The release of The Matrix 4 in the summer of 2021 could mark the big-screen return of Agent Smith. The Matrix originally hit cinema screens in 1999, and to call it a sci-fi game changer would be beyond an understatement. As a blend of existential philosophy, incredible CGI including the ground-breaking "bullet time" effects, and Hong Kong-inspired martial arts action, The Matrix would become one of the most beloved movies of 90's, and a major turning point in the history of filmmaking.
Though the two Matrix sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions, received far less love than the first, The Matrix has stood the test of time as an enduring sci-fi classic, and much of the credit for that rightly goes to Hugo Weaving's iconic portrayal of the viciously misanthropic Agent Smith. As one of numerous agents planted within The Matrix tasked with keeping its human population in check, Smith eventually grows beyond the shackles of his programming and comes to despise the machines that created him as much as the human population of The Matrix. Eventually, Smith essentially transforms into a virus within The Matrix itself and emerges as a mutual threat to both humanity and the machines.
It is only by the heroic sacrifice of Neo that Smith is eliminated from The Matrix for good, but with The Matrix 4 on the way, who's to say that Smith's days in The Matrix series are over? Especially with the return of Neo following his death in The Matrix Revolutions, there's no barrier realistically blocking Smith from coming back, as well.
Hugo Weaving Won't Play Agent Smith In The Matrix 4
Although the idea of Agent Smith returning in The Matrix 4 is sure to be an exciting prospect for moviegoers, it must be emphasized that, should it come to pass, Hugo Weaving won't be returning in The Matrix 4 because of scheduling conflicts. That surely arrives as unfortunate news to those looking forward to Weaving returning alongside Keanu Reeves, along with the also returning Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity. However, it also offers good reason to think that Agent Smith could still be a part of The Matrix 4.
The fact that the wheels were set in motion for Weaving to reprise his role at all signals that plans have at least been conceived of for Smith's return. However, Weaving himself not reprising the role would seem to point to Smith being recast if his return is still on the cards. Fortunately, the three previous movies in The Matrix series have set up The Matrix 4 to recast Agent Smith in a way that will not only draw far less attention than a typical recasting, but which can also even serve as a plot point of the film itself.
Agent Smith Could Still Exist Inside The Matrix
With its mythos heavily steeped in the concepts of virtual reality and computer programming, the very premise of The Matrix series frees it from being similarly tethered to things like casting decisions and character deaths. Smith may have been blown to smithereens at the end of The Matrix Revolutions, but that very fate also befell him at the end of the first movie, with The Matrix Reloaded barely even bothering to offer an explanation for his return beyond Smith's failure to eliminate Neo had resulted in his being "unplugged" as an Agent.
What's more, the nature of The Matrix being a computer simulation grants The Matrix 4 far more wiggle room for Smith to return, while the abilities he exhibited in the latter two films could offer a perfect explanation for his second resurrection. With Smith having gained the ability to duplicate himself into the mind of anyone connected to The Matrix (along with his fellow Agents), his return could be explained by some fragment of his program remaining embedded within the mind of one of the billions of people he had imprinted himself upon inside The Matrix, perhaps even as a safeguard put in place by Smith himself in the event of his defeat by Neo.
Additionally, Smith's abilities in the two sequels would also see him escape into the real world by infecting the mind of Bane. Though Neo would succeed in killing Bane, this could still provide a window to facilitate Smith's return, perhaps through Smith himself remaining alive inside Bane's mind (or by Smith having similarly taken over the mind of another inhabitant of Zion off-screen) with the movie depicting Smith finding a means to escape back into The Matrix to conquer it once again.
Agent Smith Could Be Played By A New Actor In The Matrix 4
Of course, none of this addresses the obvious issue of Hugo Weaving sitting out The Matrix 4, but this is another area where the prior three movies have already laid the foundation for Smith to be recast in a way that perfectly gels with the rules of The Matrix universe. With Bane's aforementioned role in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, audiences are already well accustomed to seeing Smith portrayed on-screen by someone other than Weaving. As a result of Bane's role in the two movies, Weaving would essentially share the role alongside Ian Bliss in two out of the first three films.
On top of that, The Matrix 4 can also factor in Smith's prior destruction twice-over by Neo into the equation, and take the new abilities he developed afterwards a step further. With Neo easily recognizing Smith after battling him several times over the course of the preceding three movies, a change in appearance may even be something that Smith himself would view as necessary in order to take Neo by surprise, with Smith's real-world possession of Bane showing his tactical side, a point that could also hypothetically involve a key player like The Merovingian, who is set to return in the film. With Smith having developed the ability to replicate himself after his first defeat by Neo, further new abilities like shape-shifting (not unlike The Oracle's new shell in The Matrix Revolutions) could even be integrated into his character, establishing Smith as a sort of invincible adversary, one who consistently emerges stronger after every defeat, while allowing for Smith's recasting to be an incredibly smooth one.
With The Matrix returning to cinemas nearly two decades after the series previous conclusion, the next chapter will doubtlessly be eager to venture into new (and, per Keanu Reeves, ambitious) territory, but the presence Neo and Trinity also demonstrates that at least a few familiar faces will be along for the ride. While Hugo Weaving's absence arrives as sad news for many audience members eager to see him return, there's also clearly nothing to preclude Agent Smith himself from being revived once more. Indeed, with the playbook handed down to it by its predecessors, The Matrix 4 already has everything it needs to bring Smith back and make both his return and new look a major point of significance.
