Since antiquity, civilizations around the world have imagined the possibilities of artificial life forms. From Hephaestus, the ancient Greek god of craftsmen who built mechanical servants and golden handmaidens, to the protective clay golems of medieval Jewish folklore, to the lifelike automaton presented by the engineer Yan Shi to King Mu of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty, robots of one form or another have existed almost as long as mythology and storytelling itself.
In the modern era, the rise of advanced technology puts humanoid machines at the forefront. And nowhere is the possibility of robots better imagined and more fully realized than through film and television. There’s been a slew of recent movies featuring sentient bots, includingMorgan,Ex Machina,Chappie,Automata,The Machine,Robot & Frank, plus continuations of franchises likeBlade Runner 2049andTerminator: Genisys. On TV, there’sWestworld,Humans, andAlmost Human.
In honor of these stories depicting the machines that work, live, love (and kill) among us, here’s a roundup of our 15 favorite robots of film and television. Keep in mind that the selections on this list are chosen for their sentience; cyborgs that are part-human and part-machine, like Robocop or Inspector Gadget; as well as tools, like Iron Man’s suit of armor or Geordi La Forge’s visor, have been left off.
These robots may or may not look like human beings, but they’ve come to represent the best—and the worst—of our collective humanity.
15) Gort, ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’
When an alien emerges from a flying saucer that touches down in D.C., announcing that he has come in peace, the humans naturally shoot him on accident. In response, another life form from the saucer steps out: a nearly 8-foot tall shiny metallic robot that vaporizes the Army men’s rifles and tanks with a laser blast from its visor. Klaatu, the alien, describes the being as Gort, a member of an interstellar police force wielding unlimited power that can only be stopped with the now-famous phrase: “Klaatu Barada Nikto.”
In 1951,The Day The Earth Stood Stillwas created as a parable for the Atomic Age in the early days of the Cold War. It was a film whose purpose, according to producerJulian Blaustein, was to promote a “strong United Nations.” As Klaatu goes on to explain, the creation of a race of invincible robots like Gort are the reason why his interplanetary organization of aliens have been able to live in peace. And played by 7-foot-7-inch actorLock Martin, Gort’s presence left a lasting impact in film; similar types of UFO landings and appearances have since been echoed in everything fromClose Encounters of the Third KindtoMars Attacks!
A 2008 remake, starringKeanu ReevesandJennifer Connolly, would swap the dangers of nuclear war with the dangers of humanity’s environmental damage but would ultimately be criticized for failing to capture the original’s depth of story or soul. In this new version, Gort is reimagined as a 28-foot tall CGI creation capable of turning into a devastating locust-like swarm of black dust. Demonstrating that, 50 years later, he’s still equipped to kick major ass in order to keep the peace.
14) Baymax, ‘Big Hero 6’
Baymax may be more air than machine under that puffy vinyl suit, but this inflatable “personal healthcare companion” is really all heart. Robotics student Tadashi Hamada originally built this prototype robot as something capable of doubling as a doctor or nurse, programmed with over 10,000 medical procedures, defibrillators equipped in his hands, and antibacterial spray in his fingers. At his center, Baymax is powered by a powerful carbon fiber core capable of lifting half a ton—which proves essential when Tadashi’s brother Hiro makes a few upgrades. Specifically, a new operating system with martial arts moves and battle armor equipped with mounted wings and thrusters for flight, plus rocket fists that be fired and retracted.
