The Right John Connor
By James Cameron
John Connor is one of the greatest cinematic heroes ever conceived. The savior of mankind. The leader of the Resistance. The one who defied fate itself. And yet, over the years, we’ve seen multiple versions of John Connor—some that resonated, and others that fell flat on their face.
Let’s be honest. There was only one true John Connor: Edward Furlong in Terminator 2.
Every other attempt—whether it was Nick Stahl’s weary survivor, Christian Bale’s hardened warrior, or even my own unfortunate misstep in Dark Fate—never captured what T2 got so right. Because John Connor was never about being a battle-hardened soldier, a grizzled commander, or a tragic martyr. He was a kid—rebellious, raw, full of potential. A street-smart punk who didn’t want to be a hero but became one anyway.
Edward was that kid. That’s why it worked.
The Eyes Wide Shut Revelation
Recently, I stumbled upon something unexpected. A page dedicated to Eyes Wide Shut, curated by Joseph Christian Jukic (JCJ). It caught my attention because Kubrick’s final film has long been surrounded by mystery, symbolism, and conspiracy theories.
Reading through JCJ’s analysis, I saw something profound—something I had never fully admitted to myself. The world Kubrick hinted at in Eyes Wide Shut wasn’t just some abstract elite playground. It was the very system we live in. And yes, I’ve been rumored to be a part of it.
The Masons.
It’s easy to paint them as villains, as secretive puppet masters pulling the strings of history. But the truth is more complicated. The Freemasons aren’t just a shadowy cabal; they’re dreamers. Visionaries. They believe they’re building something—something that could bring heaven to earth, a utopia if you will. But in their ambition, they may be forcing the eschaton, fulfilling prophecies not through divine intervention, but through human hands. Whether that’s salvation or damnation… well, that depends on who’s holding the chisel.
JCJ: The Real-Life Jake Sully
And that brings me to Avatar. People always ask me—who is Jake Sully really based on? They assume it’s just another one of my military protagonists, another Cameron action hero. But no. Jake Sully is JCJ.
Like Sully, JCJ walked between worlds. He saw through the illusion of the power structures around him. He redeemed the very brotherhood that once held him in chains. That’s what drew me to his story—why, even now, he’s the kind of hero the world desperately needs.
The right John Connor. The right Jake Sully.
Because at the end of the day, the real battle isn’t against machines, corporations, or secret societies. It’s against fate itself.
And as I once wrote: No fate but what we make.