Who is revealed to be The One in The Matrix Resurrections?
The new movie includes a major retcon of the established lore. **SPOILER WARNING**
From the beginning, the story of The Matrix has revolved around the prophecy of The One, a being from within the virtual reality who is destined to free humanity from the clutches of the machines.
"When the Matrix was first built, there was a man born inside who had the ability to change whatever he wanted, to remake the Matrix as he saw fit," explains Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus in the first film.
In the second and third entries, this legend got a bit more complicated, as The One was revealed to be an integral part of The Matrix, emerging in each cycle and setting the next one in motion – but never truly changing anything.
That is, until The Sixth One (aka Keanu Reeves' Neo) comes along and manages to bring the devastating machine war to an end, as depicted in 2003's The Matrix Revolutions.
Writer-director Lana Wachowski's latest chapter in the sci-fi saga, The Matrix Resurrections, makes another amendment to this prophecy – read on for all the details, but beware that spoilers follow.
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Who is The One in The Matrix Resurrections? Retcon explained
The Matrix Resurrections drops quite the bombshell on longtime fans, revealing that The One is a title actually shared by two people: Neo and Trinity.
During his explanation of how Neo and Trinity are alive, The Analyst outlines that separately neither of them are of particular value, but like certain elements they are dangerous when combined.
In the 60 years since the events of Revolutions, the machines have been keeping the star-crossed lovers in close proximity – both in the Matrix itself and in the "real world" – but never letting them meaningfully interact.
As a result, the unexplainable yearning and sense of loss they feel inside the simulation results in an astronomically higher energy output for the machines to thrive on.
When they return to The Matrix at the very end of the movie, having been woken up and manifested their true power, they are shown to finally fulfil the prophecy that Morpheus introduced in the first movie.
They demonstrate a near-effortless ability to fundamentally transform The Matrix from the inside and express an intention to use these gifts to fundamentally change the system.
The extent of their power is far greater together than it ever had been when Neo alone was considered to be The One, with the implication being that the two of them had always fulfilled the role in tandem.
Read more Matrix content:
- The Matrix Resurrections ending explained: Will there be a sequel?
- The Matrix Resurrections review: More meta Morpheus than metamorphosis
The Matrix Resurrections is out now in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
