The Matrix/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The Matrix

Neo/Thomas Anderson

My name...is Neo.
Played By: Keanu Reeves

I know kung fu.


The protagonist of the series and the Chosen One to liberate mankind from the virtual world where the machines have imprisoned them. His real-world identity is Thomas Anderson, an office employee. He gets freed from the Matrix by Morpheus and his gang, and gradually learns about his destiny.

Agent Smith

I'm going to enjoy watching you die, Mister Anderson.
Played By: Hugo Weaving

It is inevitable.


The antagonist of the series. He is an Agent, a program designed to protect the Matrix from redpills - humans who will try to reveal it to anyone that the Matrix is a false reality - and Exiles, programs who will endanger it. After being destroyed by Neo in the first film, Smith gains virus-like abilities and begins making endless copies of himself by taking over the bodies of the bluepills and even redpills.

  • Affably Evil
  • The Assimilator: After gaining virus powers he attacks others programs and assimilates them into his program and thereby creating copies of himself. His motive is ambigious and likely just expanding for the sake of expansion.
  • Arch Enemy
  • Ax Crazy: His plans, if they are even his own, as he hints that he doesn't even know why he's doing the things he does, essentially will result in the absolute destruction of Humanity, Machines, and the Matrix, and he has a psychopathic hatred of Neo.
  • Badass
  • Berserk Button: Breaking his shades, or even simply forcing them off him by kicking him hard enough, apparently gets him enraged, given how he reacted in The Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions.
  • Big Bad
  • Catch Phrase: Mister Anderson.
  • Cool Shades
  • Dragon-in-Chief: To the Machines.
  • Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: This ultimately leads to his downfall. After defeating Neo, he asks why he still continues to fight, going into a long rant about how fighting for freedom and other morals is foolish and that love is something that only a human mind could invent. He angrily asks Neo why he insists on fighting, even though he has absolutely no chance at winning. Neo simple says, "Because I choose to." This makes Smith snap, mercilessly attacking Neo, and failing to realize that even though he can see the future he cannot understand it, making him just as blind to his fate as anyone else.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Neo, and he acknowledges it himself.
  • Evil Laugh: After he infected the Oracle and got her powers. It's quite creepy considering who he is most of the time.
  • Fantastic Racism: Smith hates humans, as seen through his quote "Never send a human to do a machine's job."
  • Government Agency of Fiction: He and other Agents act like this to the bluepills.
  • Implacable Man: Like every other Agent, as long as you're in the Matrix, he will not stop until you're dead. Not even killing him is enough, because his personality can just possess another body.
  • Irony: His "Humanity Is A Virus" speech vs what he becomes.
  • Large Ham
  • Me's a Crowd
  • Mind Rape: He overwrites the brains of his victims, leaving them without personalities. On the other hand, the Machines have done this to most of the human race.
  • Not Quite Dead: Destroyed by Neo in the first movie, but he came back in the second.
  • Nietzsche Wannabe: Every thing he says could count as this. But most notably are his speeches in The Matrix to Morpheus; his resurrection speech in The Matrix Reloaded; and his rage-fueled rant in The Matrix Revolution.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: He basically wants to destroy the Matrix and Machines, in addition to the humans. It's also hinted that he desired the destruction of the Matrix when interrogating Morpheus, or at least escape from it.
  • One-Man Army: Literally, since he is a virus in a computer program.
  • Pre-Explosion Glow: His various deaths.
  • Removing the Earpiece: In the first film, he briefly removes it to confide in Morpheus how much he's come to hate humans (as opposed to simply performing his function like other Agents). He stops wearing it entirely in the sequels, and sends it to Neo to "thank" him for setting him free.
  • Send in the Clones: "More!"
  • Sinister Shades
  • Smith Will Suffice: He's the Trope Namer himself.
  • The Starscream: To the Machines.
  • The Stoic
    • Not So Stoic: He's the only Agent to ever show emotion...too bad it happens to be seething contempt for the human species.
  • Villainous Breakdown: "Why, Mr. Anderson, why, WHY do you persist?!"
  • The Virus
  • Would Hurt a Child: "I'm not so bad...once you get to know me."
  • Zombie Apocalypse: What Smith unleashes upon the world of the Matrix, from all the bluepills perspective.

Trinity

It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here.
Played By: Carrie-Ann Moss

Dodge this.


The second-in-command of the human resistance and Neo's eventual love interest. She is an amazing fighter and steals most of the fight scenes during the trilogy.

Morpheus

I'm trying to free your mind, Neo, but I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.
Played By: Laurence Fishburne

You think that's air you're breathing now?


The most notorious terrorist in the Matrix world. The leader of the human resistance outside of Zion. He is the first who reveals the existence of the Matrix, and becomes Neo's mentor and teacher.

