Universal Soldier: The Return is a 1999 American science fiction action film directed by Mic Rodgers in his directorial debut, written by William Malone and John Fasano, and produced by Craig Baumgarten, Allen Shapiro (producers of the first film) and Jean-Claude Van Damme who also stars in the film reprising his role as Luc Deveraux. The film also stars Michael Jai White (briefly appeared in the first film as a soldier), Heidi Schanz, Xander Berkeley, Justin Lazard, Kiana Tom, Daniel von Bargen, James R. Black, Karis Paige Bryant and Bill Goldberg. The film was theatrically released in the United States on August 20, 1999. This was Van Damme's last widely released film in the United States until 2012. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film Universal Soldier and the fourth film in the Universal Soldier film series, preceded by two made-for-TV movies, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business, which this film ignores, thereby presenting an alternate continuity. The film was received with negative reviews and grossed over $10 million in theaters in the United States. The fifth installment in the series, a direct-to-video film Universal Soldier: Regeneration, was released in 2009, ten years after the film's release, ignoring the events of The Return and being an alternative sequel to the first film. Plot At least 15 years after Andrew Scott's death, former UniSol Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has been reverted to normal via genetic procedures. He currently works as a technical expert for the U.S. government with his new partner Maggie (Kiana Tom), who has been through countless hours of combat training with him. They worked to refine and perfect the UniSol Program in an effort to make a new, stronger breed of soldiers that are more sophisticated and intelligent to reduce the use of normal, human soldiers in the battlefield. All of the new UniSols, known as UniSols 2500, which are faster and stronger than the original UniSols, are connected via neural implants through a sentient artificially intelligent computer system called S.E.T.H. (Self-Evolving Thought Helix). When S.E.T.H. discovers that the UniSol Program is scheduled to be shut down because of budget cuts, he finds this to be a disgrace and decides to take action by formulating a plot to overthrow mankind and take over the world with his own massive army of UniSols. The next day, S.E.T.H. unleashes a platoon