“ I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us, you're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end, I came here to tell how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries; a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.
”― Neo's phone message for the Synthients[src]
Neo is the main protagonist of The Matrix trilogy and a returning protagonist of The Matrix Resurrections. He's a legendary Redpill Resistance operative of the hovercraft Nebuchadnezzar and is prophecized by The Oracle to be The One - an individual capable of freeing the rest of humanity from their unsuspecting imprisonment within the Matrix. As a former Bluepill, Neo himself was rescued from the Matrix by the Nebuchadnezzar and its crew; and with the support of Morpheus and Trinity, swiftly learns the depths of his own abilities whilst embroiled in the Machine War against the Synthient creators of the Matrix and their many Machines and Agents. Eventually discovering the truth behind the Prophecy, and facing the destruction of both Zion and the Matrix, Neo finds and walks a path to ending the centuries of war in exchange for his life.
In The Matrix Resurrections, Neo is resurrected by The Analyst and is once again re-imprisoned within the Matrix. Devoid of all his memories, another 60 years pass before Neo rediscovers his true identity after which he immediately sets out to rescue the similarly resurrected and amnesiac Trinity.
The Matrix[]
Thomas A. Anderson[]
Neo (born Thomas A. Anderson) was one of the billions of Bluepills connected to the Matrix. As Thomas Anderson, he was a "normal citizen with a social security number" who held a day job as a computer programmer for the MetaCortex software company. However, outside of this public persona, he worked as a hacker selling contraband programming under the alias, Neo, which he later adopts as his common-use name once he got freed from the Matrix.
One night, Neo falls asleep at his desk while conducting an extensive online and periodical search for any citing of "Morpheus". The search gets interrupted as his screen blacks out beneath the message:
“ Wake up, Neo...
”
As if by command, Neo wakes up and reads his screen before three more lines are delivered saying,
"Follow the white rabbit."
"Knock, knock, Neo."
Suddenly, a loud banging can be heard from the door and Neo is forced to get up and answer it.
“ Hallelujah. You're my savior, man. My own personal Jesus Christ.
”― Choi, alluding to Neo as a messiah[src]
Behind the door were a group of people lead by a buyer, Choi, and his girlfriend, Dujour. Neo transacts with Choi, accepting payment and handing over a disc from a hollowed-out copy of Simulacra and Simulation. Noticing Neo looking pale and troubled, Choi invites Neo along to party at a nearby club. Neo initially refuses but spots Dujour's tattoo of a white rabbit. He then decides to tag along.
At the club, Neo meets the person responsible for the messages, a hacker who calls herself Trinity. Neo recognizes her infamy at cracking the IRS D-base. But seeing Neo to be a little surprised at her identity, Trinity also recognizes that people tended to share such misconceptions about her gender. More importantly, she alleviates Neo's suspicions and alludes to the existence of the Matrix, further hinting at clues Neo is yet to discover.
Guided by Morpheus, Neo hides from both Agents and police
"Yeah, that's me."― A delivery man reveals Neo's Bluepill name[src]
Neo awoke the next day already late for work. At the office, he is reprimanded by his boss, Mr. Rhineheart, for his frequent tardiness. Neo is given an ultimatum to comply before being sent back to his desk. Back at his cubicle, a courier delivers a package to Neo. Upon opening the package, the contents reveal a cellular phone which immediately rings. Neo answers to find Morpheus speaking at the other end. And without much formal introduction, Neo is informed that the authorities were quickly coming to arrest him. Morpheus then offers help on how Neo could escape the building.
Neo follows Morpheus' instructions and makes it out of the building without being seen. However, the escape route includes crossing a narrow hanging outside the building's office walls and the current floor was more than ten stories off the ground. Fearing a fall, Neo turns himself back in to the authorities.
Neo's mouth sealing shut
Neo is interrogated by the Agents, Brown, Jones, and Smith. Agent Smith, their leader, offers to expunge Neo's lengthy list of criminal charges in exchange for information on the whereabouts of Morpheus. But Neo refuses and demands his phone call per the usual rights of the accused. But Agent Smith replies,
“ Tell me, Mr. Anderson... what good is a phone call... if you're unable to speak?
”
Upon hearing the question, Neo's face begins to deform as his mouth starts sealing shut, blocking any screams of shock, outrage, or pain as the Agents prop him up and proceeds to drop a hectically squirming bug unto his body. The bug burrows straight down into his navel, depicting a quite uncomfortable scene.
Meeting with Morpheus[]
Neo wakes up in a panic, and finds himself in his own bed. He inspects his stomach and his mouth and is relieved to see that nothing seemed amiss. And then the phone rings. Neo picks up and finds himself once again listening to Morpheus.
Waiting under the Adam Street Bridge, Neo is picked up in a car by Trinity, Apoc, and Switch. On their way to Lafayette Hotel, Trinity extracts the bug from within Neo's belly and disposes of it in the streets. Waiting at their destination was a man called Cypher, and the great Morpheus himself, whom Neo finally got to meet face-to-face.
Morpheus' offer, a red pill and a blue pill, seen through his sunglasses
“ You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.
”― Morpheus[src]
Morpheus then describes to Neo the virtual reality known as the Matrix, depicting it as a prison for the mind. Morpheus offers him the chance to be shown the truth about the Matrix, offering him two pills: one red and one blue. Neo chooses the red pill and Morpheus explains that the pill is designed to trace the Real World physical location of his body in order to disrupt his "carrier signal". Another hacker from the Real World, named Tank, assists as the group performs the trace under the watchful guidance of Morpheus.
Observing a nearby cracked mirror, Neo finds light run along the cracks as they begin to mend and pull together. Reaching to touch the surface of the now repaired mirror, he dips into the glass discovering that it has liquefied and that the glass, resembling mercury, has clung to his fingers. The mirror gel then quickly replicates, first enveloping Neo's fingers, hand, and arm, melting and blending into him as his panic sets in. Neo tries to resist, even showing signs of arrest, as the cold substance creeps up into his neck and then into his mouth.
The Nightmare[]
Waking into the Real World, Neo finds himself naked and floating in goo inside a strange pod. After breaking through the membrane covering him and sitting up, he finds numerous cables running up his body into numerous ports built into him. He manages to dislodge the gigantic tube plunged right through his mouth and throat and, with dull blurry eyes, takes a moment to look around his environment. Here Neo witnesses a horrific sight of massive, skyscraper-like power plants, each covered with hundreds of thousands of pods just like the one he is currently in and each pod containing a naked comatose human with cables like his own plugged into their own suspended bodies.
A Docbot descends upon Neo, restraining him and safely disconnecting the data probe from the headjack at the base of his neck. Very rapidly, all the smaller cables attached to Neo's body violently disconnect before he is flushed into the liquefaction facilities below. Floundering desperately in the liquid as his atrophied muscles fail him, Neo barely manages to stay afloat. Fortunately, a mysterious hovercraft was lying in wait and extends a claw that reels him in.
Aboard the Nebuchadnezzar, the hovercraft's crew attend to Neo as he starts to lose conscious. Now appearing before him, in the flesh, Neo barely recognizes Morpheus as he begins to lose consciousness. Before blacking out however, he hears Morpheus say to him,
“ Welcome to the real world.
”
Neo is afterwards immediately placed in intensive care where Dozer monitors him as his body is effectively rebuilt. With the help of technology, including what appears to be electro-acupuncture, his muscles are rehabilitated to deal with true movement and motor functions for the first time...
Training and Education[]
Morpheus lectures Neo of the Matrix in the Construct
Morpheus: Far from it.― Neo during recovery after his rescue from the Matrix[src]
After his recovery, Neo is immediately familiarized to the Nebuchadnezzar and the rest of its crew, meeting Dozer, Tank, Mouse, and Apoc. After a tour of the hovercraft, which is the apparent home to its crew, Morpheus plugs Neo into the Construct, a virtual world used as a sandbox by the Resistance. Here, Morpheus illustrates the concepts and known origins of the Matrix, revealing one shocking truth after another. Not expecting the graveness of reality, Neo faints from the sheer distress and disbelief of all his new found knowledge.
Back in his private quarters, Neo recovers consciousness to find Morpheus apologizing for his overt bluntness. Explaining himself, he shares with Neo the story of The One, a man born within the Matrix with the ability to freely shape it. In particular, he shared how the previous incarnation of The One had freed the members of the current Resistance. And how his resurrection and eventual return is prophesied by The Oracle. He then leaves before discussing anything more, telling Neo to get some rest instead.
Neo immediately begins his combat training the next day. Tank, revealed to be the ship's operator, digitally uploads various fighting styles into Neo's mind for ten straight hours. Piqued by the amount of data Neo was able to absorb, Morpheus challenges him to a duel.
