From The Matrix to the sequels and the expanded universe, the Matrix franchise has some of the most iconic characters not only in science fiction but in pop culture as a whole. The first Matrix movie could have worked perfectly fine as a standalone story. However, the film’s success and the potential for worldbuilding led to two immediate sequels, dozens of spinoffs in other media, and a legacy sequel released in 2021 – The Matrix Resurrections. While most of the best Matrix characters are the ones who appeared in at least three movies, others were quite impactful despite not having a lot of screen time.
Characters like Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and Agent Smith will forever be associated with Matrix and vice versa. Whether the sequels or the expanded universe did these characters justice compared to the arguably perfect first film is open for debate. Still, the Matrix universe has built an incredible legacy of instant classic stories and remarkable characters, from heroes to villains.
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The Matrix Movies, Ranked Worst to Best
The Matrix remains one of the most revered science fiction franchises ever made, but how do the movies rank against each other after Resurrections?
12 The Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris)
The Matrix Resurrections
Considering that The Matrix Revolutions ended with Neo sacrificing himself and saving humanity by creating a truce between humans and machines, it was difficult to imagine how The Matrix Resurrections was going to have any conflict. The idea of a machine civil war in which the winning side had no interest in honoring the agreement from Revolutions was interesting, yet there isn’t much to the Analyst as a villain. The character was obviously created as a parallel to the Architect, but he never feels as all-powerful or all-knowing as his predecessor. Much of the Analysts’ lines are nothing but exposition, and he is defeated way too easily.
11 The Kid (Clayton Watson)
Reloaded, Revolutions, Animatrix
The Kid does not get to do much in the Matrix sequels. He is introduced as Neo’s number one fan – someone who was freed from the Matrix simulation by Neo and would now follow the One into whatever mission. Some of the Kid’s scenes play out as comic relief, but there is a level of complexity to the character that the movies don’t get into. The Kid’s backstory is better explored in Animatrix’s “The Kid” short film, which tells the story of how Neo got him out of the Matrix. Seeing a concrete example of how Neo was impacting other peoples’ lives was an important addition to Matrix’s lore.
10 The Architect (Helmut Bakaitis)
Reloaded, Revolutions
The Architect only had a couple of scenes in the Matrix franchise, yet he is one of the most important characters in the entire series. One common criticism of the Matrix sequels is how they removed some of the magic from the first film by trying to explain everything about the Matrix down to the last detail. Not only did this approach make The Matrix and Neo’s story a little less special, but it also made the franchise a whole lot more confusing. All of those problems are summarized by the Architect’s role in the Matrix sequels, as the character is essentially a plot device for exposition and mystery boxes.
9 Cypher (Joe Pantoliano)
The Matrix
Cypher only appeared in the first Matrix movie, but it was enough for him to become one of the franchise’s best villains. In a movie mostly about Neo choosing to leave the Matrix and face the real world, having a character who seemingly once believed they were the one to give up everything to return to the Matrix is a genius creative choice. Cypher’s desire to come back after discovering the real world exemplifies how well The Matrix deals with its philosophical themes, including but not limited to how tricky it is to even define what “real” is.
8 Dan Davis (Hiroki Tōchi/Victor Williams)
Animatrix
Animatrix is perhaps most known for its worldbuilding, all of which is canon to the Matrix universe, including the origins of the war in “The Second Renaissance.” However, the film also featured some remarkable characters, including Dan Davids from “World Record.” Of course, given that his story is told in a short film, not much is known about Dan’s character. However, the idea of a high-level athlete who pushed his body to the limit in such an intense way that his mind naturally broke free of the Matrix made for a fascinating story. Dan is one of the few Matrix characters who experiences self-substation.
