By The End Of Their Stories, These 10 Sci-Fi Movie Characters Had Turned Into Totally Different People

Sci-fi movies have so much potential for extraordinary storytelling and character development, and these franchises nailed it with these characters. While every movie builds a narrative around a cast of characters, and they all have the potential to put the heroes and villains into interesting situations, sci-fi stories can be out of this world… literally. With space-bound stories, incredibly advanced technological breakthroughs, and alien encounters, sci-fi is the perfect genre for expanding characters in new and exciting ways.

On top of that, sci-fi films tend to disproportionately get developed into franchises. Due to the nature of the genre, with the stories creating new worlds that are ripe to be explored, the story often stretches out beyond a single film. And thankfully, this leads to some incredible character development arcs.

10

Sarah Connor – Terminator

Linda Hamilton looking heroic holding a gun as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 Judgment Day

The Terminator came out in 1984, with writing and direction by the incredible James Cameron. The first film released early in Cameron’s career, but the way that he fleshed out his characters and created a rich world that could be expanded was masterful. And perhaps, this is best seen in the way that Sarah Connor, a side character from the original film, grew to become a central star and all-around badass.

Sarah-Connor-in-Terminator-2

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The first movie sees the T-800 robot sent back in time to kill John Connor, a boy who will one day lead the rebellion against Skynet. But with John being just a child, it falls to his mother, Sarah, to ensure the boys is safe. From the first film to the most recent entries, Sarah grows to become a leader and an incredible force for good who quickly cements herself as one of the primary protagonists in the expansive series.

9

Han Solo – Star Wars

Han Solo arrives on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back

When Han Solo first appears in the 1977s Star Wars, he is a suave, slick, gunslinger who shoots first and asks questions later. He is also one of the best pilots in the galaxy. However, Han has some clear flaws, being a lone wolf who keeps his guard up and struggles to connect with others. This has led to Han living an isolated life, smuggling goods, and getting involved with the wrong crowds.

However, when he meets Luke and Leia, Han begins a journey to become one of the galaxy’s greatest heroes. He forms friendships, and even makes a romantic connection with Leia, with whom he has a child, Ben Solo. Han becomes someone who is completely different from his initial appearance, but all of this is done in a way that is both convincing and satisfying, which is largely down to the incredible performance of Harrison Ford.

8

Rick Deckard – Blade Runner

Deckard looking at a screen in Blade Runner

Staying with Harrison Ford for a moment, the actor also had the opportunity to star in another huge sci-fi film, this time under the direction of Ridley Scott. Ford plays Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, a highly skilled agent who works primarily on a team that tracks down robots known as replicants. The replicants are nearly identical to humans in their appearance and the way they present themselves, which means it takes a special person to become a Blade Runner, tracking them down.

Custom image of Blade Runner

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The film did not get a sequel on the big screen for many decades, but the story of Deckard continued in various formats, with one lingering question overshadowing everything else: Was Deckard a replicant himself? Despite the ongoing debates, Deckard is an incredible character, who falls in love with a replicant, and goes on to have a child with them. The nuance and intrigue around the character are extraordinary, and it’s easily one of the best leads in a sci-fi film to this day.

7

Anakin Skywalker – Star Wars

Anakin Skywalker and Order 66

Custom image by Tom Bacon

Returning to Star Wars for a moment, as much as Han Solo was a compelling lead who had a change of heart and became a hero, there is another character whose journey throughout the series is even more extraordinary. Anakin Skywalker was just a boy on Tatooine who felt his life would lead nowhere. Despite this, he had ambitions to invent things, and leave the crime-ridden planet behind him.

Thanks to Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Master who saw something in Anakin, he was able to break free from the chains of slavery, and train to become a peace guardian in the galaxy. However, Anakin’s journey was not plain sailing, as he eventually succumbed to the dark side at the moment his wife needed him most. It took many years after that for Anakin to see the light again, but eventually, in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, he died to protect his children, and atone for letting down his wife.

6

Rocket Raccoon – Guardians of the Galaxy

Baby Rocket Raccoon is scared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Rocket Raccoon was first seen in Guardians of the Galaxy as a smart talking creature with an attitude. His only friend in life was a living tree, and together the pair roamed the galaxy looking for loot. However, when Rocket found a family with Peter Quill, Drax, Gamora, and, of course, his old friend Groot, he began to have a change of heart.

Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy with Adam Warlock in Guardians of the galaxy vol 2

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However, the most enlightening chapter in Rocket’s story was GotG Vol. 3, when Rocket’s horrific origins with the High Evolutionary come to light. Rocket overcame a lot. He lost loved ones, and he was isolated, experimented on, and treated poorly. And this context in the third entry really helped to expand his character, turning him from a caricature into a real, emotional, engaging being.

5

Furiosa – Mad Max

Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa, or Imperator Furiosa is one of the most formidable individuals to roam the Badlands. Originally, Furiosa appeared as a side character in Mad Max: Fury Road, but due to the character’s intriguing backstory, a spin-off movie was made focusing on their origin. Furiosa was kidnapped at 10 years old from a community that appears to have been fairly stable in the apocalyptic wasteland.

Despite her more comfortable upbringing, Furiosa was highly intelligent, and capable of manipulating situations to her advantage. Growing up in a community run by Dementus, she was able to disguise herself as a boy, and learn to drive the big rigs for deliveries and pick-ups. Furiosa possesses an iron will, which makes her an incredible ally, and a powerful rival. And in each new entry where she appears, she continues to grow more intriguing.

4

Tony Stark – Iron Man / Marvel Cinematic Universe

tony stark mad with steve rogers

The MCU broadly fits into the categories of both fantasy and sci-fi, but when it comes to Iron Man, he is firmly a sci-fi hero. Tony Stark began his life as the heir to a weapons manufacturing company, and due to his incredible natural aptitude for engineering, he revolutionized the business with his designs. But when confronted with the reality of his creations and the devastation they cause, Tony made a major change.

Split image of Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man in Iron Man (2008) on the left, Chris Evans' Captain America in Captain America Civil War (2016) on the right

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From being a leading billionaire warmonger, to saving the world from imminent destruction, Tony Stark’s change of heart defined the MCU. But more than that, as an individual, he grew far beyond the trajectory of his life, choosing to take responsibility for his mistakes, and eventually laying down his own life to save others. Tony Stark is easily one of the most incredible characters in the MCU, and sci-fi as a whole.

3

Ellen Ripley – Alien

Ripley with a gun in Alien

Talking about legendary heroes, Ellen Ripley was a warrant officer on the Nostromo, but when things went sideways after a mysterious alien began attacking, Ripley became a survivor. While everyone, including soldiers and security guards, was struggling to keep calm, Ripley took control of the situation, and became a legend. She would go on to be an expert on the Xenomorphs, and despite her wise counsel, the government and elite corporations continued to throw caution to the wind and try to engage with the brutal monsters.

Ellen had an impressive journey after her first encounter with the Xenomorph, and she came face to face with these monsters again after her initial conflict. However, she never stopped being a fighter, and pushing back despite seemingly insurmountable odds. And eventually, Ripley made the ultimate sacrifice in an effort to save humanity from the Xenomorphs, though human ignorance prevailed generations later in cloning Ripley along with Xenomorph DNA.

2

Agent K – Men In Black

Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K upside down in his car in Men in Black

Agent K was a largely mysterious figure in the original Men in Black movies. However, it wasn’t long before his past began to be uncovered, including a romantic partner whom K had clearly left behind in order to continue working as an agent. In a later film, where time travel plays a central role, K’s early life is explored, revealing more details about his life before the agency, and his role in helping to set MiB up.

Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) and Will Smith (Agent J) against a computerized background while Agent K uses his neuralyzer custom image

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Agent K is an intelligent man who found himself in the right place, at the right time. Or in the wrong place, depending on how viewers choose to see his life in MiB. K was instrumental in building relationships with alien life forms, and knowing the incredible burden of responsibility that this role comes with, K opted to give up his whole life in order to help protect Earth and all humankind.

1

Caesar – Planet of the Apes

Caesar fights for the electric baton in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011.

One of the most incredible characters in sci-fi is not actually a human at all. Caesar, the intelligent ape who appears as the protagonist in several of the modern Planet of the Apes films, has an incredible and inspiring journey from a lab experiment to being the king of the apes. Over the course of a handful of films, his entire life, from youth to the legacy he left behind, is explored in great detail.

All the while, the story is made significantly more intriguing due to the fact that he is not a human. The Planet of the Apes movies deliver a sci-fi story to its fullest potential, creating an entirely new world, from the spark of an idea. And all of it revolves around Caesar. Caesar stands out among sci-fi characters as one of the best developed and most imaginative characters of the genre.

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