It’s a given that the time-hopping plot of Terminator Genisys will involve some twists and turns. But we were surprised and disappointed to see the marketing so eagerly reveal what should’ve been a massive spoiler for the story. Turns out, director Alan Taylor was none too pleased about that choice either.

In a new interview, Taylor admits he fought against the big reveal, even if he kind of understands why the studio did it. Read the Terminator Genisys spoiler comments after the jump.

If you have not seen the trailers for Terminator: Genisys, be warned that there are spoilers ahead. If you have, you probably already know what spoiler we’re referring to, so you can proceed. If you’re not sure… well, I’d turn away if I were you, but it’s a free country.

Okay, ready?

In the trailers and posters for Terminator: Genisys, it’s made clear that John Connor (Jason Clarke) becomes some kind of Terminator. Considering the character’s job has always been to lead the resistance against the machines, this is the kind of game-changer that should’ve taken audiences totally by surprise.

Indeed, Taylor told Uproxx, that was his intention:

I certainly directed those scenes with the intention that no one would know. One of my favorite moments – and I think Jason Clarke did a great job with it – is when he walks into the hospital in 2017 and everything from there until the turn, you’re supposed to think, Oh man, this is great.

Unfortunately, the studio ruined that plan by putting the John Connor shock front and center (literally) in the marketing. Taylor readily admitted he was unhappy with that choice. “I had a few heads ups and a few unpleasant conversations where I squawked about this or that,” he said, laughing. Nor was he a fan of those EW covers, saying he was “surprised” by their dour tone.

However, because he is a professional, Taylor acknowledged that the marketing team had challenges of their own:

I know there was kind of a challenging calculus going on in the heads of those who market this thing to decide that this was the right thing to do. I think they felt like they had to send a strong message to a very wary audience that there was something new, that this was going to new territory. They were concerned that people were misperceiving this as kind of a reboot, and none of us wanted to reboot two perfect movies by James Cameron. I think they felt they had to do something game-changing in how the film was being perceived.

As a way to attract audience attention, the decision to spoil the movie makes sense. It’s a promise that they’ll get to see something in Terminator: Genisys that they haven’t seen before. But it detracts from the experience of watching it. It’s the kind of mind-blowing revelation better left for audiences to discover themselves, especially since it deflates some of the tension.

Good thing Terminator: Genisys has plenty of other stuff to recommend it, at least according to Peter. The film opens this Wednesday, July 1.