What major timeline events took place between the original The One would sacrifice his life to take Smith down, and the Machines would end the war in return. Everything panned out as intended, and The Matrix Revolutions promised a brighter, harmonious future between man and Machine.
The very existence of The Matrix Resurrections proves that didn't happen. Lana Wachowski's 2021 continuation of the Matrix franchise acts as a direct sequel to The Matrix Revolutions - a fourth chronological entry in the series overall. From Neo's perspective inside the Matrix, 20 years have ed, but in the real world, his final battle against Smith happened a whopping 60 years beforehand. Needless to say, much has changed during that time - both in the digital and tangible realms. Though much is familiar about The Matrix Resurrections, the landscape Neo wakes up to is vastly changed from the one he left behind in 2003.
The Matrix Resurrections fills in this gap through dialogue and flashback flashes, confirming how new tensions arose between species, how Neo and Trinity fared after their deaths, and how Zion responded to the new era. Here's everything that happened between the Matrix trilogy and The Matrix Resurrections.
The Machine Energy Crisis & The Analyst's Solution
Neil Patrick Harris' Analyst - a program who was present but not in charge during the original Matrix trilogy - explains how Neo's truce sparked civil war among the Machines. Back in 1999's Matrix, the metal-folk harnessed humans as an energy source by plugging their minds in the Matrix and their bodies into pods, but when Neo ended the war and liberated his people, the Machines found themselves lacking a suitable power replacement. Facing a very real threat of extinction, the mechanoids began destroying each other until The Analyst stepped forward to provide a solution - a new, more efficient Matrix inspired by the human mind. The Analyst's suggestion sparked further conflict among the Machines but, ultimately, his solution was carried out and mankind got enslaved all over again.
Neo & Trinity Were Resurrected By The Analyst
To solve the Machines' energy problem, The Analyst created a radical, high-energy output version of the Matrix. Whereas previous builds ignored the importance of the human mind, The Analyst embraced it. He realized the value of Neo and Trinity's bond (which The Architect ignored to his peril in The Matrix Reloaded), and used the couple as a foundation for his Matrix build. For his scheme to succeed, of course, Neo and Trinity needed to be brought back to life. The Analyst claims he spent great time and expense rebuilding Neo and Trinity - fixing their wounds, reactivating Neo's source code, etc. Once the Machines finally remade Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, both were placed opposite each other in a special tower known as the Anomoleum and plugged back into the Matrix. In order to then hide them from the human resistance, Neo and Trinity's respective codes were overlaid with alternate personas, making them appear different inside the Matrix.
By bringing Neo back into existence, The Analyst also revived Smith's code due to his inherent connection with The One. The returning enemy was also suppressed, and forced into the role of Neo's boss at Deus Ex Machina (the video game company). As seen in The Matrix Resurrections, a confrontation with the Morpheus/Smith program from Neo's modal later stirs the original Smith's memories.
The Analyst's New Matrix & The Purge
As Neil Patrick Harris' villainous therapy app tells it, The Matrix Resurrections' new simulation thrives on a delicate balance between hope and despair, produced by having Neo and Trinity close in the Matrix...but not too close. The Analyst achieved near-total acceptance of his Matrix by manipulating the emotions and feelings of the humans inside - something the more logical-minded Architect never considered. In The Analyst's own words, humans will "believe the craziest sh*t," and by feeding them fictional stories than validate their feelings (a commentary on social media misinformation), Matrix compliance is higher than ever. Another new addition to The Analyst's Matrix are Bots - Agent-replacement programs that masquerade as humans until "swarm mode" is activated.
Predictably, not everyone survived the transition of power. Before installing his own simulation, The Analyst instigated a purge, which seemingly removed programs such as The Architect and The Oracle. The Merovingian and his exiles somehow managed to linger on, but are shadows of their former glory.
Morpheus Led Zion To Its Destruction After The Matrix Revolutions
In the wake of Neo's truce, a rather-too-pleased-with-himself Morpheus was promptly elected as Zion's High Chair of the Council. Everyone lived happily for a time, but when news of The Analyst's rise to prominence reached the human capital, Morpheus stubbornly ignored the imminent danger. Refusing to accept his friend might've perished for naught, Morpheus assured Zion that Neo's truce would hold and war would never come again. Then Neo's truce broke and war came again. Morpheus' blind faith in Neo not only got him killed (or so his statue implies), but also led directly to the downfall of Zion.
Niobe Built Io & The Synthients ed
Not everyone agreed with Morpheus' appraisal of the danger posed by The Analyst, and chief among was those naysayers was Jada Pinkett Smith's Niobe. The veteran warrior founded her own human stronghold called Io (a neat inversion of 2003 Matrix sequels.
Despite Io's separation from Zion, the legend of Neo is clearly rather popular. Neology has become a popular pastime for many, and The One's antics are still spoken of with awe and reverence. The intense interest has led to rumors and theories regarding Trinity, Smith, and the events of the original Matrix movies.
Sati (Sort Of) Replaced The Merovingian & The Oracle
With The Oracle purged and The Merovingian ranting, Sati has seemingly inherited the roles of both. Neo and Sati met in The Matrix Revolutions, when she was a young program recently born by two exiles. Left under The Oracle's care, Sati's significance to the future of the Matrix was clear. Though there's much still unanswered regarding Priyanka Chopra Jonas' older version of the character, Sati has assumed The Oracle's position - not necessarily in her extensive knowledge of the Matrix, but as a program lending wisdom and expertise to the human resistance. The Matrix Resurrections also suggests Sati has come to represent the exile population too (she refers to them as "my people") now that The Merovingian is no longer in his right state of mind. Sati sadly reveals how her father helped create the Anomoleum where Neo and Trinity's bodies were imprisoned by The Analyst.
Neo Tried Escaping The Matrix (& Helped Niobe Awaken Bugs)
In order to suppress Neo within the Matrix, The Analyst disguised himself Thomas Anderson's therapist, assuring his one and only client that dreams of a "real world" and a war against Machines were pure delusion. The Analyst also cast Neo in a role where he designed a video game trilogy called "The Matrix", which mirrored events and characters of the first three movies. By making Neo's life nothing more than a video game plot, The Analyst managed to almost quash The One's free-thinking. Naturally, his efforts weren't completely successful.
At one time, Neo walked off a roof during a company party and floated. Though The Analyst had Neo's outward DSI appearance changed and his mind reprogrammed before being thrown back in, Neo's antics were noticed by a window cleaner called Bugs, whose understanding of reality was shaken by the sight of a floating Keanu Reeves. Jessica Henwick's character would later be rescued and awakened by Niobe. When The Matrix Resurrections begins, Neo once again attempts to escape, this time by subconsciously coding a "modal" that recreated Morpheus and Agent Smith into one Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-shaped package.
