Neo is Maybe going up against a fellow human in The Matrix 4, Instead of the Machines and Agents of the original trilogy. When The Matrix started in 1999, the Wachowskis crafted a classic science fiction tale of man versus machine. Its mechanical creations had overtaken humankind and placated in another reality which has been policed by the ruthless Agents, the sinister digital inventions since Microsoft first introduced Clippy. Neo makes a deal with their enemies to take down Agent Smith, who has become a hazard to both races Even though the final bastion of humankind stands against the Machines. Neo creates a world where humans and machines can coexist by sacrificing himself to destroy Smith.
With The Matrix 4 due to property in 2021, that delicate peace looks destined to be broken. Keanu Reeves’ Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity will be returning to the upcoming sequel and be made to deal with an as-yet-unknown threat. Most would logically presume that whatever equilibrium was created by Neo’s death has been lost – the Machines have risen again to oppress their budding founders. Alternatively, Agent Smith was revived from the dead. Hugo Weaving’s villain always was a slippery customer, and the actor himself affirmed that an offer to return for The Matrix 4 was made.
But, both of these paths feel well-trodden. After three movies of humans fighting technology, a fourth would need to work hard to break new ground with the exact same concept. Reviving the Zion vs. Machines war can also undermine the end into the original Matrix trilogy, with Neo’s big moment feeling entirely pointless if the exact same old competition stoked up once more. To stop The Matrix 4 feeling stale, Neo may face off against a wholly human villain – a hazard that comes from within, rather than the intangible Agents or the unfeeling Machines.
In the world of The Matrix, those hooked up into the world are given the option between a red and a blue pill. People who select the taste are permitted to continue their ignorance. Neo’s breaking of the Matrix cycle could be bad news for all those blue pill takers. This idea already exists in The Matrix due to the first picture’s Cypher character, who betrayed his allies in exchange for being plugged back in. The Matrix Online even featured an entire cult located around Cypher’s philosophy – the Cypherites. This sets up an undercurrent of individual angst that may rise up and rebel against Neo’s truce from the years following The Matrix Revolutions.
Another thought The Matrix 4’s villain might comprise is Dozer – the”natural” individual in the first picture. Produced in Zion, Dozer did not have the ports required to plug in the Matrix, and in the post Revolutions landscape, his type will inevitably become more common. Melding Dozer’s biology with Cypher’s attitude, The Matrix 4’s villain might be a natural human who longs to be plugged into the Matrix and experience what they deem”true” independence. Angry that their ancestors may exist in a digital reality, free of the pain and hardship of the actual world, this new antagonist’s goal is to stoke tension between Zion and the Machines once again, restarting the war by force and reestablishing the Matrix as the procedure where humanity is subjugated… for its own good, of course.
The Matrix has always dabbled in the sense of duality, and a villain of the ilk would offer lots. From the first trilogy, Neo was the individual fighting against the Machines. In The Matrix 4, the Machines will realize that a new common enemy has emerged and digitally revive Neo within an avatar within the Matrix. In this instance, the villain could represent humankind (albeit misguidedly). Neo would be the digital creation, like Agent Smith, in the initial run of movies but fighting for the side of goodness at The Matrix 4.
