News of the new installment in the Matrix series has fans of the early 2000s films pumped. The first trailer for the film, which dropped a month ago, sparked a wave of fan theories, some of which seem legitimately likely.
Not all of the theories surround the upcoming film, either. News of a fourth Matrix movie has prompted fans to rewatch the first three installments, and these fresh viewings have spurred some theories about the story viewers have come to love over the last two decades. One theory in particular is turning heads following its rise to the top of Reddit’s FanTheories sub.
The theory centers around a few interactions between Trinity and Cypher in the first Matrix film. Shared by u/missanthropocenex, the theory revolves around a specific notion: what if Trinity inadvertently controls who the Chosen One is?
It sounds a bit farfetched, but this user thought the idea through. It all started when they noticed that “when Neo joins the Nebuchadnezzar and meets Cypher, Cypher seems to carry around a chip on his shoulder. He openly mocks the [whole] thing.”
They go on to note that several interactions between Trinity and Cypher, which are broadly written off as mere jealousy, could in fact indicate something more. Rewatching the film, they felt as though it “alludes to the fact that Morpheus genuinely believed at one point that Cypher could be the One.”
Noting Cypher’s bitterness over failing to “pass the test” to become the One, the post author shifts to discuss a later conversation between the Oracle and Neo. They point, in particular, to the Oracle’s note that Neo “ALSO is not the One.” This indicates that another potential One has already fallen short.
Finally, they shift to note the scene in which Trinity tells Neo that he can’t die “because she was told the person she loved had to be the One.” This serves as the real backbone of their argument.
So, the post author proposes, what if “it is up to Trinity to decide who the One is?” What if the determining factor is in fact Trinity, and whomever she fell in love with was always destined to be the One, even if it wasn’t Neo?
They feel that this idea is “driven home” when Cypher ultimately betrays the group. They use a quote from Cypher, in which he tells Trinity “l could’ve been great but you never loved me,” to bolster their theory, noting that this admission insinuates “that her love for him would have transformed him into the One.”
Commenters found the theory intriguing, as is evidenced in the post’s more than 1,000 upvotes and dozens of comments. Numerous people noted that the user went “rabbit hole deep” with their theory, but that didn’t stop commenters from spiraling into several other wild theories. Noting a biblical connection in the original theory, one poster pointed out that “Cypher” can be compared to “Lu-CIFER,” an idea which is helped along by his “bald head and goatee” and labels him “the rejected one, looking for revenge because he was rejected from paradise.”
Other commenters resisted the urge to follow u/missanthropocenex into the rabbit hole and simply applauded the theory as “absolutely brilliant.” They noted other supporting evidence, like the idea that the entire Nebuchadnezzar crew is staffed by Morpheus’ failed Chosen Ones.
For now, the intriguing theory has simply peaked the interest of fans, and inspired several other people to share their own madcap theories. A popular speculation proposes that Neo really wasn’t the One when he first took the red pill. Instead of Trinity holding his fate in her hands, however, it was the Oracle. This theory claims that the “source code” for the One was baked into the cookie the Oracle gives Neo, which would mean that she always had the power to create a new Chosen One of her choice.
If the original theory is truly to be believed, it puts quite a bit of pressure on Trinity, as noted by several people. We can’t help but agree with u/Obskuro, who aptly noted that “it must be hard to know that your love could determine who is or who is not the Chosen One. The fate of all humanity dangles on your heartstrings.”
Maybe The Matrix Ressurections, which hits theaters on December 22nd, will answer some of fans’ burning questions. Until then, we have Reddit theories to scratch our Matrix itch.