Summary

• The Matrix Resurrections fixes the underwhelming death scene of Trinity in The Matrix Revolutions, giving her a more important role in the franchise.
• The reboot retcons the idea of "The One" prophesy to include Trinity, acknowledging that the Matrix saga is as much her story as it is Neo's.
• Unlike other pointless retcons, Trinity being The One (or part of "The Two" with Neo) makes sense and gives her the recognition she deserves.

The most egregious scene from the original Matrix trilogy was finally fixed nearly two decades later when the polarizing reboot retconned the franchise. While The Matrix was universally praised as one of the greatest science fiction films – and one of the greatest action films – ever made, its sequels were met with a much more mixed reception. What was once a thought-provoking meditation on the nature of reality devolved into a series of baffling exposition dumps broken up by CG-riddled action set-pieces. The Matrix Reloaded was lauded for its action, but criticized for its script, and The Matrix Revolutions was panned across the board.

After Warner Bros. threatened to make a fourth Matrix film with or without the involvement of the original creators, Lana Wachowski reluctantly returned to helm The Matrix Resurrections. Although it received similarly mixed reviews, The Matrix Resurrections did make some positive changes to the franchise by retconning some of the worst parts of the previous sequels. It made some bad changes: it ignored Neo’s truce with the machines, humans remained plugged into The Matrix, and it even retconned Morpheus’ appearance by casting a new actor. But on the bright side, it undid some of the most disappointing turns from Trinity’s character arc and made her the series’ most important character.

Trinity’s Death In The Matrix Revolutions Did Not Work

Trinity got a really underwhelming death scene in The Matrix Revolutions that didn’t work at all. This iconic character is essentially “fridged” in The Matrix Revolutions’ worst scene, as her death serves only to inspire Neo to save the day. After losing Trinity, Neo desperately negotiates a plea bargain with the machines, who finally agree to relent. The Architect agrees to give human beings the option to leave The Matrix, and promises to free anyone who wishes to be free. But Trinity’s only involvement in that victory over the machines is that she died and left Neo heartbroken with nothing to lose.

In the first two Matrix movies, Trinity emerged as one of the most badass female action heroes of all time. She could go toe-to-toe with Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, or any vigilante played by Pam Grier. So, it was a huge disappointment when she was unceremoniously killed off in the trilogy-capping third film. It would be one thing if she went out in a blaze of glory, but she goes out more like a damsel in distress. The character of Trinity was always a big part of Neo’s motivation to be a hero, but she was also so much more than that and her death ignored that.

Matrix Resurrections Brought Trinity Back (& Made Her The One)

In its early scenes, The Matrix Resurrections toys with the idea that maybe the entire original trilogy was just a video game created by Thomas Anderson and none of it really happened. Trinity is reintroduced as Tiffany, a married mother who frequents the same coffee shop as Anderson. This revelation supposes that Trinity was fabricated from a crush that Anderson has on a woman he doesn’t even know. Of course, the movie does eventually reveal that the events of the original Matrix trilogy did really take place and the characters are just back in The Matrix with their memories wiped.

When Neo once again awakens in a pod, he sees Trinity in a nearby pod, confirming that The Matrix trilogy did really happen and it’s not just an in-universe video game. Before too long, Neo and Trinity have reunited to use their superpowers for good inside The Matrix. The Matrix Resurrections doesn’t just bring back Trinity; it retcons “The One” prophesy to include her. The reboot suggests that Trinity herself is The One, or that she and Neo are both The One. Either way, it gives Trinity a more solid involvement in the overarching mythology than any of the previous films did.

Why Matrix Resurrections’ The One Retcon Works

A lot of the retcons in The Matrix Resurrections are confounding and pointless, but its retcon of “The One” prophesy works brilliantly because it finally gives Trinity her due. The Matrix saga has always been Trinity’s story as much as it is Neo’s. When he was thought to be The One, Neo wasn’t motivated to liberate humanity from the machines’ iron-fisted rule by his grand messianic purpose; he was motivated by his love for Trinity. Unlike most of The Matrix franchise’s retcons, it actually makes sense for Trinity to be The One (or for Trinity and Neo to collectively be “The Two”).