The character deviates radically in the film compared to the source material; in the originalBig Hero 6comics bySteven T. SeagleandDuncan Rouleaufirst published in the late ‘90s, Baymax is a hydro-powered robotic “synthformer” that can take multiple shapes, all of them superstrong and ready for combat. Compare that to the 2014 Disney film, where he’s more or less a humanoid-shaped balloon crammed into a red protective suit. It’s what’s inside that counts though; Baymax represents the physical embodiment of Tadashi—helpful, dedicated, and most importantly, benevolent—who becomes a brother figure for Hiro once his brother is gone. Now if only he can master the fist-bump…
13) Edward Scissorhands, ‘Edward Scissorhands’
DirectorTim BurtoncitesEdward Scissorhandsas his most personal work, drawing from his experiences growing up in suburban Burbank, California, as an isolated teenager with difficulty retaining friendships and communicating to others. “I get the feeling people just got this urge to want to leave me alone for some reason,” Burton was quoted as saying. “I don’t know exactly why.”
In contrast, everyone seems to want to get to know Edward Scissorhands—at least at first, when he impresses his new neighbors by creating topiaries from their hedges and new hairdos for the housewives. But when Burton’s nonverbal hero fails to conform and adapt to suburbia, by rejecting one of the wives’ sexual advances and later attracting jealousy from the boyfriend ofWinona Ryder’s character, the townsfolk turn on him and he’s forced to return to the abandoned Gothic mansion where he was created, and subsequently remains forever.
Tim Burton could’ve done anything in Hollywood after the huge box office success ofBatmanin 1989, but he chose to pursue an obscure passion project that would set both him and actorJohnny Depp(at the time still a teen idol from his work on21 Jump Street) on a path of being known for offbeat, quirky films. Together, they created a mechanical life form that became the ultimate iconic outcast; a loveable misfit whose only sins are a longing to belong and a passion for clipping hedges. “There’s quite an interesting design to a pair of scissors, if you really look at them,” Burton toldEntertainment Weeklyin 1990. “They’re both simple and complicated, creative and destructive … it’s that feeling of being at odds with yourself.” Growing up, who couldn’t relate to feeling like Edward at one time or another, just trying to fit in?
12) Astro Boy, ‘Astro Boy’
Created byOsamu Tezuka, Japan’s equivalent ofWalt Disney, Astro Boy was the eponymous character of a sci-fi manga that ran from 1952 to 1968. In the story, he was invented by Dr. Umatarō Tenma, created in the image of his late son Tobio who died in a car accident. He was a character intended as, according toAstro Boy’s English-version manga creatorFrederik L. Schodt, “a 21st-century reverse-Pinocchio, a nearly perfect robot who strove to become more human and emotive and to serve as an interface between man and machine.”
Debuting at a time in the 1960s when robots were limited to alien attackers or clunky housekeepers,Astro Boywas aimed at a different audience. He was groundbreaking, hip, and stylish. Who could forget that hair? This replica of a ten-year old doubled as a cybernetic crimefighter equipped with built-in energy weapons, machine guns (in his hips, for some reason), rocket-powered flight, universal language translator, and a strength of 100,000 horsepower—the same type of power found in the world’s largest modern diesel engine, the kind used for cargo ships weighing upwards of 170,000 tons.
The Astro Boy manga’s subsequent TV adaptation would become the first Japanese animated series to appear on American televisions, introducing the U.S. to a cartoon like nothing previously seen before. Back in Japan, the show’s style helped lay the foundation for modern Japanese anime as it exists today. Not bad, kid.
11) Major Motoko Kusanagi, ‘Ghost In The Shell’
When it comes to Motoko Kusanagi, which version of her are we talking about? Is it the one from the 1995 animated filmGhost in the Shell, adopted from the manga, which depicts her as a brooding, emotionless androgynous operative pursuing the Puppet Master, a rogue artificial intelligence that Motoko decides to merge with to create an evolved non-corporeal entity? Or theStand Alone Complexanime series, that gives the Major purple hair, red eyes, and powerful authority to investigate the Laughing Man, a corporate hacker that reveals political corruption within the highest ranks of the Japanese government? Or the 2017 live action film that hasScarlett Johanssonportraying Mira Killian, originally a teenage activist named Motoko Kusanagi who committed suicide in police custody, but who was placed into a new mechanical body to operate as a counter-terrorist operative? Motoko’s origin story is as much a mystery to her as it is to us.
