It was in 2010 that David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone hatched the magical plan to make what is now equivalent to Pearl Harbor of the action genre: The Expendables. The franchise united 90s action icons such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and more. Adrenaline-fueled stunts, exhilarating gunfights, jaw-dropping explosions, and most importantly the meta jokes made at the price of the legendary actors involved allowed for the franchise to bridge generations.

The franchise still has fans bouncing off the walls with Expendables 4 set to release. However, the sorrow of Schwarzenegger’s retirement has left a sad void in fans’ hearts. One that we believe can only be filled by the top-tier jokes that The Expendables franchise made about the Austrian Oak throughout the years.

Arnold Schwarzenegger jokes in The Expendables that will make you fall out of the “choppa”

Among the many reasons why The Expendables franchise stands superior and iconic is its clever writing. There is no footage of David Callaham writing the screenplay for the movies, but we imagine it looked something like Danila Bolshakov playing Max Ritcher on the piano as it caught fire. While meta jokes on the actor involved is a trait restricted mostly to Ryan Reynolds for Deadpool movies now, Arnold Schwarzenegger was doing it long back in The Expendables franchise. Here are some of the timeless masterpieces.

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back

At this point, there is an unsaid rule that prohibits Arnold Schwarzenegger to leave a room without saying “I’ll be back!“. While the actor recalls it to be one of the most forgettable lines, it is ultimately what made him the man, the myth, the legend. The Expendables got creative with his iconic line and instead weaved it into a joke mid-climax that still does not cease to amaze.

In the second installment, Schwarzenegger’s Trench says “I’m almost out, I’ll be back!“. However, this classic is met with a deadpan “You’ve been back enough,” by Church.

This is not the first time a project has banked off Schwarzenegger’s iconic The Terminator. However, it is the best.

2. The Terminator also gets terminated

The Expendables 2 really did not hold back on The Terminator references. It heightened the intensity of another climax scene with a The Terminator joke. This time it was masterfully delivered at the bulked-up hands of Terry Crews.

When prompted to share his firepower, Terry Crews’ Hale says to Schwarzenegger, ” If I don’t get this back, your a** is terminated.” A threat so lethal in humor that it is hard to imagine how the actors managed to film it with a straight face.

3. The Austrian Oak and his choppas

The actor made a stunning comeback with Netflix’s FUBAR. The series, much like The Expendables franchise, was a treasure box of classic Schwarzenegger lines. And this is a clear giveaway to him saying “Choppa” at least once. While the Austrian-born actor has opened up on how his accent limited his chances in the industry, it later worked in his favor.

What was a serious call in Predator became a recurring joke in The Expendables 3. While the minutes his cameo lasted in the third installment could be counted on a finger, the number of times he said “Choppa!” cannot.

4. The Govinator turns President

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rise through the ranks from being a mere Austrian immigrant to the Governor of California is a journey that gets many eyes wet. Albeit deeply inspiring, fans of The Expendables movie also know it through a chain of jokes. In the first movie, Schwarzenegger’s Trench says he is “busy anyway” when asked to do a mission. He references his term as a governor while smoking a stogie.

This was also during the time when his cameos in the franchise were the most anyone saw of him in the movie industry. It is, however, Sylvester Stallone saying “He wants to be President,” in response to Bruce Willis’ inquiring about Trench’s grumpiness that has everyone cackling. The joke plays all with Schwarzenegger’s most popular and probably his only unattainable goal: wanting to be President. It tickles even years later, as the Austrian Oak in 2023 also remains confident that he can be one.

Will The Expendables 4 have Arnold Schwarzenegger jokes? After all, you can take The Expendables out of Schwarzenegger, but you cannot take Schwarzenegger out of The Expendables. Let us know in the comments below.