[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections.]
Even after four Matrix films and a number of side stories, viewers still don’t know too much about the Machines, the artificially intelligent antagonists of the series. Most of our insights into the inner workings of AI society come from what we learn about the programs that inhabit the Matrix and claim some degree of control over it. As far as fans of the original trilogy know, two of the oldest programs out there are the Oracle, an “intuitive” program that helped create the version of the Matrix seen in the films, and the Architect, the originally created program and commissioned by the machines to create the matrix themselves.
The analyst, the antagonist of The Matrix Resurrections portrayed by Neal Patrick Harris, introduces a new fold in the evolving power dynamic behind the creation of the Matrix and its ongoing impact on humans and machines.
The Architect was a program originally developed by the Machines to create a working version of the Matrix. Failing to do so, the Architect was assisted by the Oracle, a program that helped develop a version of the Matrix that would transform humanity at the expense of a recurring human anomaly known as “the One” and one Keep a fraction of the human population sedated who would learn of the true nature of the system, flee and then rebel against it. At the end of The Matrix Revolutions
It turns out that the program known as The Analyst was in attendance when Neo sacrificed his own life to defeat Smith and was involved in both the resurrection of Neo and Trinity. After the events of the third film, the machines agreed to the terms of Neo’s truce, allowing anyone who wanted to leave the Matrix to do so. This decision resulted in a reduction in the energy sucked by the machine’s power plants, creating an energy shortage that subsequently threatened the machines’ survival. This desperation for power led to the outbreak of a “civil war” between the machines as different factions of the machine world fought for supremacy and survival, disagreed on whether to maintain the ceasefire. Subsequently, several of the Matrix’s oldest programs – including Oracle, The Architect, and the Exile Programs – were removed from the system, while The Analyst took the opportunity to propose a new version of the Matrix that would not only force people to stay in the system, but they would specifically draw energy from Neo and Trinity based on it.
When Neo’s body was removed, The Analyst set about rebuilding both his and Trinity’s bodies to access The One’s source code. After reconstructing them, he discovered that Neo and Trinity used large amounts of energy when they were in close proximity. Delighted with this discovery, The Analyst constructed a power plant specifically designed to contain Neo and Trinity, which was separate from those of the rest of humanity, and placed them in adjacent pods to safely suck their energy without risking overcharging .
In addition, The Analyst has created a new version of the Matrix that takes advantage of the emotions of people connected to it to entangle them in a state of addiction. While not specifically mentioned, it is strongly implied that social media platforms exist in this incarnation of the Matrix and play a vital role in keeping the human population sedated and reluctant to leave the Matrix. With the success of these new developments, The Analyst effectively became the new architect of the Matrix, keeping a close eye on Neo to produce energy while trying to figure out why the anomaly of “The One” continues to occur, presumably to find a way to generate even more electricity.
At the end of The Matrix ResurrectionsNonetheless, after losing both Neo and Trinity, The Analyst insists that he won because he is confident that he has created a version of the Matrix that humanity will never voluntarily leave. Defiantly, Neo and Trinity tell the analyst that together they will change his world and remind humanity what it means to be free again. If we ever get a sequel, the analyst may have to report back to his bosses … and get an even more revealing glimpse into the machine world.