Within the Construct's sparring program, Morpheus further demonstrates to Neo the strange limits of the physical laws governing the Matrix, expressing them through their combat which utilized various forms of martial arts. When news broke of the digital duel, the crew immediately hurries to watch the ongoing fight and are amazed that Neo is able to hold his own fairly well against Morpheus. Still, experience prevails, and though Neo is thoroughly outmatched, Morpheus' unfailing guidance does empower Neo into landing a single hit - an impressive achievement recognized by the crew. Glad to see Neo's mind beginning to free itself, Morpheus commands Tank to load the Jump program.
Morpheus next demonstrates the possibilities that a truly free mind can achieve within the Matrix, leaping from one building to another in a single bound. Neo is unable to replicate the feat however, falling drastically short into the ground below. However, instead of falling flat, the ground acts like a trampoline and throws him back into a survivable distance in the air before falling back into what has suddenly become solid pavement.
Returning to the Real World, Neo wakes back into his real body but finds himself tasting blood, an unpleasant reminder of the perception shared by his mind and body. As an extension of this lesson, he also learns that death within the Matrix transcends into the Real World. Having had enough training, Neo rests back in his quarters. Trinity visits his quarters to serve him some food but finds Neo hard asleep.
Agents and Sentinels[]
Neo in the Agent training program
Neo continues his training as Morpheus takes him through the Agent training program where the dangers of the system, including those tethered to it and are yet unfreed, is demonstrated to Neo. Neo also learns of the guaranteed fatality an encounter with an Agent produces and about their amazing abilities within the Matrix. But Morpheus reassures him that, when he is ready, he will not be inhibited by the same laws which restrict everyone else, including the Agents themselves, within the Matrix.
Neo's lessons are interrupted when the Nebuchadnezzar hovers into territory patrolled by Sentinels. The hovercraft quickly flees into a narrow tunnel, lands, and completely powers down. The EMP devices are readied as everyone keeps still and quiet after Trinity explains the dangers the Sentinels possessed. Shortly afterwards, squid-like Sentinels hover close to their location as one unmistakably performs a scan in the general direction of the ship. After a moment, the Sentinel moves on and a collected sigh of relief is heard from the crew.
Later that night, Neo wanders into the main deck to find Cypher monitoring multiple screens. The two then discuss the various panels showing green code quickly raining down - encrypted data which is revealed to be a live stream of some parts of the Matrix. Cypher curiously asks Neo if Morpheus happened to tell him why he'd been freed. And Neo nods. To which Cypher expresses amazement at the suggestion that Neo is The One, deeming it a "mind job". Cypher soon advises Neo not to believe Morpheus. And, that should he encounter an Agent, to run just as they do.
The Oracle[]
Neo bending a spoon using his mind
“ We're taking Neo to see her.
”― Morpheus to the Nebuchadnezzar crew[src]
Morpheus decides that Neo is finally ready to see The Oracle, an advisor to the Resistance residing within the Matrix. The operatives all jack into the Matrix and Morpheus, Trinity, and Cypher take Neo to The Oracle while Switch, Apoc, and Mouse remain to secure their exit. On the way, Neo asks questions about who The Oracle is and of what futures she has told Trinity and Morpheus. Trinity remained silent on the matter while Morpheus admits to being told that he would find The One.
Arriving at their destination, only Morpheus escorts Neo to The Oracle's home. Morpheus is then made to wait at the anteroom while Neo is taken to the living room where the other Potentials lounged. Here, Neo meets a young boy in Buddhist robes, casually bending spoons simply by looking at them. Conversing, the boy hands Neo a spoon.
Neo: What truth?
Boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Boy: Then you will see it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
Neo takes the spoon and, taking the lesson in, succeeds to bend it in a feat of telekinesis. Just then, he is called to see The Oracle.
The Oracle examines Neo
The Oracle sits on a stool, enjoying the smell of freshly baked cookies. Coyly, she hints at Trinity's romantic attraction to him but quickly moves on before he has a chance to figure it out. She then comes close to Neo and examines him.
Neo: I'm not The One.
The Oracle: Sorry, kid.
The Oracle tells Neo that he has the gift but that he appears to be waiting for something. When Neo asks what it is he was waiting for, she says perhaps his "next life", but that no one would truly know. Neo then expresses how Morpheus had almost convinced him that he was indeed The One. And The Oracle shares with him an ominous prediction. That Morpheus, because of his overwhelming belief in Neo, would soon sacrifice his life for him. She then warns Neo of an impending choice he needs to make: to save Morpheus or to save himself.
Trying to lift the mood, The Oracle reminds Neo that he doesn't truly believe in fate. For Neo to remember how he believes his destiny is his own. She then sends him out and gives him a cookie.
Cypher's Betrayal[]
Neo fires at a SWAT officer behind the wall of a bathroom
Trinity: What did you just say?
Neo: Nothing. Just had a little déjà vu.
Trinity: What did you see?
Neo: A black cat went past us, and then another that looked just like it.
Trinity: How much like it? Was it the same cat?
Neo: It might have been. I'm not sure.― Trinity being alarmed by a possible glitch in the Matrix[src]
Neo, Morpheus, Cypher, and Trinity meet back with the rest of the operatives in the Lafayette Hotel. They take the stairs on their way back up the extraction point when Neo sees a black cat walk by. Not minding it at first, he is held back when he watches an identical black cat once again walk by. Blurting out "déjà vu", the rest of the crew is instantly alarmed as Neo describes the uncanny experience. They then reveal how it was possibly a glitch in the Matrix caused by someone making a live change to the virtual world. The party immediately arm themselves, with Apoc handing Neo a pistol, and they hurry to the exit just as Tank confirms the trap and how the hardline exit has been cut.
Left guarding the now defunct exit, Mouse attempts to escape through the windows but discover brick walls in their place. He turns to the weapons cache and heavily arms himself just as a SWAT team suddenly barges into the room. Intense crossfire follows resulting to Mouse's death. The rest of the operatives hear the gunfire from above them and witness another SWAT team enter from the ground floor. They also attempt to escape through the windows but discover just what caused the déjà vu. Trapped in the building, Morpheus uses a cellphone to contact Tank and requests directions to the building's main wet walls.
Avoiding a direct confrontation with the system, Morpheus and the others descend quietly inside the wet walls of the building as Agents and SWAT continue to survey the floors. While proceeding with their downward crawl, Cypher sneezes, revealing their positions to a nearby SWAT officer. The officer reports his discovery and is shortly possessed by Agent Smith who nonchalantly pierces the wall with his hands, grabbing Neo. Morpheus reacts by throwing himself through the wall and grabbing the Agent instead. He then commands the rest to escape without him. Neo resists but is forcibly pulled down by Trinity, who slides down the shaft with the others. They reach the basement to find another SWAT team so they escape through the sewers. Cypher trips and is left behind.
Emerging from a manhole, Trinity requests an immediate exit from Tank and they are directed to a nearby building. Standing beside a hardlined telephone within the building, Neo finds that the exit is dead. Trinity double checks the line and is interrupted by a cellular call from Cypher who reveals how he has betrayed them and is already back on the ship. In exchange for being reinserted into the Matrix with his memories erased, Cypher broke a deal with the Agents and gave up Morpheus. And to ensure Morpheus remains with the Agents, Cypher kills Apoc and Switch by forcibly unplugging their data probes, permanently severing their minds from their physical bodies. Expecting to die next, Neo looks into Trinity's eyes just as she looks back. Still conversing with Cypher, she answers "Yes" and the line is abruptly dropped. By some miracle, the telephone rings and they both jack out of the Matrix.
Back in the Nebuchadnezzar, Neo discovers that an injured Tank has successfully killed Cypher with a lightning rifle. The same rifle Cypher had earlier used to kill Dozer and inflict wounds on Tank, mistaking him for dead and leaving him be. The survivors take their time to recover and gather their dead before discussing what to do next concerning Morpheus. Tank suggests unplugging Morpheus before the Agents are able to break his mind and crack what he knows, namely, the location of Zion. But Neo refuses and reveals how he is not The One. Nonetheless, he starts to believe The Oracle's prophecies about him having the ability to save Morpheus, and adamantly volunteers to bring Morpheus back. Trinity, holding on to her own beliefs, joins him in the rescue mission. After a quick visit to the Construct's armoury, the two set off to save their captain.
The Mission to Save Morpheus[]
Lobby Shooting Spree[]
Neo's "metallic items"
“ Because I believe I can bring him back.
”― Neo convincing Tank and Trinity to let him rescue Morpheus[src]
Neo walks into the government-controlled building, setting off the metal detectors in the process. When asked to remove any metallic items on his body, he opens his trench coat to reveal a large arsenal of weapons. Backed up by Trinity, Neo runs through the lobby, brandishing pistols, SMGs, and rifles to kill the security guards and police officers standing between them and Morpheus. Neo and Trinity then leave through the main elevator after clearing the hall.