But regardless which iteration of this critically acclaimed series you’re watching, Motoko’s a badass. She’s the cybernetic field commander of Public Security Section 9, a fictitious police division of the real Japanese National Public Safety Commission, and a complex character who’s been combating terrorism while wrestling with figuring out her own origins for over two decades. Whether she’s hacking computer terminals or deploying military tactics to direct her clandestine team, Motoko isn’t afraid to use her smarts, strength, or sexuality as a weapon if the situation calls for it. It’s no surprise to see the Major frequently ranked among the top anime characters of all time.
10) The Tin Woodman, The Wizard of Oz
When Dorothy and the Scarecrow first come across the Tin Woodman, he’s rusted frozen on the side of the yellow brick road to Emerald City, having been caught in the rain while chopping a tree. Otherwise he was perfectly functional, save for one component: the tinsmith who created him forgot to give him a heart.
In the famous 1939 film adaptation ofThe Wizard of OzstarringJudy Garland, the Tin Man (portrayed by actorJack Haley, whose voice for the character was the same he used while reading bedtime stories to his own children) wants a heart for the sake of unraveling riddles and feeling emotions. But inL. Frank Baum’s original children’s book, the character represents the embodiment of emotion itself—in contrast with the Scarecrow seeking a brain, raising the question of whether it is more important to think critically or to feel genuinely. Throughout the story, the Tin Woodman proves to be the most sensitive and compassionate character among the group; he is grief-stricken after accidentally crushing an insect and later pleads with the others not to kill a deer after the Cowardly Lion offers to catch one for Dorothy’s dinner.
As reward for recovering the Wicked Witch of West’s broomstick, the Tin Woodman receives a heart-shaped pocket watch—although the Wizard reminds the Woodman he had already possessed what he wanted all along. “And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love but by how much you are loved by others.” Decades since being introduced and loved by an audience of millions worldwide, we’d say this Tin Man has quite the heart.
9) The Iron Giant, ‘The Iron Giant’
9-year-old Hogarth Hughes finds a strange creature in the woods near his house and does what any normal kid would do: he hides his buddy in the barn to keep it safe. Trouble is, Hogarth’s new friend is a 50-foot robot armed with laser vision and energy cannons—and the U.S. government wants him too.
What if a gun had a soul? This was the pitch that directorBrad Birdgave to Warner Brothers forThe Iron Giant, a Cold War parable that reimaginesE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialas a Streamline Moderne robot. Set in 1950s America in the wake of Sputnik and nuclear fears about the Bomb, the film follows a machine (voiced byVin Diesel) that crashes on Earth and befriends a boy who teaches it how to play, jump in the lake, and read comic books. It likes Superman but is puzzled by “Atomo, the Metal Menace,” who Hogarth describes as a villain. A deleted scene from an extended cut of the film released in 2015 has the Giant envisioning a dream sequence where he marches with dozens of identical robots through the flaming ruins of alien city, confirming suspicions about his built-in guns: that he was built to be a weapon of mass destruction. But only if he desires it.
“You are who you choose to be,” Hogarth says. When the military attacks, the Giant chooses to be Superman, a literal Man of Steel that sacrifices itself to stop a nuclear missile and save the entire town. And despite its apparent destruction, the 1999 film ends with the Iron Giant piecing himself together—just in time to play a key role inSteven Spielberg’s upcoming film adaptation ofReady Player Onein 2018.
8) The Maschinenmensch, ‘Metropolis’
Everything aboutFritz Lang’sMetropolisbroke new ground upon its debut in 1927, from being one of the first feature-length science fiction films ever made to its incredibly high production value. And featuring one of the first robots ever depicted in cinema, the “Maschinenmensch” (German for “machine-person”) casts a long shadow for bots and droids to come.
