T-1000

The T-1000 is a fictional machine in the Terminator franchise. The first T-1000 debuted as the main antagonist in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, being portrayed by Robert Patrick which was his breakout role. Patrick briefly reprised the role for T2-3D: Battle Across Time, a 1996 theme park attraction. Another T-1000 is present in the 2015 film Terminator Genisys, a reboot of the series, with Lee Byung-hun in the role.

In the franchise, the T-1000 is a Terminator, a line of android assassins created by the artificial intelligence Skynet. In the future, Skynet is engaged in a war against humans, who are led by John Connor. In Terminator 2, the T-1000 is sent back in time to kill John while he is still a child. The T-1000 is made up of a liquid metal, known in the film as mimetic polyalloy, which allows it to shapeshift into other people or objects that come into contact with it. The shapeshifting abilities have also been re-used for subsequent machines in the Terminator franchise, including the T-X, the T-1001, and the Rev-9.

The liquid metal effects for T-1000 were created through computer-generated imagery by Industrial Light & Magic, and practical effects by Stan Winston. The character, including Patrick's performance and the visual effects required to depict it, were praised by critics. Since then, the T-1000 has been parodied or referenced in other media.