7 The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson)
Reloaded, Revolutions, Resurrections
For all its flaws, the Matrix sequels introduced a lot of interesting concepts and delved into things that the first movie had only hinted at. Just like Agent Smith was acting beyond his original programming, The Matrix Reloaded establishes that multiple Matrix programs had “rebelled” and were no longer following their original code. The most notable of them is the Merovingian, who might have been one of the first Matrix programs. He was now running a secret network of rogue programs and had become the master of his own corner of the simulation. The Merovingian returned for a fun and very meta scene in The Matrix Resurrections.
6 Morpheus Program (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II)
Resurrections
Morpheus died in The Matrix Online, a canon Matrix game set after the events of Revolutions. As a result, if Matrix wanted to keep its shared universe premise in which everything is canon to the main story, Laurence Fishburne’s character could not possibly return. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s character was not the real Morpheus but rather a program created by Neo based on his previous experiences. Although a “Morpheus program” alone was already a compelling idea, this new version of the character also had traits of Agent Smith, who had become part of Neo after Revolutions. The result was a layered character and one of the best things about Resurrections.
5 The Oracle (Gloria Foster/Mary Alice)
Reloaded, Resurrections
Whereas the Architect’s dialogue in the Matrix sequels was way too confusing and had more to do with the plot than with Neo as a character, the Oracle’s scenes throughout the trilogy were all important to understanding the role of the One. Almost every line from the Oracle can be interpreted in more than just one way, starting from when she said that Neo was not the One. The role of the Oracle in the Matrix universe becomes even more important after the truth about the prophecy is revealed, especially considering that she had been around since the first Matrix cycle. All of this makes the Oracle one of the best Matrix characters.
4 Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss)
The Matrix, Reloaded, Revolutions, Animatrix, Resurrections
Few opening sequences are more iconic than The Matrix’s, and that was only a small part of Trinity’s role in the movie and the franchise as a whole. From the Oracle’s prophecy that Trinity would fall in love with the One to The Matrix Resurrections making both Neo and Trinity “the Ones,” Carrie-Anne Moss’s character has defined the saga since the very first movie. Trinity steals the show as an action hero, but she is also a complex character whose choices impact everyone around her. Revolutions failed Trinity, and her disappointing death is a low point in the trilogy. Fortunately, Resurrections gave the character a better sendoff.
3 Neo (Keanu Reeves)
The Matrix, Reloaded, Revolutions, Animatrix, Resurrections
Both from a story perspective and a meta-level, Neo is the One when it comes to the Matrix universe. The “chosen one” is one of the most overused tropes in fiction, yet it works perfectly for a story like Matrix. The Matrix is arguably a perfect movie, meaning that Neo could not have been a better main character. Everything becomes more complicated during the Matrix sequels, and some of the decisions made for Neo’s character do not quite work. Still, Neo’s arc from outsider to savior, plus his meta return in The Matrix Resurrections, all helped solidify him as a pop culture icon.
2 Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving/Jonathan Groff)
The Matrix, Reloaded, Revolutions, Resurrections
A movie is often as good as its villain, and The Matrix had one of the best antagonists ever put into film. By establishing the agents as soulless henchmen with no distinguishable qualities who acted as an extension of the machine’s main frame, The Matrix set the stage for Smith to be one of the most fascinating characters in the franchise. Smith’s hatred for humans paradoxically parallels how he won’t accept being defined by his programming, slowly becoming more human as the story progresses. Additionally, Smith’s arc perfectly mirrors Neo’s journey, which is why their intertwining fates in both Revolutions and Resurrections work so well.
1 Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne)
The Matrix, Reloaded, Revolutions
As rich as the Matrix sequel’s worldbuilding was, the impact and success of the franchise will always be tied to the first movie, and there is no better character in The Matrix than Morpheus. From a mythical figure referenced within the simulation as a famous hacker to the captain of a ship whose crew never stopped fighting, Morpheus laid down the foundation for Neo’s journey. The Matrix sequels revealed Morpheus was one of the few people who still believed in the prophecy of the One, which made his relationship with Neo even better in retrospect. Lastly, Morpheus explaining the Matrix to both Neo and the audience will forever be among cinema’s most iconic scenes.