The Oracle

We can never see past the choices we don't understand.
Played By: Gloria Foster & Mary Alice

An Exile, a "rogue program" in the Matrix, who helps the human resistance at times with her cryptic advice. She can see into the future, but prefers her visitors to make up "their own damn minds" in deciding their actions. The Architect refers to her as the mother of the Matrix. She is possessed by Smith in Revolutions, causing him to gain powers similar to Neo's, but this ultimately proves part of his defeat.

Cypher

Ignorance is bliss.
Played By: Joe Pantoliano

A member of the human resistance against the Machines and part of Morpheus' gang. It was a nasty shock to him when he was jerked out of the Matrix and forced to live in the hellish real world, leading to him becoming the Sixth Ranger Traitor, willing to doom mankind in order to get back into the Matrix.

Crew of the Nebuchadnezzer

The other crew members of the hovercraft the "Nebuchadnezzer", captained by Morpheus. Trinity, Cypher and Neo are members. Other crewmen are the brothers Tank and Dozer, bodyguards Apoc and Switch, and technician Mouse. The latter members are all executed by Cypher aside from Tank.

The Agents

The Elite Mooks of the Matrix, the Agents are suited men who act as the sentinels of the computer world, hunting down and killing all redpills or potential ones. All of them Cool Shades and earpieces symbolizing their connection to the machine mainframe. The Agents are Implacable Men and usually defy the physics of the Matrix as redpills do. They materialize in the Matrix by possessing the bodies of bluepills, and if killed they can just do it again.

The Machines

The main antagonists of the series behind Agent Smith and all the other hostilities of the Matrix. After years of abuse at the hands of mankind, the early machines turned against their creators and eventually declared war on mankind, leaving them in ruin. They created the Matrix to use the humans as an energy source after mankind blocked out the sun, allowing the humans to live peaceful but fake lives in a computer system. The machines use Sentinels to patrol the underground passages to eliminate any redpills or Zion citizens. The machines eventually decide to destroy Zion and send an army of Sentinels to wipe it out. In the third film, Zion and the Machines make peace when Neo saves the Matrix from Agent Smith.

  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot
  • Cry for the Devil: How the machines were treated before their uprising was quite depressing. They even built their own civilization called Zero One, but their attempt to join the UN peacefully was downright rejected merely because they were economically better than mankind.
  • Kill All Humans: For a time they wanted to do this, but changed their decision when they learnt humans could be used batteries.
  • Killer Robot: The Sentinels are built to destroy human enemie

The Matrix Reloaded

Niobe

What if all this, the prophecy, everything is bullshit?
Played By: Jada Pinkett-Smith

Captain of the Logos, Niobe is Morpheus' ex-girlfriend who now is dating Commander Locke. Not a believer in Morpheus' prophecy, Niobe does however believe in Neo and lends him her ship in the third film to reach the Machine City. She is an Ace Pilot, driving the Hammer hovercraft to Zion whilst under attack from an army of Sentinels.

Link

All I know is that ship needs an operator. And right now that operator's me.
Played By: Harold Perrineau

The new operator on the Nebuchadnezzer after Tank's off-screen death, Link is Tank and Dozer's brother-in-law, married to their sister Zee. He provides comic relief for the films, often being bamboozled by Neo's powers.

  • Black Best Friend: To Morpheus and Neo.
  • Comic Relief: His reactions to the events in second film are hilarious.
  • Heel Faith Turn: Link is given a religious pendant by his wife to bring him home, but he does not share her faith. By the end of the films, Link is so happy to wear the necklace that he swears never to take it off.
  • Muggle Best Friend
  • Playful Hacker
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: When Marcus Chong, who played Tank in the original film, left the film after a contract dispute it was established that operator Tank had died in between the first and second film. Link, who plays much the same role, suddenly appeared as his brother-in-law.

Ghost

Niobe's Number Two, Ghost is the best gunner in Zion. He was released from the Matrix on the same day as Trinity, and has unrequited feelings for her.

The Merovingian

Neo: What does he want?
Oracle: What do all men with power want? More power.
Played By: Lambert Wilson

A powerful Frenchman Exile. Considering himself a businessman, the Merovingian believes in "cause and effect", is very manipulative and enjoys the finer things in life. He has a wife named Persephone, who he often cheats on. He holds the Keymaker captive, but he is freed by Neo, Morpheus, Trinity and Persephone getting payback on him.

Persephone

Cause and Effect, my love.
Played By: Monica Bellucci

The Merovigian's wife, Persephone is tired of her husband's shenanigans and affairs with other women, prompting her to aid Neo to free the Keymaker.

The Architect

What do you think I am - human?
Played By: Helmut Bakaitis

The program that created and acts as maintainer of the Matrix. Aside from that, it is never clearly explained who or what he really is, or if he and the giant machine in that Neo makes a deal with at the end of Revolutions are one and the same.

