Despite what fans previously thought, many take the red pill in order to discover the truth, one story from the Matrix comic anthology reveals that there are those who choose the blue pill, remaining inside the Matrix's simulated reality, now tormented by the knowledge of what they turned down.
In the 1999 science fiction film directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, a computer programmer and hacker known as “Neo” follows the call of the legendary Morpheus, who offers him a choice conveyed in two pills. The red pill, which will reveal the truth about the Matrix, and the blue pill, which will allow him to wake up back in his bed and tell himself his freaky experiences were all just a dream.
Although one would assume that many would choose the red pill like Neo did, Ted McKeever’s "Life Less Empty" story from The Matrix Comics shows what happened to Tiera, a woman who was an elite hacker who was approached by Morpheus with a similar proposal. Unlike Neo, Tiera chose the blue pill and woke up the next day to resume her daily life. Tiera’s story reveals that the blue pill did not erase her memory of the events, and now she lives unsatisfied and forever regretful that she turned down the chance to understand what the Matrix is.
In The Matrix, Ignorance Isn't Bliss
Based on concepts from the Wachowskis themselves, McKeever’s story changes fans' understanding of the blue pills in the Matrix mythology. In the Matrix Online, individuals like Tiera were labeled as “bluepills” for the choice while in Matrix Resurrections, Neo is prescribed blue pills by his therapist to help with his difficulty distinguishing dreams from reality. The blue pills are seen as a suppressant or a chance for people to run away from the sheer magnitude of the truth. In Tiera’s case, she was not able to resume her life in ignorance of the Matrix, she re everything she witnessed up until the choice, and that knowledge eats away at her. She looks fondly at her past, her childhood and before she met Morpheus, and laments about her decision to turn down the truth that he offered her.
Neo Escaped a Horrifying Fate
In the Matrix, Neo learns the truth not only about what the Matrix really is but also how its history is intertwined with reality and his role within that conflict because he chose the red pill. In Tiera’s case, she couldn’t return to the blissful ignorance that Joe Pantoliano’s Cypher desired, but she's also unable to pursue the truth like Morpheus. This is a fascinating look at The Matrix's iconic untraveled path, showing that whatever it might pretend, the Matrix is a place of existential angst and suffering. Knowing the truth of the Matrix is a huge burden that makes death as likely as escape, but ignoring the truth means ignoring the human desire for freedom and identity, and that's its own kind of horror.