In a futuristic city where the wealthy and cultured live in a utopia above a desolate underworld managed by a mistreated working class,Metropolistells the story of Freder, son of the city’s ruler, who befriends a worker, Maria, to challenge social barriers and class structures. To ruin Maria’s reputation among the growing population of rebellious workers, the city’s ruler orders a robot currently being built by the inventor Rotwang to bear Maria’s likeness and wreak havoc throughout Metropolis.
To achieve the Maschinenmensch’s high-tech look at a time when special effects were extremely limited, designerWalter Schulze-Mittendorffused a plastic wood putty sculpted to fit 17-year old actressBrigitte Helm. The cast was made standing up though, which made movement and sitting down uncomfortable—and the endless takes demanded by director Lang frustrating to the point of infuriating.
In spite of this,Metropolis—and its machine—would achieve an aesthetic whose effects would be immeasurable. From the concept of a vast, brooding city that would give birth toDark City,Blade Runner’s Los Angeles,Batman’s Gotham, andBioshock’s Rapture, to laboratories of churning gear assemblies and crackling electric currents, inspiring Frankenstein’s lab and countless B-movies. The design of the Maschinenmensch would serve as an inspiration forStar Wars’ C-3PO, and Metropolis’ interpretation of the female robot was later replicated as Stepford Wives, bionic women, fembots, and Terminators. But few would be able to match the impact, presence, and sheer allure of Maria.
7) Bender, ‘Futurama’
The word “bender” has two possible meanings. One refers to an object or a person that bends something else. The other means a wild drinking spree. When it comes toFuturama’s immoral and depraved resident robot, guess which definition we’re thinking about.
Created in Tijuana, Mexico, in the late 30th century, Bender Bending Rodríguez, Sr. (voiced byJohn DiMaggio) was constructed solely for the simple task of cold-bending metal girders into assorted angles—although this machine does anything but. Instead, he’s better at gambling, consorting with hookerbots, stealing (and selling) anything of value he can get his hands on, drinking alcohol (to recharge his fuel cells), and smoking cigars (just because they make him look cool). “You know what cheers me up? Other people’s misfortune.”
Bender’s a narcissistic sociopath and a pathological liar who often gets into trouble due to his destructive, exploitative behavior. His abilities include having a chest cavity with a near-limitless locker, “gaydar” that identifies everyone as gay, and a vast internal data storage of which 100,000 terabytes are dedicated solely to pornography.
Series creatorMatt Groeningmay have created the biggest deviant character of his career (an impressive feat for the guy behindThe Simpsons) with this supporting character and sometimes antagonist ofFuturama. Bender doesn’t care what you think—and audiences love him for it. There’s a reason why he’s widely considered the show’s breakout character. And if you don’t agree, you can bite his shiny metal ass.
6) Lt. Commander Data, ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’
The fifth of six known androids designed by cyberneticist Dr. Noonian Soong in the 24th century, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) serves as the operations officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D inStar Trek: The Next Generation, responsible for monitoring the ship’s internal systems, sensors, and communications. 24.6 kilograms of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilograms of molybdenum-cobalt alloys, and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting—put all that together, add a positronic brain, and you’ve got one of the most complex characters in the entireStar Trekuniverse.
Through his 30 year career in space, Data was the recipient of some of Starfleet’s highest accolades, including the Decoration for Gallantry, Medal of Honor with clusters, Legion of Honor, and the Star Cross. While the Enterprise was exploring the vast reaches of the galaxy, Data was simultaneously embarking on his own internal journey. Over the course of seven seasons of TV and four films, television audiences grew with Data—his attempts at comedy, developing relationships, studying language, culture, the arts—all in an attempt to better understand what it means to be human.
For Data, sentience wasn’t a cross to bear or an unintended consequence of existence, it was a choice. And his efforts proved a lesson that the notion of humanity isn’t as black and white as previously assumed. Does Data have a soul? Do we? “I chose to believe that I was a person, that I had the potential to become more than a collection of circuits and sub-processors. It is a belief which I still hold.”
