Death has never been an obstacle that major franchises have failed to overcome when there’s money to be made, but as a series that was built on big ideas, albeit ones that weren’t always pulled off successfully, fans will be expecting The Matrix 4 to deliver a solid explanation as to why Keanu Reeves’ Neo has returned from the dead nearly 20 years after he made the ultimate sacrifice to win the war against the machines in Revolutions.
A handful of cast members from the original trilogy will be returning, but as the leading man and focus of the overarching narrative, it’ll be Neo’s resurrection that drives the plot in whatever direction it ends up heading, with Reeves being vague about the film so far and only confirming that The Matrix 4 will be a beautiful love story set after the events of the first three installments.
The latest theory making the rounds offers a solid explanation as to how Neo returns, though, offering up the notion that John Anderson could remain dead in the real world, but his alter ego’s code could still exist within The Matrix itself. The Oracle has already returned in similar fashion, so it isn’t too crazy to think that Neo remains locked away in the digital realm.
That could also set the plot in motion, as a fresh band of heroes try to battle a new threat by finding the code necessary to reboot The One and help them turn the tide. It would also place Neo on a similar pedestal to both The Orcale and The Architect, who don’t possess physical forms but are integral to the makeup of The Matrix.
As ScreenRant explains:
It’s not a stretch to imagine that the Matrix might store RSIs within its memory, but without the physical Neo to plug into the Matrix, his data would be uselessly floating around in the digital ether – like leaving save files on a hard drive after already uninstalling the game. The Matrix 4 could be less about resurrecting Neo, and more about turning his lingering RSI into a sentient being in its own right, similar to programs such as The Oracle and The Architect. This would fit neatly with on-set images that have emerged from The Matrix’s filming. These shots depict an older Neo in everyday clothes, seemingly within the Matrix and as oblivious to his own importance as he was during the Thomas Anderson days. These scenes might show Neo’s lost RSI inside the Matrix, living an ordinary life without his physical form to plug-in and take control.
The franchise’s Jesus allegory in relation to Neo was hardly subtle, so resurrection in The Matrix 4 would also present the next logical step, as well as avoiding the many plotholes that could be stumbled into when it comes to explaining why someone who lost their eyes and then died in the real world two decades ago is suddenly back and looking fit as a fiddle like nothing happened.