From 'Terminator' To 'The Avengers 2': 30 Years Of Bionic Heroes and Villains In Movies

Bionic robots on screen - ranging from the Terminator, R2-D2, and WALL-E - give us a glimpse of what may come from artificial intelligence in the future.

Since 1927's "Metropolis," these film characters have been built using a mix of costumes, practical machinery, and animatronics. Over the past few decades, technology has leapt forward, allowing filmmakers to create these same machines via computer graphics.

We've compiled a list of the best bionic characters in film over the past three decades to see how far our technology has come.

While this list excludes many that required no visual effects (like the many androids and artificial intelligences on screen over the years), it highlights the creation of some of the bots we've grown to love.