Neo about to kick the last remaining guard
Trinity sets a bomb inside the elevator before following Neo and climbing on top of it. Neo, securing himself to one of the elevator cables, grabs hold of Trinity as she likewise holds on. He then disconnects the elevator from the cable, sending the elevator to plummet into a fiery explosion when it violently hits the ground. The bomb destroys the lobby and simultaneously turns on the emergency fire sprinklers.
Rooftop Rescue[]
Neo dodges Agent Jones's bullets
“ Dodge this.
”― Trinity as she shoots Agent Jones in the head at point blank range[src]
Neo and Trinity emerge on the roof where they take down even more police officers. A pilot standing by inside a B212 helicopter reports the attack on the roof but is immediately possessed by Agent Jones afterwards. The Agent gets off the chopper and approaches the duo, dodging all of Neo's bullets and firing multiple shots of his own. Instinctively, Neo dodges the bullets and is only grazed by two as he falls back to the ground. Agent Jones closes in to finish off Neo but Trinity sneaks up on him instead, shooting the Agent right in his head at point blank range.
With help from Tank, Trinity appropriates the military B212 helicopter and flies to the window where Morpheus is held. Neo, at the ready, uses the Gatling gun attached to the chopper to kill the Agents' hosts and clear the room. Morpheus then regains his senses and forcibly breaks free from his restraints. Immediately, he dashes for the windows and jumps out of the building. He falls short of his jump however as Agent Smith quickly returns to the room with a freshly possessed body and rapidly fires at Morpheus, catching and wounding his leg. Seeing their leader stumble, Neo leaps out to catch Morpheus mid-air. With both Neo and Morpheus hanging from a safety line, Trinity quickly moves the chopper away.
Unable to distance themselves quickly enough, Agent Smith shoots at the chopper and successfully hits the chopper's fuel tanks, causing it to lose power rapidly. Trinity drops Neo and Morpheus on nearby rooftops but is forced to bail out off the chopper as it spirals into a nearby building. Neo, sensing that Trinity is in danger, moves at superhuman speed to grab the safety line. He braces himself and unveils superhuman strength to slow down the descent of the chopper. Trinity immediately grabs on to the line and snaps it off the crashing chopper, swinging away to relative safety as she slams at the sides of the building Neo was at. Neo quickly pulls her in until Trinity is standing in front of him, resulting in a moment of silence as they share a gaze.
Morpheus, unwavering in his faith on Neo as The One, asks Trinity if she now believes as he does. Neo objects and brings up The Oracle. But Morpheus assures him that The Oracle had simply said what Neo needed to hear. With Morpheus now safe, they immediately contact Tank who directs them to a nearby hardline he had readily prepared.
Subway Showdown[]
Neo battles Agent Smith in the subway
“ Run Neo, Run.
”― Trinity as she monitors Agent Smith approach Neo from the Nebuchadnezzar[src]
The trio finds the hardlined telephone booth already ringing when they arrive at the subway. Morpheus exits first and Neo resets the payphone. Trinity then begins to share with Neo how everything The Oracle told her has come true, "everything but this". Neo asks more about it but they are interrupted by the noise of a passing train and by the telephone which for somewhile has already resumed ringing.
Trinity picks up the receiver after the lull and, in a quick instant before exiting, shields herself with her other hand. Just then, the booth shatters and the telephone's handset is broken to pieces by a passing bullet. Now possessing a bewildered homeless man who had witnessed Morpheus vanish and had unknowingly alerted the watchful Agent, Smith steps out of the shadows with a handgun. Instead of running however, Neo chooses to stand his ground and fight the sentient program. He draws his pistol and the two empty their clips at each other. Unable to resolve the fight quickly with bullets, Neo resorts to martial arts. And although Neo seems to nearly match his opponent, Agent Smith proves to be too fast and too strong.
Neo is beaten badly and is thrown into the path of an oncoming train. He is then held in place by the Agent. Starting to believe in himself as The One, Neo shakes out of the body lock by slamming Smith into the ceiling and hastily leaving him alone to be hit by the train. Neo is about to leave the station when the train comes to a stop and the doors swing open. In possession of another passenger, Agent Smith returns for Neo and heads out the doors after him. This time, Neo runs.
The One[]
Neo sprints through the city streets, snatching a pedestrian's cellphone during the rush, and contacts Tank for directions to another exit. Navigating apartments and alleyways with Tank's help, Neo heads for an old exit located at the Heart O' The City Hotel. But the three Agents continue to chase Neo and appear out of every corner Neo passes as they possess one Bluepill after another. Barely avoiding their crosshairs, Neo manages to reach the hotel.
Death[]
Shot approximately 6 times, Neo slumps over as his heart stops
With Agents Jones and Brown hot on Neo's trail, Neo enters the hotel through the fire exit until the hallways lead him to a ringing phone in room 303.[2] Hastily, Neo opens the door only to find Agent Smith's handgun already pointed at him and is unable to dodge each of the Agent's bullets at point blank as the force pierces his chest and slam him back to the hallway wall. Looking on in extended horror, the rest of the magazine's contents are unloaded at him, riddling his body with holes again and again until his body slumps over. Agent Jones and Brown approach and confirm Neo's death.
Next Life[]
Neo stops the bullets, leaving them hanging in midair
“ He is The One.
”― Morpheus[src]
Back in the Nebuchadnezzar, the crew are being swarmed by Sentinels. With the EMP already armed to shut down everything including the hovercraft, the crew are on standby; anxiously monitoring Neo's return before the Sentinels could fully breach all the way through to the deck. Then suddenly, Neo flat lines as he is gunned down within the Matrix.
Amidst the chaos, Trinity confesses her love to Neo and divulges the prophecy The Oracle had given her:
“ The Oracle told me that I would fall in love and that the man, the man that I love would be The One.
”
With unyielding faith in Neo, Trinity kisses him. Vehemently, Neo's vital signs begin returning as a wave of electric current surges through the hovercraft.
Within the Matrix, Neo slowly blinks his eyes and gets up. The Agents sense his movement and turn around, seemingly puzzled. In unison, the Agents fire at Neo, once again emptying their magazines. But Neo, now seeing nothing but the underlying code running the Matrix - the data digitally raining down every object he observes - chooses to simply hold up his palm. In a feat of telekinesis, the bullets slow to stop, floating in mid-air before Neo allows them to just fall.
Agent Smith gnarls at this confusing turn of events and charges at Neo, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. But the outcome is dramatically different from before as Neo blocks all of the Agent's attacks with one arm behind his back. Neo then counters and propels Agent Smith across the room with a single kick. He then dashes towards Agent Smith and leaps into the Agent, merging with him in what appears to be a form of possession. Agent Smith wails as he resists the attack from within but his shell is still ultimately taken apart. And where Agent Smith once stood, only Neo remains.
The two other Agents could only watch as their leader is destroyed. They then glance at each other briefly before immediately running away from Neo.
Before everything is too late, Tank rings the exit once more and Neo dashes back to the phone when he hears it. In the Nebuchadnezzar, a Sentinel enters the deck and attacks Neo. But Morpheus immediately fires the EMP. The Sentinel then drops dead in front of Neo just as he opens his eyes.
The Matrix Reloaded[]
The Resistance[]
“ Consider what we have seen, Councillor. Consider that, in the past six months, we have freed more minds than in six years.
”― Morpheus to Councillor Hamann[src]
Tank unfortunately becomes a casualty within the Nebuchadnezzar's many operations in the six months that follow, being replaced by his brother-in-law, Link, as the ship's operator.
Kid's Story[]
Neo looking upon Kid as he awakes to the real world
“ It's unbelievable, I didn't think self-substantiation was possible.
”― Trinity[src]
As a Resistance member, Neo devotes his time over the next six months being a Nebuchadnezzar operative and freeing the minds of people and young potentials from the Matrix. One such potential he discovers is Kid, whose mind Neo briefly fosters until Kid realizes for himself the truth about the Matrix, ultimately self-substantiating and freeing himself from the virtual reality prison. He is then rescued by the Nebuchadnezzar before being handed over to the care of Zion.
Call of the Captains[]
Neo battles the upgraded Agents Johnson, Jackson, and Thompson
With the responsibility of being The One and the weight of people’s hopes and expectations bearing down upon him, Neo is unsure what to do and becomes anxious when he also begins to have dreams of Trinity dying at the hands of an Agent. But trying to put them aside as being insignificant dreams, Neo dismisses the visions and carries on with his Resistance activities.
