Believe it or not, the word “robot” is just over a century old. It first appeared in the play R.U.R. by Czech writer Karel Čapek. The concept of artificial humans has existed as long as people have made machines. Its origins are traced to the stories of Pinocchio, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Golem.

It’s not hard to see why the concept wofuld capture the imagination of TV writers and filmmakers. Robots allow creatives to explore the relationship between humanity and creation, while also examining the nature of humanity itself. For some of the most popular, look no further than these film and TV robots that helped popularize the word.

1. Data – Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 – 1994)

Since the franchise began in 1966, Star Trek has always concerned itself with the nature of humanity. The original series used the Vulcan Mr. Spock as the means of that exploration, but for the 1987 reboot Star Trek: The Next Generation, a robot took his place. Portrayed with depth and vulnerability by Brent Spiner, Data served as the science officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Data used that time to learn about humanity, with the hopes of becoming a real boy himself. More than 25 years later, he still ranks as one of the most beloved TV robots ever.

2. The Iron Giant – The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant originated in a children’s novel written by the poet Ted Hughes, then called The Iron Man. For his version, director Brad Bird, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim McCanlies, uses tropes from 1950s movies and Cold War paranoia to tell a powerful story about the evils of firearms.

Despite his frightening appearance, the Giant (voiced by Vin Diesel) befriends local boy Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal). Despite the machinations of agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald), Hogarth teaches the Giant how to reject his violent programming and become Superman.

3. Roy Batty – Blade Runner (1982)

Of course, everyone from fans to Blade Runner director Ridley Scott and star Harrison Ford continue to debate the true nature of protagonist Rick Deckard. Some insist that he’s as human as he seems, and others claim that he’s one of the synthetic beings known as replicants. No such disagreements surround Roy Batty, the rebellious replicant whom Deckard hunts. More than just a simple antagonist, Batty embodies the full glory and possibility of synthetic people, whose design allowed him to, as he tells Deckard in a famous monologue, see “things you people wouldn’t believe.”

4. R2D2 and C3-PO – Star Wars (1977)

Like most things in Star Wars, the droids R2D2 and C3-PO come not from a galaxy far, far away, but from the movies that inspired George Lucas. The droids’ forerunners can be found in the 1958 Akira Kurosawa movie The Hidden Fortress, in which a pair of villagers serve as observers and commentators of the epic war going on around them. R2D2 (performed by Kenny Baker and voiced by Ben Burrt) and C3-PO (Anthony Daniels) do more than that in Star Wars, as they bring Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker into the fight against the Galactic Empire.

5. Robby the Robot – Forbidden Planet (1956)

Modern viewers may chuckle at Robby the Robot, the standout character from 1956’s Forbidden Planet, directed by Fred M. Wilcox and written by Cyril Hume. With visible gears inside of his head and clamps for hands, Robby feels very much like a thing of the past. But for viewers at the time, Robby represented a leap forward in portrayals of robots. Beyond his humanoid shape, Robby also possessed self-determination, to the point that he could betray the orders of his creator Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon).

6. David – Prometheus (2012)

Even after director Ridley Scott the franchise, Alien and its sequels have a long history of excellent robot characters. However, not even the duplicitous Ash (Ian Holm) or the noble Bishop (Lance Hendrickson) matches David, the android played by Michael Fassbender in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Like so many of the figures on this list, humans fascinate David. However, his interest involves questions of creation and evolution, which drives him to make horrifying decisions. Across two films, Scott and Fassbender make David the greatest, and most compelling, vision of the franchise.

7. Gort – The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

While many robots on this list have humanoid qualities that make them similar to their creators, the power of Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still comes from his otherness. Portrayed by Lock Martin, Gort stood as the silent sentinel who accompanied the alien Klaatu (Michael Rennie) in The Day the Earth Stood Still, directed by Robert Wise and written by Edmund H. North, adapting the Harry Bates story “Farewell to the Master.” The forward-thinking movie follows the arrival of Klaatu (Michael Rennie) on Earth, where he demands that the planet cease its use of atomic weapons. When the humans revolt, Gort is there to keep everyone in line.

8. Maschinenmensch – Metropolis (1927)

The 1927 German Expressionist film Metropolis portrays the dehumanizing nature of the industrial age, a tension symbolized through its most striking image: the Maschinenmensch, literally “the machine man.” Director Fritz Lang, working from a screenplay by his wife Thea von Harbou, fills his film with powerful imagery, including that of a factory turning into the ancient god Mammon to devour the laborers. And yet, nothing in the film can outdo the Maschinenmensch, the greatest creation of the inventor Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) and sign of humanity’s ongoing struggle against those would exploit their labor. 

