T-1000

The T-1000 is a fictional character in the Terminator franchise. A shapeshifting android Terminator assassin, the T-1000 is the main antagonist of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, as well as a minor antagonist in Terminator Genisys and the theme park attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time. A similar Terminator, referred to as a T-1001, appears in the Fox television series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. In the films, the T-1000 was created by the franchise's main antagonist, Skynet, a rogue self-aware artificial intelligence that directs its robotic creations against the Human Resistance in an all-out war. The T-1000 is described in Terminator 2 (T2) as being composed of liquid metal, or a mimetic polyalloy (nanorobotics) that can manipulate itself to assume various forms. Aside from being able to camouflage itself by assuming the appearance of nondescript objects or take on the likeness of any humans it terminates in pursuit of its goals, the T-1000's shapeshifting abilities enable it to form its limbs, arms, hands, and fingers into lethal weapons such as sharp stabbing blades and hard hammering objects. It can also slip through narrow physical openings by transforming into its fully liquid form, as well as reforming itself from almost any physical damage. It is further explained in the prologue of the film's novelization that the T-1000 was created through nanotechnology, and is a "Nanomorph", able to scan the molecular structure of whatever it is touching and visually mimic it. In T2, the T-1000's default form is portrayed by Robert Patrick, and in Terminator Genisys, by Lee Byung-hun, while other actors portray the T-1000 in the disguise of specific characters. In Terminator 2 and T2: 3-D Battle Across Time, the T-1000 is presented as a technological leap over the T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), also known as a Model 101. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most memorable roles in one of the most memorable films of the decade", Patrick's portrayal of the T-1000 earned him nominations for Best Villain and Best Supporting Actor at the 1992 MTV and Saturn Awards.