When Captain Niobe called for an emergency meeting, the Nebuchadnezzar answers and Neo accompanies Morpheus and Trinity to the Matrix. At the meeting, Neo observes the captains as they discuss the disturbing data sent by the Osiris before it was destroyed. That a quarter of a million Sentinels were burrowing straight down from the surface towards Zion.
With every hovercraft being ordered to return to Zion, Morpheus asks one of the captains to stay behind to wait for The Oracle's guidance. Meanwhile, Neo senses a familiar presence approaching their location and heads towards the entrance where the guards presented him a gift left by the visitor: an Agent's earpiece. Understanding that their location has been discovered, Neo alerts the others to exit before Agents arrive. Just then, the door is broken down by the upgraded Agents Johnson, Jackson and Thompson. The three immediately engage Neo who handily manages to knockout each of the Agents.
With everyone having made their escapes, Neo takes the opportunity to fly over Mega City to check The Oracle's apartment where she is still nowhere to be found.
Return to Zion[]
Neo is asked to protect the people of Zion
“ I didn't save you Kid, you saved yourself.
”― Neo to Kid[src]
The Nebuchadnezzar makes its way back to Zion, home to the people free from the Matrix and headquarters to the Resistance. Upon their landing, Morpheus is immediately taken to see Commander Lock and Trinity reveals Niobe's past relations with Morpheus and her current one with Lock, helping explain the tense interactions between Lock and Morpheus.
Right after Morpheus is taken, Kid rushes in to the hangar welcoming back the rest of the crew- Link, Trinity, and his idol Neo. He helps carry Morpheus' bags and accompanies the three as they climb up the many levels of the underground city of Zion. During the walk, he also expresses his intentions of joining the Nebuchadnezzar in a year's time after he comes of age, and attempts, but fails, to press for information as to why all ships are seemingly back in Zion.
Not long after, the group arrives at Link's level who does Neo and Trinity a favor by taking Kid with him. Alone at last in an elevator, Neo and Trinity use the brief respite to express their passion for one another. For when the elevator doors open once again, Neo and Trinity are greeted by the sight of a sea of followers presenting gifts for Neo and pleading for him to watch over their loved ones. Trinity goes on ahead and leaves Neo to assume his role as The One, promising to Neo that there would be time.
Trinity and Neo passionately kiss
That night at the Temple, Trinity appears before Neo after Morpheus officially announces to the city the news of the approaching pestilence by Sentinels. Taking the opportunity to slip away while everyone is at the Temple, they return home and make love. During the act, Neo is suddenly reminded of his vision of Trinity's death and confesses to Trinity how he fervently fears losing her. Trinity embraces him and promises never to let go.
Neo wakes up later that night; restless. He steps outside and gazes upon the peaceful lights surrounding Zion during its sleep. Soon after, Councillor Hamann comes across Neo and invites him to join in on his nightly stroll down the engineering level of Zion. Full of machinery whose mechanics are a mystery to Hamann, he shares his thoughts with Neo, citing the irony behind how the engineering, although the machines that they are, is keeping Zion alive. During the conversation, Hamann also reiterates how much more essential it is to understand one's purpose, and expresses his awe at Neo's abilities which, although shrouded in mystery, he hopes has the purpose of ending the war.
The next morning, Ballard and his crew, from the last ship to arrive to Zion, knocks at Neo's door delivering a computer chip from The Oracle.
Purpose[]
Neo fighting Seraph to prove he is The One
Neo: Apologize for what?
Seraph: For this.― Seraph attacking Neo[src]
The Nebuchadnezzar flew back to the tunnels that hide Zion. Upon reaching broadcast depth, Neo jacks into the Matrix and finds himself in Chinatown. Using the coordinates received from The Oracle, he walks down the bustling streets and makes his way into a tea house only to find a mysterious being sitting across the room enjoying his tea. Neo approaches the man whose code, as Neo observes, glowed a golden yellow in contrast to the Matrix code's typical green.
The man stands up and introduces himself as Seraph and offers to bring Neo to see The Oracle. But apologizing beforehand, he first launches a surprise assault on Neo who is quick to respond. Displaying an amazing exchange of martial arts, each unleashes a flurry of blows which the other dodges. Eventually, Neo manages to push back Seraph and as quickly as the fight began, Seraph signals an end to the test.
Satisfied that Neo is indeed The One, Seraph takes out a set of keys from his sleeve and heads towards the door from which Neo entered. Using one of the keys, he then turns the lock and opens the door, revealing a bare corridor where Chinatown once stood. Neo enters and follows Seraph into the sleek hallway which was riddled with doors left and right. Recognizing them as backdoors, Neo asks if Seraph was a programmer upon which Seraph shakes his head. When prompted what he was, Seraph states, "I protect that which matters most" before using another of the keys to open a backdoor into a small park. Sitting in one of the benches, feeding birds, The Oracle once more reveals herself to Neo.
Philosophy of the Matrix[]
Neo sits beside The Oracle, listening to her reveal more information about the Matrix
“ Come on, I ain't going to bite you.
”― The Oracle to Neo[src]
The Oracle invites Neo closer and offers the space beside her for Neo to sit down. Neo refuses at first but later relents.
Oracle: I know.
From the beginning of their conversation, Neo states how he believes The Oracle and Seraph to be Programs from the Machine world, which The Oracle confirms. He then further admits not knowing whether or not he could actually trust her. Not disagreeing, The Oracle replies that it is up to Neo to "make up (his) own damn mind..."
The topic then progresses to that of free will, "if you already know? How can I make a choice?" Neo asks.
To which The Oracle replies that Neo has already made his choice. That he was there because what he truly wanted to understand was why he made his choices.
Trying to comprehend The Oracle's objectives, Neo inquires why she chooses to help the Resistance when she was a Program herself. And The Oracle affirms that, true to her core programming, she was invested in the future, and believes that the only way to guarantee it is to work together.
Revealing the supposed invisible nature of the various programs running the Matrix, The Oracle also discloses the lifecycle of many programs and how not all Programs choose to follow the rules of the system, which the system tries to correct and assimilate into its controlled world as mere myths and urban legends. Described as a common occurrence, The Oracle says that Programs face deletion all the time and mainly choose to hide in the Matrix as Exiles rather than to relinquish their existence by returning to The Source.
Neo realizes that the Source for all Programs is the Machine mainframe, and The Oracle divulges that it is where Neo needs to go, and where "the path of The One ends." She also asks how Neo must have already seen visions of entering the Source in his dreams and how Neo already has the "sight" to see the world without time.
Neo refuses to accept this last piece of information, sharing his visions of Trinity nearly dying once he enters the Source, revealing his concern over why the vision does not let him see any further, and refusing to let such a fate befall Trinity.
“ We can never see past the choices we don't understand.
”― The Oracle[src]
But The Oracle warns Neo that "Zion will fall" should he fail to make a choice.
Seraph approaches The Oracle and signals the need to retreat. The Oracle then spells out Neo's next objective in order to save Zion: to reach the Source. However, to reach the Source, Neo would need to find The Keymaker, a Program said to have disappeared for some time. Apparently, he had been kidnapped by The Merovingian, a very dangerous, power-hungry Program. Handing Neo the details of an appointment with The Merovingian, The Oracle says that being at that exact place and time will give Neo a chance to rescue The Keymaker. With a few more words of encouragement, she also expresses how she has also come to believe in Neo and wishes him luck. Seraph then tersely escorts her back, disappearing into the backdoor.
The Return of Smith[]
Smith and Neo meet for the first time in over six months
Neo: No.― A "free" Smith meets Neo[src]
As soon as Neo watches the backdoor close, he again senses the all too familiar presence from the Crisis Meeting now approaching from behind him. Turning around, he sees Smith casually crossing the park and walking towards him, carefully stopping just within a few meters.
Not seeing Neo surprised, Smith explains how he was no longer an Agent of the Matrix, and how he was unsure of the mechanics of his new found being but believes his "unplugging" as caused by the connection he gained with Neo; a possible side-effect from when Neo invaded his shell and destroyed him from within. Smith goes into a monologue about how all things must have a purpose, and surprises Neo when an additional voice chimes in as another Smith approaches from over Neo's shoulders. Suddenly, and one by one, more and more Smiths pour in from all sides of the park; each one adding a piece to their master speech about how only purpose justifies continued existence.
Finally, reaching the end of his preach, the first Smith reveals their only goal: to rid Neo of his life and assimilate him.
Without warning, Smith sticks his hand into Neo's body, instantly immobilizing him and spreading a black, liquid-like substance from the point of contact and all over the surface of Neo's body. Concentrating, Neo forces the infection to pull back into Smith's hand, yanking himself free as soon as the virus completely recedes. Unable to take over Neo's mind, a fight instead erupts between Smith and Neo.