9. Wall-E – Wall-E (2008)

In the opening moments of the Pixar movie that bears his name, Wall-E (voiced by Ben Burrt) seems to have a pretty good life. He has his beloved musicals, his box of treasures, and his pet roach. But when Wall-E meets fellow robot EVE, he gets the connection he’s always wanted.

Directed by Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Reardon, Wall-E looks at a future in which humanity has wasted itself and the planet and gets inspired by a little yellow robot. Wall-E flips the usual robot movie themes on their head, giving readers a machine who doesn’t envy humans, but who can remind them about their potential.

10. HAL 9000 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

It testifies to the power of the Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke film 2001: A Space Odyssey that Hal 9000 continues to capture imaginations, almost 60 years after the movie’s release, despite appearing as little more than a lens on a black box.

Douglas Rain’s gentle voice performance makes HAL’s logical inhumanity chilling, building up to the film’s signature betrayal scene. Furthermore, HAL’s uncanny behavior heightens the film’s themes, positing an alternate form of evolution, different from the path presented by the monolith.

11. The Tin Man – The Wizard of Oz (1939)

No, The Wizard of Oz’s romantic hero the Tin Man does not seem like the others on this list, but he does belong. As he explains after Dorothy (Judy Garland) oils his joins and allows him to move, the Tin Man (Jack Haley) was created by a wise tinsmith who neglected to give his creation a heart.

Haley’s kind and vulnerable performance sets the standard for all who follow, giving filmmakers and TV producers their first example of a synthetic being who wants to be real.

12. T-800 – T2: Judgement Day (1991)

To hear The Terminator writer and director James Cameron tell it, he cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot because he could not imagine the Austrian bodybuilder as anything other than a killer robot. However, Schwarzenegger soon proved that he could do much more than intimidate.

When Cameron brought him back for the sequel T2: Judgement Day, Schwarzenegger got much more to do, bringing a level of humor and even empathy to his mechanical man.

13. Amazo – Justice League (2001)

Created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky for 1960’s The Brave and the Bold #30, Amazo exists in the comics as little more than a formidable opponent to the Justice League of America. Amazo’s mad scientist inventor Professor Ivo designed the android to replicate the powers of anyone he fights, making him a one-man Justice League.

When Amazo joined the ranks of TV robots in the Justice League cartoon series, voiced by Star Trek: Voyager alum Robert Picardo, he became a more contemplative character. In the episodes “Tabula Rasa” and “The Return,” Amazo spent more time considering his existence than he did fighting superheroes, whom he defeated with ease.

14. David – AI: Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Pinocchio influences every tale about robot children, but few filmmakers have embraced the precedent like Steven Spielberg does in AI: Artificial Intelligence, a movie that began as a project for Stanley Kubrick.

The Pinocchio analog in AI is David (Haley Joel Osment), a robot capable of feeling love who joins a family whose son has suffered a terrible disease. When the family rejects him, David goes on a journey to find his place, seeking some type of being willing to reciprocate his feelings. Despite its whimsical source, AI builds to a conclusion that could be read as disparaging or hopeful, depending on the viewer.

15. Bender – Futurama (1999 – Present)

When Simpsons creator Matt Groening made a second animated series for Fox, he infused Futurama everything he loved about sci-fi, resulting in the profane drunkard of a robot Bender, voiced by John DiMaggio.

Over the years, Groening and Futurama showrunner David X. Cohen developed Bender into one of the most enjoyable TV robots ever. Bender may never set aside his rampant selfishness and crudeness, but his joie de vivre makes him a favorite.  

16. Cybermen – Doctor Who (1966 – Present)

The casual viewer of the long-running British science fiction series Doctor Who may suggest that the Doctor’s arch-nemeses, the Daleks, should be on this list. However, the seasoned Whovian would point out that the metallic exteriors of the Daleks are just the vehicles used by the squid-like aliens inside.

In fairness, the Cybermen, as their name indicates, are not proper robots, but instead are cyborgs, humanoids augmented with mechanical parts. However, they function as robots, as they trade their individuality for cold steel. As such, they represent abominations who forgo their flawed selves for a simulacrum of perfection, something as abhorrent to the Doctor as it is to the audience.

