Why The Matrix 4 Just Spoiled A Returning Character Twist
The final trailer for The Matrix Resurrections effectively confirms a major suspected twist that Jonathan Groff's character is actually Agent Smith. The Matrix Resurrections is set to arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22, while its presentation of the Matrix and the exact nature of how it will continue the franchise remains a veiled mystery. Despite this, the last trailer all but completely spoils one secret the film has previously kept hidden.
Jonathan Groff is one of several cast members appearing in The Matrix Resurrections in a currently undisclosed role. The previous trailer and other bits of marketing show him having interactions with Neo (Keanu Reeves), but the new trailer takes a much more explicit approach. Simply put, the last trailer more or less reveals that Groff is playing Neo's arch enemy, Agent Smith.
While Groff's character is never identified by name, the trailer nevertheless shows him as Smith through a variety of hints, including cutting between Groff and clips of Hugo Weaving's portrayals of Smith in the original Matrix trilogy. The trailer also shows Groff's mouth being partially sealed, harkening back to Neo's interrogation in The Matrix, and has him refer to Neo as "Mr. Anderson," just as Smith almost always called Neo. The question is why would the last trailer for The Matrix Resurrections spoil such a major twist, and there are two big reasons that could explain why.
The first reason is that the fan theory of Groff playing Smith has been around for some time. With the release of The Matrix Resurrections rapidly approaching and speculation already rampant of the identity of Groff's character, the film's marketing team may have simply felt that there was less urgency to keep that secret unrevealed. This also plays into the other likely reason for the reveal of Groff as Agent Smith, which is that it may be a secondary twist within the context of the movie.
The Matrix franchise has had many plot twists and unexpected developments, and The Matrix Resurrections arriving eighteen years after The Matrix Revolutions ensures that there's a lot going on in the story. Other theories also include Trinity being the new One this time, rather than Neo, along with many on what Yahya Abdul-Mateen II replacing Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus could mean. The Matrix Resurrections is likely to have multiple twists at work, and judging from the newest trailer, the reveal of Groff as Agent Smith seemingly comes relatively early in the film. With The Matrix Resurrections probably having other, bigger twists still hidden, revealing Groff as Smith may have been something that was determined the film could afford to spoil.
With many theories already positing Groff as Agent Smith, this helps explain why the final trailer for The Matrix Resurrections practically verifies it. With Groff already thought by many to secretly be Agent Smith, the twist could, in all probability, be revealed ahead of the movie's release with plenty of spoilers still under wraps. Even with that reveal, The Matrix Resurrections is still doing what the franchise does best in enticing audiences to take a deep dive down the rabbit hole.