Neo fights the Smiths simultaneously and holds all eight on his own at the beginning of the brawl. But no matter how much injury he inflicts, the Smiths work in turns to recuperate and continue the fight, coming back for more even when Neo manages to momentarily stun some of them. Worse, the number of Smiths somehow keep increasing as they continue to appear from every possible entrance of the park.
At one point, a Bluepill witnesses the ongoing anomaly and an Agent immediately possesses her to intervene but Smith simply assimilates the Bluepill, further increasing his ranks. And while Neo manages to keep fighting back by grabbing hold of an old tether-ball pole and using it as a weapon, even more Smiths flood from the apartments surrounding the park.
Through sheer numbers, Neo is finally tackled to the ground as the Smiths dogpile on top of him. Holding Neo down, a Smith confides how he is "inevitable". This causes Neo to muster extreme strength and determination, causing him to push upwards and throw the Smiths into the air. Grabbing hold of this escape window, Neo flies straight up into the sky, leaving the army of Smiths behind.
Back in the Nebuchadnezzar, Neo shares news of Smith's new abilities and how it felt like dying when Smith tried to assimilate him.
The Merovingian[]
Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, meeting with The Merovingian and Persephone
“ You are here because you were sent here. You were told to come here, and then you obeyed. It is, of course, the way of all things.
”― The Merovingian talking to Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus about causality[src]
Following the specifics given by The Oracle, Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus jack into the Matrix to meet with The Merovingian at the Le Vrai Restaurant. Neo notices that the building is coded distinctly from the rest of the Matrix and that each floor was wired with explosives.
At the restaurant floor, the host obliges when the operatives ask to meet The Merovingian. Treated as expected guests, they are lead to The Merovingian's table where Neo catches sight of a Program being taken away by a guard. Surrounded by a slew of Exile bodyguards, The Merovingian welcomes the three operatives and introduces them to his wife, Persephone.
Once seated, the three cuts to the chase and asks for The Keymaker. Making fun of Neo and the rest for simply following The Oracle's orders without truly understanding what the endgame is, The Merovingian goes into a tirade about how causality is at the very essence of the universe. Morpheus rebuts that "everything begins with choice", prompting The Merovingian to express his ideals on control:
“ "Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without."
”
Directing Neo to observe, The Merovingian points out a woman who was being served a slice of chocolate cake personally coded by The Merovingian himself, using her to exemplify both his point and his own power.
Using his ability to look at the underlying Matrix code of the events that unfold, Neo observes the dessert's programming take effect as the lady takes a bite out of the cake. Spurring an uncontrolled reaction from within her, the lady cannot help but let her body rapture. She then excuses herself from the table, recoiling from the cake's forceful impact.
Fully demonstrating his thesis on causality and further mocking the group for their powerlessness in light of their unawareness, The Merovingian instead orders the three to deliver a message for The Oracle, that: "her time is almost up." Ending the discussion, The Merovingian leaves and lets his bodyguards escort the group out of the restaurant and back into the elevator.
Empty handed, the three operatives try to revisit The Oracle's exact words during the ride down. This causes Neo and Trinity to rethink if they failed some junction of their meeting with The Merovingian. But Morpheus assures them, given how they followed everything The Oracle advised, that "what happened could not have happened any other way." A brief moment later, the elevator suddenly stops and its doors open to the sight of Persephone, who asks them to follow her if they want The Keymaker. Morpheus simply smiles and leads Neo and Trinity as the group proceeds to follow Persephone.
Persephone's Assistance[]
Persephone's deal to help Neo find The Keymaker
“ I want you to kiss me as if you were kissing her.
”― Persephone to Neo, referring to Trinity[src]
Leading them to the men's restroom, Persephone offers the group a deal: she would lead them to The Keymaker if Neo would give her a kiss worthy of his love for Trinity. Neo and Trinity naturally resist, questioning her motives. To which Persephone replies that she once knew how love felt and simply wanted to remember. She even goes as far as permitting Trinity to kill her should she fail to deliver them to The Keymaker. Left with no other way forward, Neo and Trinity reluctantly agree with Persephone's deal.
Neo starts out by giving Persephone a kiss somewhat devoid of any romance, frustrating her into almost walking out. Mustering his intent, Neo stops her and slowly holds her close, envisioning Trinity as he goes in for a more sensual kiss. After a good while, Persephone is flushed and looks at Trinity to express how much she envies her. She warns Trinity however that "such a thing is not meant to last".
Leading the group, Persephone goes back through the restaurant kitchen and into an anteroom which, by means of a special key, she directly connects to The Merovingian's Château where they land on the mansion's main lobby, a large marbled hall whose walls are covered by various displays of medieval weaponry.
Persephone then continuess to guide the group further inside the chateau and into the library, where they encounter two of The Merovingian's guards, Abel and Cain, who are caught lazing around.
The guards immediately stand and pose to attack the Resistance operatives but are forced to stand at ease on Persephone's command. She then explains how The Merovingian saved both Exile guards from an earlier version of the Matrix because he favored their notorious hardiness. Taking out a revolver loaded with silver bullets, she then shoots the unsuspecting Abel in the head and kills him.
Persephone then points the revolver at Cain and offers him an alternative to getting shot, telling him to run and report the incident to her husband. Cain thus immediately flees while Persephone continues at a stride to open a secret door behind one of the library's bookcases.
The Keymaker[]
Neo frees The Keymaker who is busy working on a very important key
“ Yes, I'm The Keymaker. I've been waiting for you.
”
Persephone takes the group into a hidden passage leading to the cellars and points to a room constantly producing a whirring sound. Neo pries open the bolted door and sees a small bed-less chamber with pillars upon pillars of keys saturating the room from floor to ceiling. In the only available space in the middle of the room, The Keymaker looks up from his craft.
Stopping the lathe, The Keymaker makes eye contact with Neo who then introduces himself. Almost impatiently, The Keymaker readily does the same and reveals how he had been expecting Neo. He then takes the newly crafted key from his machinery and swiftly tags along to the exit.
Blade Leapers[]
Neo stops the Exiles' bullets with ease
“ Handle us? You'll handle us? You know, your predecessors had much more respect.
”― The Merovingian[src]
The operatives, The Keymaker, and Persephone all nearly reach the exit of the mansion when The Merovingian suddenly bursts through its heavy doors tailed by Cain and the rest of The Merovingian's bodyguards from the restaurant. The sudden confrontation causes everyone, except for Persephone who continues to walk towards the doors, to stop on their tracks.
The Merovingian immediately demands an explanation from his wife for the sudden betrayal but Persephone simply dismisses it the effects of The Merovingian's indiscretions. She then wishes The Merovingian luck before leaving the two parties behind.
Acknowledging the situation before him, The Merovingian orders his most powerful henchmen, The Twins, to retrieve The Keymaker. Like wraiths, they phase through the marble floors and disappear from sight. Quickly proclaiming that "I cannot go back!", The Keymaker turns back towards the Château's halls and flees the scene. Concerned with The Keymaker's safety, Morpheus and Trinity quickly follow suit to protect him while Neo volunteers to stay back to "handle" the rest of The Merovingian's party.
Slighted by the sight of a lone man facing his group, The Merovingian gives his go signal as each of the henchmen take out a fully automatic gun, firing continuously at The One. Neo, in response, casually raises his hand and easily causes the storm of bullets to stop midair. After all the magazines are emptied, Neo relaxes his arm causing all of the collected bullets to just drop to the floor.
Neo fights The Merovingian's numerous guards
“ "Okay, you have some skill. Kill him."
”― The Merovingian ordering his men to kill Neo.[src]
A little surprised, The Merovingian issues a verbal command, instructing his henchmen to kill Neo. Each of the bodyguards then engage Neo in hand-to-hand combat. Cain and one other guard attack unarmed while others proceed to grab various weapons from the displays. Neo defends himself and takes care of his enemies one at a time, dodging and retaliating against the guards constantly without stopping for a breath. Eventually, Neo finds a chance to leap unto the second floor, momentarily gaining some distance.
He then grabs two sais off the display using his telekinetic powers and reenters the fray with the weapons in hand. Continuing his earlier strategy, the guards drop one after another as Neo skillfully scatters the attackers. Eventually, he ends up using the sais to pin one of the henchmen to the wall, afterwards picking up a sword to replace his weapons. This methodical process is repeated with Neo picking up and showcasing weapon after weapon until all of The Merovingian's bodyguards have been killed or downed.
Angry and annoyed that they lost, The Merovingian resorts to declaring that he will soon survive Neo just as he did Neo's predecessors and furiously leaves through the front doors, back into the Le Vrai's kitchen. Neo hurriedly tries to go after him but the Exile closes the door behind him. When Neo next opens the doors, he finds that they lead nowhere else but the Mountains.