17. Astro Boy – Astro Boy (1963)

Astro Boy got his start as Mighty Atom in the Japanese manga by Osamu Tezuka, which began in 1952. In 1963, Astro Boy made the jump to television, with his first anime, followed by several other series and movies, including a Hollywood film in 2009, starring Freddie Highmore as the robot boy and Nicolas Cage as his creator Dr. Tenma.

In every incarnation, Astro Boy tells a Pinnochio-type story, in which the brilliant Dr. Tenma copes with the grief of the death of his son by creating the titular marvel, who learns to love life while going on marvelous adventures.

18. Vision (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015)

The synthezoid known as Vision debuted in 1968’s Avengers #57, written by Roy Thomas and penciled by John Buscema. Vision came into existence when the evil android Ultron wanted to prove himself to his inventor Hank Pym by creating his own synthetic being.

Non-comic readers know Vision as the manifestation of Tony Stark’s AI Jarvis, who takes physical form in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Portrayed with intelligence and vulnerability by Paul Bettany, Vision never lets his vast power distract from his fascination with humanity, in particular his wife Wanda Maximoff.

19. Robotman (Doom Patrol, 2019 – 2023)

Like Vision, Robotman comes from the world of comics, having first appeared alongside members of the odd-ball superhero team the Doom Patrol in 1955’s My Greatest Adventure. Whatever his name suggests, Robotman is not all robot. Instead, he is the brain of former race car driver Cliff Steele, preserved in a metallic body since he almost died in a crash.

Robotman joined the pantheon of TV robots with the television series Doom Patrol. Portrayed by Riley Shanahan and voiced by Brendan Frasier, Robotman fights off fits of despair because of his condition, fearing that he has lost his humanity to his metallic shell.

20. Johnny 5 – Short Circuit (1986)

Johnny 5 will always live in the hearts of young Gen Xers and elder Millennials, who thrilled to the robot’s antics in Short Circuit and its 1988 sequel. Short Circuit follows a military robot who gains sentience — and obnoxiousness — after a lightning strike, rebelling against his creators (Steve Gutenberg and Fisher Stevens, the latter in regrettable make-up).

While that premise aligns Short Circuit with something like The Iron Giant, writers S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock and director John Badham have little interest in anything beyond wacky hijinks, all brought to life by Johnny 5’s voice actor Tim Blaney.

21. The Robot (Lost in Space, 1965 – 1968)

The Robot from Lost in Space may not invite the most complex philosophical inquiry, but that doesn’t prevent him from occupying a privileged place in popular culture as one of the most iconic TV robots. Created by Robert Kinoshita, the Robot has an iconic look, especially when performer Bob May flailed his arms as a warning to his young ward (Bill Mumy). Even more memorable is the robot’s signature cry, voiced by Richard Tufeld: “Danger! Danger Will Robinson!”

22. Cylons – Battlestar Galactica (1978)

When Star Trek: The Next Generation writer Ronald D. Moore and producer David Eick reimagined Battlestar Galactica as a prestige series in 2004, they altered almost every aspect of the 1978 original. But even as the show reimagined the evil TV robots Cylons as attractive human-looking interlopers, Moore and Eick couldn’t resist including parts of the design from the Glen A. Larson originals.

Military-looking figures with a terrifying red laser oscillating over their eyes, the Cylons horrified anyone who watched the high-concept but slow-paced original series.

23. Rosie – The Jetsons (1962 – 1963)

When William Hanna and Joseph Barbera wanted to reproduce the success of The Flintstones by reimaging sitcom tropes for The Jetsons, they knew they would need a sassy maid. To take advantage of the show’s futuristic setting, that maid became Rosie the Robot, a piece of housekeeping equipment who weighed in on the central family’s dramas. Veteran voice actor Jean Vander Pyl gave Rosie sass and energy, gifting the stock character a likable space-age sheen.

24. ED-209 – Robocop (1988)

Robocop director Paul Verhoeven and writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner intend ED-209 as a contrast to the heroic cyborg Robocop. Where Robocop, portrayed by Peter Weller, fights to retain the humanity taken from him by the evil corporation Omni Consumer Products, ED-209 is unthinking and brutal.

Of course, that very quality makes ED-209 so memorable, as when he obliterates an OCP executive during what was intended as a harmless demonstration.