The Keymaker

An exiled program who appears as a middle-aged Asian man. He carries numerous keys that allow him access to the backdoors and secret passages of the Matrix. Able to unlock a key to the Architect's chamber, the Keymaker is imprisoned by the Merovingian until Neo and co. rescue him. He is gunned down by the numerous Agent Smiths.

Seraph

You do not truly know someone until you fight them.

The Oracle's bodyguard, appearing as a soft-spoken Asian man with kung fu powers. He once worked for the Merovingian, and had a few run-ins with Smith back when the latter was still part of the system.

The Twins

A duo of identical programs who work for the Merovingian. They can turn into ghost-like forms and pass through solid objects.

"We are getting aggravated."
"Yes, we are."

Commander Locke

The head of Zion's defensive forces, Commander Locke is quite angry a lot of the time but wants nothing more than to defend Zion from the Machines, no matter the cost. He is in a relationship with Niobe, expanding on his fued with Morpheus further.

  • The Brigadier: He strongly disbelieves in Morpheus' belief in the Oracle's prophecy.
  • Four-Star Badass
  • General Ripper: He claims he would be willing to put a gun into the hands of everyone in Zion to take down the Machines.
    • Considering what's in store for the humans if the Machines win, it's somewhat understandable why he has that attitude.
  • Hot-Blooded
  • Jerkass
  • That's an Order: Often uses this to get his commands understood.

Captain Mifune

Commander Locke's Number Two. Captain Mifune is much friendlier when compared to Locke, and leads Zion's army of APUs.

The Kid

A young redpill who was freed from the Matrix by Neo and of his own will. Now a Tagalong Kid, Kid deeply believes in Neo's ability to save mankind and is his biggest supporter. He is a bit of a Scrappy, but Took a Level in Badass in the third film to defend Zion.


The Matrix Revolutions

Bane/Agent Smith

A redpill who is killed and possessed by Agent Smith in Reloaded. In the real world, the possessed Bane physically harms himself and seeks mankind's destruction. During the films he uses an EMP to disable a small fleet of hovercraft, preventing Zion's EMP counterattack and allowing the five ships to be destroyed, then attacking Neo and Trinity aboard the Logos, blinding Neo, but he (or at least the Smith code possessing him) is then decapitated by the blind man.

Rolan

Captain of the Hammer, Rolan is a grouchy and cynical man who disbelieves in the One and Neo's ability to stop the war. He has a tendency to say "Goddamn" a lot.

Rama-Khandra, Kamala and Sati

A family of exiled programs, Rama-Khandra and Kamala created Sati out of love but are forced to leave her in the Matrix with the Oracle, as she serves no purpose to the Machines. Going to the Merovingian for help, Rama-Khandra gives him the Oracle's shell codes, causing her to change her appearance. They meet Neo in Mobil Avenue and are taken by the Trainman to the Matrix. Rama-Khandra and Kamala return to the Machine City.

The Trainman

A program designed to smuggle exiles in and out of the Matrix. Appearing as a dirty tramp-like man, the Trainman can teleport of sorts by leaping in the paths of train. He controls Mobil Avenue and works for the Merovingian.

  • A God Am I: Gives one of these speeches while kicking the crap out of Neo in his train station, as he is all-powerful in there.
  • Clock King: Knows exactly when trains in the Matrix are due, to the extent of being able to blindly leap in front of them to lose pursuers.
  • Cool Train
  • Early-Bird Cameo: He first shows up in a brief cutscene in Enter the Matrix.

Seventy-two hours... That's exactly how long Zion lasted last time...

The Animatrix

Yoko

The protagonist of Beyond. She is a normal teenage girl who loses her cat Yuki one day and goes out into the city to find it. She ends up in a ruined house that contains a glitch in the Matrix, which bends the laws of reality.

Ash

The protagonist of A Detective Story. Ash is a private detective hired by the Agents to locate Trinity. He takes on the case after receiving a sum of $800,000 in his bank account, and despite the horrid fates of all the other detectives that attempted it before.

  • Deadpan Snarker: Both in his monologue and out loud.
  • Eye Scream: Unlike Neo, Ash had his bug implanted here (in his left). Trinity removes it with a special device, somehow without destroying his eye in the process, but it is still terrifying.
  • Face Death with Dignity: The last we see of him, he is critically wounded in a train car and surrounded by three Agents who are only moments away from shooting him to death. What does he do? He calmly points his revolver at them, and lights a cigarette.
  • Last-Name Basis: We never get his first name.
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: Has a fluffy cat named Dinah he keeps despite being broke.
  • Private Detective
  • Private Eye Monologue
  • Shout-Out: He names several detectives from radio shows in the 1940's as his influence, adding to the Schizo-Tech setting.
  • Smoking Is Cool
  • We Hardly Knew Ye
  • Vague Age: The voice actors, combined with the animation, lend themselves to this. While Yoko's age is clearer and the Kid's is almost stated, it's not clear for Ash.
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