Deciding to trace down Morpheus and Trinity instead, Neo follows them to an underground hallway. At the far end of the hall, he sees a door connected to a building's parking level. However, just as with The Merovingian, The Twins close the door on him before he could successfully reach his companions; leaving him stuck in the Château and now 500 miles away from Morpheus and Trinity. Asking Link for directions and learning that Morpheus and Trinity have no exits where they currently are, Neo launches up to the air and flies back towards the center of the city.
Freeway Rescue[]
“ Neo, if you're out there, I could use some help.
”― Morpheus[src]
Neo moves as fast as he could and after some time reaches the city. From a great distance, he then detects Morpheus and The Keymaker in a disastrous situation as the two were stranded on top of a speeding semi about to crash into another. Just as the two great vehicles collided, Neo swoops in and saves them from the resulting explosion.
Returning to Source[]
Neo entering the door to the Source
“ Inside this building, there is a level where no elevator can go and no stair can reach. This level is filled with doors. These doors lead to many places. Hidden places. But one door is special. One door leads to the Source.
”― The Keymaker[src]
Back in the Real World, the Vigilant and the Logos had been tasked in tracking down the Nebuchadnezzar to help. With Niobe successfully finding Morpheus within the Matrix, the three crews are later able to reconvene within the virtual world and listen to The Keymaker. There, The Keymaker explains how Neo might be able to reach the Source and the arduous process required to temporarily disable the bomb that protects the only door within the Matrix leading to it.
Upon mention of "the Source", visions of Trinity's death once again plague Neo's mind prompting him to request Trinity to stay out of the operation and out of the Matrix. Trusting in him, Trinity agrees and stays behind.
With Morpheus rallying the two other crews into agreeing to help Neo, a simultaneous operation commences with one crew taking on a mission to blow up the power plant supplying electricity to the city. The other crew then goes out to disable any back-up systems that would prevent the ensuing black out. Meanwhile, Neo, Morpheus, and The Keymaker find their way to an empty room high in an office building. And after observing that the power outage has consumed the city, The Keymaker quickly opens a hallway hiding the door to the Source.
The three enter the white hallway and see a cascade of doors lining up the halls. After rounding a corner, they are suddenly confronted by Smith who is seemingly expecting them. Wary of Smith, Morpheus points his pistol at him but the program is quickly backed up by more copies of himself who begin to enter the corridor from every door. Neo defends himself and Morpheus from the horde of Smiths just as The Keymaker bypasses everyone by going through one of the doors. Reappearing at the end of the hallway, The Keymaker opens the door to the Source but catches the attention of Smith.
Neo immediately grabs hold of Morpheus and flies into the newly accessed room just as the collective Smiths shoot at them. The Keymaker immediately closes the door but suffers several gunshot wounds. Held by both Neo and Morpheus, the old Exile soon passes on but reveals to Morpheus an exit while also handing Neo one final key.
With that key in hand, Neo unlocks the faithful door to the Source and triggers a release of light that envelopes him.
The One's True Purpose[]
Neo in The Architect's room
“ Choice... the problem is choice.
”― Neo to The Architect
Transported by the light, Neo alone re-materializes in a room covered from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, with an innumerable amount of screens. Also in the room were two doors and a lone chair facing away from him. A figure in the chair turns around and introduces himself as The Architect- the so-called "father" of the Matrix.
Neo and The Architect have a conversation, with the latter revealing to Neo that the Matrix has existed far longer than humanity suspects and that Neo is actually the sixth incarnation of The One. Neo ponders this revelation and realizes that humanity had been conscientiously misled into not knowing this vital piece of information.
Asking The Architect, the program explains that the first and second prototypes of the Matrix had failed considerably due to how humanity inherently rejected every attempt of being placated by the Matrix regardless of how perfect or how historically-accurate The Architect tried to design it. Neo, realizing the issue, expresses that humanity's problem was "choice" or the lack thereof. And The Architect responds how an intuitive program, The Oracle, arrived at the same answer by initially studying the human psyche. He then reveals that with The Oracle's help, they finally managed to build a Matrix which ninety-nine percent of humanity willingly accepted even when that choice was only made at a near unconscious level, a contradictory foundation which solves the problem but, by definition, introduces an inherent flaw into the programming of the current Matrix.
Addressing the issue of Zion, The Architect then states that the humans who did reject the Matrix, while only a minority, could potentially and exponentially result into the destabilization of the Matrix. This henceforth required the cyclic destruction of Zion; making the current Zion the sixth city to have been rebuilt from the wreckage of the previous ones.
Furthermore, The Architect reveals to Neo how The One, while undoubtedly human, was "the sum of a remainder" of the flaws in the Matrix's programming, a product of an unexplained process that makes The One an "integral anomaly" to the system, allowing them to unduly influence the Matrix' programming.
Neo and The Architect discussing the function of The One
However unavoidable the anomaly is, The Architect shares that they cunningly devised a system of control over it- suggesting that the prophecy of The One was part of a methodical process that fostered The One's profound attachment to humanity that inexplicably made them travel to the Source thereby meeting The Architect. This intricately designed path then culminates with The One returning to the Source where the code they carried could be temporarily disseminated, consequentially reigniting the cycle of The One anew. Afterwards, The One then gets to select 23 individuals, 16 females and 7 males, who would rebuild Zion.
In a stern voice, The Architect warns Neo that failure to comply with this program would result in a cataclysmic crash of the Matrix that would kill everyone connected to it. Coupled with the extermination of Zion, The Architect posits that it can lead nowhere but the extinction of the entire human race.
Warding of Neo's disbelief, The Architect testifies that while losing the human race would also bring a great deal of harm to his own race, they will nevertheless survive it. The program then reiterates that the real dilemma lies within Neo and whether or not he can take responsibility for a decision that could lead to human extinction. Truthfully informing Neo that Trinity had entered the Matrix to attempt to save Neo, The Architect finally moves to put the lengthy discussion to a close.
The program asks Neo to make his own choice between the two doors present in the room: The door to Neo's right would lead him to the Source and results in the salvation of humanity while the door to his left would take him back to the Matrix where Trinity is unknowingly facing impending death against Agents.
Despite the end of the human race at stake, Neo begins walking to his left. As a final word of caution to The Architect, he states that the program should hope they never meet again. The Architect, confident in the impossibility of it, guarantees they would not.
Dreams Become Reality[]
Neo launches himself hurtling into the Matrix and triggers the bomb protecting the door to the Source. Flying faster than anything that ever existed within the simulated virtual reality, Neo propels himself with such force that allows him to fly past the explosion with the shock-waves he generated considerably destroying everything in his path.
He then manages to catch a wounded and falling Trinity off the side of a building and lays her on top of a building just as her heart stops from an adjacent gunshot wound. Full of hope, Neo reprograms her organs as he takes out the bullet and attempts to resuscitate her, successfully resurrecting her in the process.
New Truths[]
Neo using his powers over the Matrix in the real world
Back in the Nebuchadnezzar, Neo explains to the crew how the prophecy was a lie and how Zion would soon be destroyed in less than a day. But without even a moment for the crew to fully digest Neo's words, a handful of Sentinels suddenly attack their ship using Tow Bombs. Fortunately, Neo directs everyone to evacuate before the explosion destroys the ship.
Hoping to escape the Sentinels, the crew flee through the tunnels. Neo, however, stays behind as he tries to work out a strange new sensation within him. Trinity, unable to leave Neo behind, readies her EMP just as the Sentinels suddenly appear into view and starts flying towards the pair. As if stopping bullets like he used to do in the Matrix, Neo raises his hand and the Sentinels suddenly stop midair while visibly getting fried by surges of electricity from within them.
After a second or two, the Sentinels start dropping dead just as Neo collapses and loses consciousness.
The Matrix Revolutions[]
Mobil Avenue[]
Neo awakens in a mysterious train station with no knowledge of how he got there after his meeting with the Sentinels. He begins to have visions, this time about traveling to the Synthient City following three large pipelines.
Upon awakening he is greeted by Sati, a program being smuggled into the Matrix by her father Rama Kandra, the same individual whom he saw at Le Vrai and who explains to Neo what the Mobil Avenue train station is. He tells Neo that it is run by The Trainman, a program who serves The Merovingian, and only he can make the decision of who will be released from here.
Rama Kandra, Sati, Kamala, and Neo in the Mobil Ave
Rama Kandra talks to Neo about love, to which he explains that programs too can understand it; that it is a feeling or affinity, not just a word, and that this is what defines it. He reveals that Sati, like himself and his wife, Kamala, is also a Program but, unlike others, was created with no purpose and created out of love. And that like all other Programs, her lack of purpose means that she is faced with deletion.
Rama Kandra chose to send Sati into Exile and made a deal with The Merovingian to smuggle her into the Matrix, which is done via the Mobil Avenue station and The Trainman. Rama Kandra says that he sees that Neo is in love and asks what lengths he would go to keep that love, Neo answers, "Anything".
