The Matrix 4: Why The 'Resurrections' Title Is Perfect For Neo’s Return

[Thanos 7]

The Matrix 4's title has possibly been revealed as Matrix Resurrections, which would be fitting for Neo’s return and follows the trend of the previous two sequel names, but it also hints that Neo’s return might not last forever. At the end of Matrix Revolutions, Neo bartered his own life for peace between humans and machines - albeit a temporary peace. Rather than allowing Agent Smith to consume everything, Neo made a deal with the Source that would save the world, at a price: Neo would have to enter the Matrix and allow himself to be assimilated by Smith, killing his form in the Matrix as well as his physical body in the real world.

Neo sacrificed himself to destroy Smith – something that Smith couldn’t predict or prevent because he couldn’t understand the concept of free will. The Matrix was rebooted a seventh time, but the game had changed. Humans could now leave the Matrix and programs within the Matrix can evolve. A child program called Sati served as proof that programs within the Matrix can reproduce, something that is functionally useless and could only be explained by programs like her parents learning how to form emotional attachments – how to love.

From the themes of love, free will, and self-sacrifice to the biblical names like Zion and Nebuchadnezzar, the Matrix trilogy contains many obvious parallels to Christian theology– and now The Matrix series has introduced the biblical concept of resurrection. Since Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are returning and The Matrix 4 takes place after Matrix 3, it's effectively confirmed that Neo and Trinity will both be resurrected. But while the title Matrix Resurrections would connect the series to biblical themes even more, it also implies that Neo’s return might not last.

 

Neo’s identity as the One has long been compared to other Christ figures in fiction like Harry Potter, Aslan, and Superman. Each of those characters has died and been resurrected, but the archetype has been used in popular fiction so often that it’s become a predictable trope. The Matrix 4 could subvert the trope and include an aspect of Christian theology that’s rarely included in popular fiction alongside resurrection: ascension. After Neo sacrificed himself to save humanity, for which he was likely granted resurrection, he may move on to some sort of elevated plane of existence in Matrix Resurrections.

Neo’s story could end for good by the time the credits roll in The Matrix 4. He's fulfilled his purpose and risen to the challenge of becoming the One, breaking the endless cycle of control in the real world and within the Matrix, and sacrificing himself to do so. Neo’s return in Matrix 4 obviously means there’s some sort of unfinished business for him to take care of, but now there are a limited number of satisfying ways that Neo’s arc can end. It wouldn’t make sense for Neo to die again or live out a life in the Matrix, but he arguably doesn’t belong in the real world, either. Instead, there might be another place for Neo to go, departing the established realities within The Matrix series and ascending to a new reality.

The Matrix 4 (2021)
Release Date: Dec 22, 2021