Submitted by swanbearpig t3_10htaz4 in movies
I sort of assume it was, but actually have no idea. If you didn't know any better it's sort of ambiguous to begin with and then plays like a reveal early on. I'm wondering what the trailers (etc) made it out to seem going into it originally
On this note: several years back I learned my wife never saw these movies and was very excited to show them to her, and was curious about this very topic. She was mildly surprised, at most. She said afterward she didn't know explicitly going in but I'm wondering if she picked it up kind of subconsciously at some point over the years given the other terminators that came out more recently (I. E. after she was a very small child), and just this one being often referenced elsewhere
Edit: not to mention like many pointed out, that Arnold was ramping up to his peak stardom and being a bad guy (again) wasn't good for the brand.
Edit 2: so I've learned that Cameron seemed to have intended it to be a surprise that never came to fruition due to revealing trailers and the film's overwhelming marketing campaign, and the fact that u/GovSchwarzenegger famously said in interviews prior to that he didn't want to be a villain again.
Edit 3: apparently there are a contingent of folks who were, in fact, surprised at the "reveal" in the mall