When the train arrives Neo attempts to board the train with Rama Kandra but is stopped by The Trainman, who realizes who he is and that he is being searched for by Trinity, Morpheus, & Seraph. Neo states that he doesn't want to hurt him, but The Trainman punches Neo sending him flying into a wall, stating that he created this place and saying, "Down here, I'm God". Neo watches helplessly as Rama Kandra and Sati are boarded and driven away. Not long after, Neo is rescued from the Mobil Avenue by Trinity, whom he embraces and kisses, but this is not until after Morpheus, Trinity, & Seraph make a dangerous and brutal entry to a club run by The Merovingian to negotiate his release.
Last Visit to The Oracle[]
Neo has decided to visit The Oracle the last time before going back to the real world. Upon arriving there, The Oracle explains to Neo that her purpose is to unbalance the equation, making her an opposite to The Architect, who balances the equation. She tells him that the power of The One extends out into the real world, which it is an explanation of what Neo felt when touching the Sentinels. When Neo asks The Oracle about Smith, she told him that Smith is Neo's opposite and negative.
The Logos[]
Convincing the Crew[]
Morpheus: No, the honor is still mine.― Neo and Morpheus, before Neo and Trinity's departure to the Synthient City.[src]
Upon realizing his choice, Neo confronts the three captains and asks for a ship. Roland is extremely against the idea of handing Neo a ship, while Niobe is solemn. Captain Niobe chooses to give Neo her ship, The Logos and justifies her choice as believing in Neo. Morpheus is astonished at her decision, and it seems Neo already knew that something like this might happen. The crew urges Neo to bring some weapons, some form of defense and try to reconvince him explaining the 01's abundant defense systems. Neo declines and Trinity tells him that she is coming along - and that he probably already knew she was coming along. Before the three captains leave aboard the Hammer; Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and Link have a final farewell.
The Enemy Within[]
“ That's it, Mr. Anderson, look past the soft gelatin of these dull, cow eyes and see your enemy!
”― Bane, possessed by Smith, to Neo on The Logos[src]
As Neo and Trinity prepare to depart in the Logos, the power suddenly goes out. Trinity suspects a blown fuse and goes down into the ship to check. She is attacked by Bane who has stowed away. Trinity is able to warn Neo, however, she is taken hostage. After Bane convinces Neo to drop his lightning rifle, Bane drops Trinity to a lower level, snatches the weapon and reveals his true identity as Smith. Trinity frees herself and trips a fuse to give Neo a chance to attack Bane. The two fight briefly and Bane cauterizes Neo's eyes with a severed electrical cable. Bane hides, taunting the "blind messiah" and grabs a jack handle to defend himself. However, a new power manifests itself in Neo: despite his blindness, he is able to see Smith as an orange-colored image. Neo, having wrested Bane's weapon, shatters Smith's head. He is found moments later by Trinity. The two continue their mission to the Synthient City.
The "Machine" City[]
Piloting the Logos Trinity takes Neo to the Synthient City. They emerge near the fields of humans harvested for the city's power. Neo tells Trinity to follow the bundle of primary power cables towards the cliffs surrounding the city. As they approach, the city's defenders activate and begin shooting a swarm of Tow bombs at the Logos. Neo is able to detonate hundreds of them, however, a wave of Sentinels moves in and begins to rip apart the ship's hover pads.
Both the large masses of Sentinels and tow bombs prove to be too much for Neo's disruptive power and he tells Trinity to fly above the clouds. The atmospheric interference disables the Sentinels, which fall off the ship. As they burst above the cloud cover, Trinity catches her first glimpse of the Sun. Unfortunately, flying through the cloud cover has also entirely disabled the Logos which falls back toward Earth. As they plummet towards the city, Trinity attempts to restore power to the ship; she does so but just in time to crash into a tower. Trinity is fatally wounded and she and Neo share their last words together.
Endgame[]
Deus Ex Machina[]
“ The program Smith has grown beyond your control. Soon, he will spread through this city, as he spread through the Matrix. You cannot stop him, but I can.
”― Neo to Deus Ex Machina[src]
Neo makes his way from the Logos, through part of the city to a ravine. The Deus Ex Machina rises from the depths and forms a human infant's face. Neo warns it of the impending destruction of the Synthient City by Smith, who has grown beyond their control in the Matrix. Neo makes his offer: he will destroy Smith in the Matrix in exchange for a ceasefire between the humans and the Synthients. In Zion, the Sentinels stand down, as do the humans, who have prepared for their last stand in the Temple. Neo is jacked into the Matrix.
Super Burly Brawl[]
Now jacked into the Matrix via the Synthients, Neo finds himself in a street surrounded by Smith clones, all glaring menacingly at him. The sky is filled with thunder and lightning, and rain is pouring down onto the street. Smith emerges from the side of the street, sardonically announcing "Mr Anderson, welcome back. We missed you. You like what I've done with the place?" Neo replies, "It ends tonight." Smith then replies, "I know it does, I've seen it", indicating that he is the Smith that absorbed The Oracle earlier and gained her powers of precognition. The two then charge at each other engaging in an epic final duel.
Although they both succeed several times in hitting each other with punches and kicks, they do not appear to be affected by them, considering they are almost equal in power. This lasts until Neo is able to punch Smith strongly enough to slam him into the street at least twenty feet away. Enraged, he and Neo fly upwards towards each other and slam together, forming an immense shock wave. They continue their fight through the air until Smith manages to knock Neo into a building.
Inside the building, Smith, and Neo resume their fight, until Neo kicks Smith through a window and back into the air. Once again, they charge at each other, forming a shock wave that shatters the glass of the surrounding buildings. They continue the fight as they rise higher and higher into the air. Both Neo and Smith are successful in inflicting several hits onto the other, and charge at each other one last time. Smith gains the upper hand, and tackles Neo to the ground.
Neo's Choice[]
"Because I choose to."
Neo: Because I choose to.― Smith and Neo on their final battle[src]
Neo was stunned temporarily by the attack. He weakly tries to get up, Smith asking him why he continues to fight. Neo answers him, "Because I choose to." He manages to punch Smith through the crater. Smith suddenly emerges, furiously claiming the Matrix to be his world and punches him, knocking the hero to the ground. Smith stops suddenly, remembering a vision and tries to fulfill it, quoting The Oracle, "Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo". Neo realizes that to balance the equation, neither of them can exist and he allows Smith to duplicate himself through Neo's chest.
Smith asks the Neo/Smith clone "Is it over?" The new Smith clone nods confidently. Suddenly, the clone's eyes begin to shine with a bright white light and explode. As Smith starts to panic, repeating "NO, NO IT'S NOT FAIR!" over and over again, the rest of the Smiths begin glowing and disintegrate.
Neo's Legacy[]
Neo's Body jacked to the Synthient City after his battle with Smith
“ Neo, wherever you are, thank you.
”― Niobe[src]
After Neo destroyed Smith, the Matrix was saved with all of its inhabitants restored after the system rebooted. The Synthients' human power supply remained intact, and they called off their genocidal attack on Zion as per Deus Ex Machina's truce with Neo, which in turn led to an uneasy peace between the Synthients and Zion. Neo's body was taken away by the Synthients to the Synthient City, leaving his fate unknown, but rumors concerning his still being alive continued to circulate decades after the end of the war. Despite the ambiguity of Neo's fate, The Oracle declares to Sati that she expects they will see Neo again.
The Matrix Resurrections[]
Neo's Return[]
The Synthients rebuild Neo's body
Neo's body was reconstructed at great expense on orders from The Analyst. The Synthients analyzed his source code in an effort to discover what made him tick, finding that he and Trinity held no particular value individually, but discovered that when bonded together they were dangerous. During the rebuilding process, Neo and Trinity were restored back to life, and when they briefly regained consciousness, they caused severe damage to the Synthients keeping them in stasis.
The Analyst placed Neo and Trinity in the Anomaleum, suppressed their memories, and reinserted them both into the Matrix as a means of controlling the rest of the Bluepills, exploiting their unconscious bond to keep the others docile and unwilling to escape. Neo was given his Thomas Anderson persona, this time with memories of a videogame designer of an award-winning game trilogy called "The Matrix", while Trinity was given a false life of a wife and mother named "Tiffany". They were placed in each other's social orbit, close enough to frequent the same coffee shop but not for anything closer as mandated by The Analyst.
To further conceal Neo's resurrection, the Synthients periodically altered his appearance. His latest incarnation made him appear as a balding bearded man to others. At times, though, his real self manifested to witnesses like Bugs and inspired them to free themselves from the Matrix.
