In the 1991 film "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," the boy destined to become humanity’s future savior is John Connor.
John is the son of Sarah Connor and the future leader of the human Resistance against Skynet, the artificial intelligence that triggers a nuclear catastrophe known as Judgment Day. In the film’s 1995 timeline, he is still a teenager and initially views his mother’s warnings about the future as paranoid.
Skynet sends the shape-shifting T-1000 back in time to kill John before he can lead the Resistance. The future Resistance counters by sending a reprogrammed T-800 to protect him. This reverses the original film’s setup, where a Terminator hunted Sarah before John was born.
Edward Furlong played the young John Connor, while Michael Edwards briefly portrayed his adult future self. The character is often confused with Sarah Connor, his mother; Miles Dyson, the Cyberdyne engineer; or Kyle Reese, John’s father and Sarah’s protector in the first film. John Connor is the canonical answer because his future leadership drives the story.