a prequel to The Terminator.
Not only is this an incredibly creative way to approach their crossover, as opposed to a simple ‘Versus’ book, but these two franchises also fit perfectly as one big one in terms of tone and meta criticisms. RoboCop as a film took a very firm anti-corporate stance, with a message that spoke to the dangers of allowing corporate oligarchies to operate with impunity. So, by linking RoboCop to Terminator, that message becomes even more pronounced, as not only did humanity invent the means of its own destruction by creating Skynet, but it first allowed a greedy company to effectively design the first Terminator when it created RoboCop. Plus, to make this entire situation even more interesting, this story is actually canon in The Terminator universe (at least, in one of the branched universes, anyway).
Terminator’s Time Travel Creates Multiple Origins For Itself
Due to the ever-changing timestream of Terminator’s universe, the story of how Skynet was first conceived or when/how the first Terminator was developed is constantly in flux. So many people/machines have traveled through time in an effort to save/preserve the future timeline that there is no longer a set history. This means that, in one of those skewed timelines, RoboCop not only exists in the same universe as The Terminator, but is its canonical prequel.