Lesser-Known ‘Terminator’ Characters We Wish Were Playable In ‘Gears 5’

Gears of War 5, a chainsaw simulator where you occasionally reload behind chest-high walls, launched with an exciting DLC this month. Now, you can officially splatter your enemies as Sarah Connor or the titular bad robot from the Terminator films! Those skins are great, but why stop there? Here’s the best of the franchise’s supporting cast that we’d love to see as playable options in the Gears 5: Terminator package.

Dr. Peter Silberman

Gears games have always been about fridge-shaped super-soldiers tearing aliens in half. But this cover-based shooter could take hiding to the next level with the cowardly Dr. Silberman. The famously skeptical psychologist would be a natural fit in the Gears universe, crawling on his hands and knees between piles of rubble and muttering to himself about “paranoid delusions.” He could even have syringes full of antipsychotics to inject himself with when he sees an enemy Locust!

Miles Dyson

If you’ve ever played Gears of War and thought, “This game could use more panicked whimpering,” then let me introduce you to Miles Dyson. He was out of his depth before when he cried and bled out in his old office building, but now he’ll cry and bleed out in a hellish alien war zone. There will be no clumsily bluffing his way past former coworkers here! Locusts may not care about Dyson’s administrative access, but Dyson still cares about his family—in fact, he’ll remind you of their names every time he’s expiring in the dirt (which will be often).

Whatever Sam Worthington Was Supposed to Be

Gears isn’t a franchise known for its philosophy, but we could absolutely go there with Terminator Salvation’s Marcus Wright. Is he a machine? Is he a man? Does it matter? What is man but a biological machine programmed to eat, fuck, and kill? Why does Sam Worthington only take roles where he has to assimilate into warrior cults? What kind of a name is McG, anyway?

John Connor’s Childhood Friend, Tim

Let’s be real. Vehicle levels in shooters are always a pain. If you hate driving, why not play as Tim, young John Connor’s companion from Terminator 2? Tim was only endowed with enough agency to be a passenger on John’s dirt bike, so he’s a perfect co-op character for your friends who aren’t good at video games. Play as Tim and you’ll get an exclusive cutscene where you don’t snitch on your squadmates to the cops.

Punk #3 (Guy Who Gave Away His Clothes Way Too Fast)

Most of these characters have been more casual-friendly inclusions. But Punk #3 is for those who want a more punishing gameplay experience. Just like in the first Terminator film, Punk #3 will hand over all his equipment as soon as he’s attacked, turning this shooter into a survival horror game. Run away naked from firefights while your teammates get slaughtered (meaning you’ll survive long enough to come back for Terminator Genisys!)

Gears of War 5 (with Terminator DLC!) is out now.

Images: The Coalition, Hemdale Productions, Carolco Pictures, Columbia Pictures