This Is How The Matrix Online Was Actually The Matrix 4

Keanu Reeves has been riding an avalanche of popularity. His career started with quite a few notable roles such as the titular Ted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, as well as the defense attorney/Antichrist hybrid Kevin Lomax in The Devil's Advocate. But, Reeves is best known for his starring role as Neo in The Matrix. 

Since Reeves started his killing spree in John Wick, virtually any project with his face attached has seen an uptick in hype. He will star in Cyberpunk 2077 as Johnny Silverhand, return for John Wick 4 and 5, and will once again play Ted in Bill & Ted Face the Music. However, many moviegoers are looking forward to Reeves plugging back into the Matrix in The Matrix 4.

Little is known about The Matrix 4 so far, other than the fact Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise their previous roles, but Laurence Fishburne will not. That, and The Matrix Online was actually The Matrix 4. Don't believe this seemingly ludicrous statement? Continue reading to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

The Matrix Online was marketed as a continuation of The Matrix movie trilogy. Plus, the Wachowskis controlled the game's narrative. It's hard to get more concrete than that.

When the marketers claimed The Matrix Online picked up from where the movies left off, they weren't blowing hot air. When the game started, players had to deal with the aftermath of Neo's sacrifice at the end of The Matrix Revolutions. Man and machine held an uneasy truce (but fought for control of the Matrix), and remnants of Neo's consciousness floated around the Matrix.

Each faction spawned splinter factions, such as Morpheus leading a terrorist group, but the game's biggest twist came when the Merovingian sent an assassin to kill Morpheus. The narrative only spun out further after Morpheus' death (if you want to know why Fishburne wasn't asked to return, that could be why).

The Matrix Online ended on a cliffhanger where the truce between man and machine dissolved, and game servers shut down before the storyline resolved. The Wachowskis could potentially pick up from where the game left off, tell a new version of the narrative, or spin off in a different direction for a new canon.