Original Matrix Trilogy Is A Video Game In Resurrections – Theory Explained

Could The Matrix trilogy actually exist in The Matrix Resurrections not as preceding movies, but as a video game? Set to hit theaters and HBO Max on December 22, The Matrix 4 continues the series a whopping 18 years after the conclusion of The Matrix Revolutions, yet the trailer for The Matrix 4 presents a very different picture from where things left off. There’s surely a reason behind that, and it might run deeper than many viewers think.

The trailer brings Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) back after their deaths in The Matrix Revolutions, though neither has any memory of their old lives, and the series’ famous green tint in its color scheme is noticeably AWOL. As in The Matrix, Neo finds himself going on a wild ride with Trinity and other characters, discovering superhuman abilities he never knew he possessed and being clued into a hidden secret about the world, this time with the new character Bugs (Jessica Henwick) pulling him into the know. Still, something’s clearly different from the last time audiences saw Neo, and his return in the film, and there might be a fittingly technological explanation behind it.

One new theory, among the countless that have been offered since the trailer’s debut, suggests that The Matrix 4 might reveal its three predecessors to be a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Such a plot twist could only be followed by Neo’s famous utterance of “Whoa,” but there’s a surprising amount of meat to this idea, along with big implications for the franchise if it’s accurate. Here’s the theory of The Matrix trilogy existing in The Matrix 4 as a video game, and why it could end up being the case.

The Matrix Video Game Theory Explained

Mike Reyes of Cinemablend has proposed the idea of The Matrix trilogy as a video game within the fourth movie, inferring this idea from some details relating to The Matrix 4‘s production. Reyes’ cites auditions for “Project: Ice Cream“, rumored to be the coded title The Matrix 4‘s auditions, with dialogue spoken therein referencing a video game bearing the title of “The Trilogy“. Reyes also cites other potential red flags, such as the office Neo works in resembling a typical gaming publisher’s studio, as well as Jonathan Groff’s “Back to the Matrix” line seemingly not connotating a return in the sense of being plugged back into a simulation.

Reyes’ also cites the return of Morpheus, now played by Yahya Abdul Mateen II, as a possible character re-spawning after the apparent death of Morpheus in The Matrix Online, along with the legions of fighting people seen in the trailer being possibly indicative of the format of an MMORPG. In all, Reyes posits that The Matrix trilogy existing as a multiplayer video game could be intended to divert humanity from sinister acts being perpetrated in the real world. Looking over the trailer, there’s reason to think that Reyes’ theory could be on the money.

Why The Theory Might Be True

Words like “meta” have hovered around The Matrix 4 in rumors about the film, and few sci-fi franchises are as meta by nature as The Matrix. The original trilogy existing in The Matrix 4 as a video game wouldn’t be that big of a leap, the Matrix itself being a digital world created by the Machines for the humans to inhabit in their minds. Neo’s abilities as The One would fit into a video game setting as unlocking special powers and tools of invincibility as he reaches new levels, and even Neo’s final showdown with Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions plays like a final boss battle of Earth-shattering proportions.

Aside from hints within the original trilogy and the trailer for The Matrix 4 itself (including the distinct inclusion of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”), the series continuing as a video game within another world reads like a Matrix-type twist, giving different layers to reality, or a “Matrix Multiverse“, as Reyes suggests. With the aforementioned meta rumors circling around The Matrix 4, re-imagining the original movies as a video game played by the inhabitants of another world would be the definition of meta by Matrix standards.

What The Theory Could Mean For The Matrix 4

Naturally, with other elements at work like Morpheus now possibly working for the Machines, the first three Matrix movies being revealed as a video game known as The Trilogy would completely recontextualize the series in one fell swoop. Then again, The Matrix itself challenged audiences on a similar level to look beyond the world around them to take a deep plunge into just what exactly “real” is. The Matrix 4, by implementing the concept of the original series as a video game, could also be taking a previous fan theory about the series and putting its own spin on it.

In the time between The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, the latter stood as the arguable patient zero in modern-day internet fan theories, with one being that the Matrix exists within a second Matrix. For The Matrix 4, that theory might have been revamped into a more souped-up form if the video game theory is true. In effect, the Matrix of the movies would exist in the Matrix of the real world shown in The Matrix 4, which could go even further into another simulated reality, if Neo stopping bullets and redirecting guided missiles in what appears to be the “real” world is any indication.

The trailer for The Matrix 4 is keeping audiences on their toes in true Matrix fashion. When it comes to the many elaborate fan theories postulated on the film on every character from Neo and Trinity to Morpheus to the nefarious Architect of the simulation, the proposal that the original series will be more or less Matrix-ized in the new movie as a video game is one to ponder with great intent. With The Matrix Resurrections nearly here, it’ll soon be time again to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. If that hole leads to where the video game theory suggests it does, it could be the deepest one The Matrix franchise has taken audiences down.

About The Author

Brad Curran
(717 Articles Published)

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Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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