Sessions with The Analyst[]
Neo during a session with The Analyst
Inside the Matrix, Neo was seeing The Analyst to discuss feelings he had been having. As Thomas Anderson, he had a psychotic break, had trouble distinguishing his video game Matrix from reality, and attempted to walk off a high rise building ledge during a work-related publicity event. He was given medication called Ontolofloxin to keep his mind from being opened up as it had been in years past.
Reunion with Trinity[]
Neo later reunited with Trinity, now under the identity of Tiffany inside the Matrix, after being reintroduced to her by his co-worker Jude Gallagher. With help, Neo was able to remind Trinity of who she truly was and bring her back to the Real World. The two then began to reshape the Matrix as they saw fit, now both with powers.
Powers and abilities[]
Neo has carried, since his inception, the Matrix's source code known as the Prime Program. This gives him the ability to freely manipulate the simulated reality of the Matrix, similar to the authority a system administrator has over a given system. He manifests these abilities as various superhuman powers.
The power Neo exhibits most often is telekinesis, in that he seems capable of manipulating any object in the Matrix through will alone. By focusing this ability upon himself he can fly at amazing speeds and jump great distances. Whilst his speed is never specified, he flies from The Merovingian's mountain manor to the highway "500 miles due south" in a very short time.
His high-speed flight is further exemplified by his ability to escape explosions, and the sonic boom left in his wake has the power to overturn and two rows of heavy vehicles and debris. His sonic boom almost destroyed a city block while catching Trinity. He has used this ability multiple times to stop several bullets in mid-flight, first against the Agents and then again against The Merovingian's henchmen.
Further, Neo possesses superhuman strength and agility and is invulnerable to many attacks. His reflexes are great enough to dodge bullets. Although he could block a sword with the edge of his hand, he received a small cut, indicating (as The Merovingian pointed out) that he was still human, despite his powers. His endurance is also finite: when confronted by masses of Smith clones, Neo was forced to escape rather than continue fighting, and upon exiting The Matrix, he appeared visibly tired.
Neo was able to revive the recently deceased Trinity by gently applying pressure on the heart, and thus making it operational once again. Though the extent and limits of his ability to revive within The Matrix are not known.
A more subtle application of Neo's ability is a heightened awareness of the simulated nature of The Matrix, enabling him to easily detect Agents, Exiles, and other anomalous phenomena (such as the presence of explosives). He is even capable of a limited form of precognition. This has been described as "seeing the world without time" by The Oracle.
In addition, Neo (like most Redpills) utilizes the Resistance's combat programs, which grant combat abilities equivalent to a martial artist with decades of experience. Neo is able to run an unprecedented number of these programs simultaneously; he is therefore a master of every known martial art and fighting styles, including Kung Fu and Kempo styles, Jujitsu, Eskrima, Drunken Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga, Budo and Taekwondo (the Nebuchadnezzar's ship operator, Tank, uploads each of these martial arts programs to Neo's brain during his training in the first movie). While fighting The Merovingian's Exiles, a resurrected Neo discovers that he still retains these implanted martial arts abilities, commenting that "I still know Kung Fu" during the fight. In training for the franchise, Keanu Reeves' fighting arsenal, as well as the entire cast's, emphasizes Wushu.
In the real world, Neo does not display any of the aforementioned abilities. Neo does have some degree of wireless connectivity with the Matrix system: he eventually learns to sense the presence of the Synthients, and even interfere with their function. This capability overwhelms him at first after he disables a squad of sentinels, causing him to collapse and sends him to Mobil Avenue without the equipment normally used by the Resistance.
According to The Oracle, "The power of The One extends beyond the Matrix. It reaches from here all the way back to where it came from". Apparently, because of his status as The One, he has a direct connection to the Source, and can, therefore, affect everything connected to it. After he is blinded in the fight against Smith/Bane, Neo begins to perceive everything connected to the Source, including the Synthient City itself, as silhouettes of golden light.
Following his resurrection, it appears that while connected to the Matrix, his aging process is significantly diminished. Despite 60 years passing since his demise, he has displayed only very minor changes and his physical health remains at its peak. During the rediscovery of his true nature, Neo's powers slowly returned to him over time, although he initially lacked the ability to use them all, such as failing to achieve flight when he tried it. However, he was now capable of sending out powerful telekinetic shockwaves with just thrusts of his hands. While he could still stop bullets, his telekinesis in that area appeared to be weaker with it taking Neo more effort than before. By the time that Neo and Trinity confront The Analyst again, Neo's powers appear to have fully returned, including his ability to fly on his own, as he is seen flying alongside Trinity across the sky.
Biographical Profile[]
Shots of Neo's record and passport
The folder brought in by Agent Smith during his interrogation with Neo contained information on his life while inside the Matrix. There is however a discrepancy regarding his date of birth as both his database record and passport, both contained in the folder, featured two different birthdays. The database record also contains a reference to his birth state, known only as "FU", which his passport does not mention. The information below is taken from both documents.
Name: Thomas A. Anderson. Marital Status: Single.
Date/Place of Birth: March 11, 1962, aged 36/37 (Record) or September 13, 1971, aged 27/28 (Passport), Lower Downtown, Capital City, USA.
Mother's Maiden Name: Michelle McGahey.[3] Father's Name: John Anderson.
Schools Attended: Owen Patterson[4] High School: Central West Junior High School.
Notes: In high school, he excelled in science, math and computer courses and displayed an aptitude for literature and history. Although he had disciplinary troubles when he was 13 to 14 years old, Anderson went on to become a respected member of the school community through his involvement in football and hockey.
Interpretation[]
- Smith parrots The Oracle and says to Neo, "Everything that has a beginning has an end." Speaking about the inevitable both proves the accuracy of The Oracle's powers, who uses the phrase to help guide Neo even through Smith, and reveals how The Oracle's powers of precognition is not absolute, being limited in helping Smith avoid his inevitable demise against Neo.
- It is also possible that Smith's deletion was due to the fact that he had completed his objective, defeating Neo was his purpose, and that he had not escaped his base programming at all and was simply allowed to exist until that objective had been completed.
- Another theory about Smith's ultimate demise originates with Neo and Smith's conversation at the park where Smith asks Neo if he is aware of their "connection" and says, "I don't fully understand how it happened. Perhaps some part of you imprinted onto me, something overwritten or copied." Smith says it is irrelevant at that point but his theory of their connectivity could be grouped with the "fulfilled program purpose" and "balanced equation" theories quite soundly. After becoming free of his Agent programming, his continued existence becomes literally attached and dependent on Neo's own existence. And by assimilating Neo and killing him, Smith fatally severs the connection.
- Some theories suggest that Neo's decision to sacrifice himself was possibly due to The Oracle's cookies, believing that The Oracle put codes into the cookies to influence Neo's decision when the time is right, as it was proven that data can be transferred through food as proven by The Merovingian's cake at the Le Vrai restaurant.
Trivia[]
- In Space Jam: A New Legacy both Granny and Speedy Gonzales takes on the role of Neo as they manage to dodge the hail fire of bullets within a closed building.
- Neo’s line of “Guns. Lots of Guns” is said in Keanu Reeves’ other action franchise John Wick. Likewise, in the same series, the Bowery King is played by Laurence Fishburne (Who plays Morpheus). When he is first introduced he says “Mr. Wick doesn't remember but we met many years ago before my ascension, when I was just a pawn in the game. We met and you gave me a gift,” which is similar to how Neo and Morpheus were in the Matrix.
- In an earlier version of the script, Neo was the 6th potential One freed by Morpheus with the other five potentials having died. This concept is reused in Reloaded where there has been five different versions of the matrix, each with their own One.
- Neo does not use a gun after the first film.
Behind The Scenes[]
- Many different actors were approached to play Neo, most famously Will Smith who turned it down to star in Wild Wild West. Smith later confessed that he felt that it was for the best for The Matrix franchise, since in retrospect he was convinced that he would have been entirely wrong for the role and Reeves was more appropriate. Others include: Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio. Michelle Yeoh was even offered the role, with the Wachowskis changing the gender of the character if it meant that she would be a part of the film.
- Keanu lost 15 pounds for the scene where Neo wakes up in the real world and shaved his eyebrows and hair to give Neo an emaciated look.
- During the training of the first film, Keanu Reeves had undergone neck surgery to stop paralysis in his legs and was in recovery. Because of this, Neo rarely kicks in the film.
- He had recovered by the time he was filming the sequels, which in he uses multiple kicks.
Gallery[]
The Matrix[]
The Matrix Reloaded[]
The Matrix Revolutions[]
Other[]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Keanu Reeves Height & Weight, 2000. Archived from the original on 2022-11-06.
- ↑ Neo is in the same hotel and the same room where Trinity is first seen at the start of The Matrix.
- ↑ Michelle McGahey was named after the art director for the first film.
- ↑ Owen Patterson is the production designer of the first film.