Agent Smith’s sunglasses change between The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded, and there is a reason for it. As the machines’ main henchman in The Matrix - that would go on to become the primary antagonist in the final half of The Matrix Revolutions - Agent Smith defined the original Matrix trilogy. While Neo was the main character, Smith’s character development was one of the highlights of the first three Matrix films, and it was even carried onto The Matrix Resurrections.
Although Agent Smith’s looks do not change much from The Matrix to The Matrix Reloaded, there is a noticeable difference in Hugo Weaving’s portrayal of Smith going from the first Matrix movie into the sequel. Agent Smith’s sunglasses change from the perfectly rectangular style used by all Matrix Agents to something more angular shaped. While a lot of Matrix’s characters changed looks between The Matrix and Reloaded, the change in Agent Smith’s sunglasses has more to do with the story than with the visuals.
Smith's Sunglasses Show His Evolution In The Matrix
Agent Smith’s sunglasses perfectly summarize his character arc between The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. When audiences first meet Agent Smith in The Matrix, Hugo Weaving’s character is the textbook Agent program – reserved, obedient, and loyal to the machines. As such, Agent Smith’s sunglasses are exactly like the other agents, perfectly rectangular. However, once audiences meet Smith again in The Matrix Reloaded, the former Agent had now broken free of his programming. Smith was now acting on his own behalf, instead of being an extension of the machines’ will. That is why Smith wears unique angular shaped sunglasses in Reloaded and Revolutions.
Smith fought Neo and died in The Matrix, yet The Matrix Reloaded reveals that Smith’s fight against Neo only served to make the former Agent even more powerful. Briefly combining with The One is what helped Agent Smith break free of his programming, which is why Smith is no longer loyal to the machines by the time he returns in The Matrix Reloaded. Smith was now a third party in the Second Machine War, with Hugo Weaving being able to add a lot more nuance and personality to the character – a change symbolized by Agent Smith’s new pair of sunglasses.
Why Smith's Sunglasses Become More Like Neo's
In addition to being different from what the other Matrix Agents use, Smith’s sunglasses in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are a lot similar to the ones Neo uses in the Matrix sequels. That is also not a coincidence, as Agent Smith and Neo created a powerful bond following their fight at the end of The Matrix. As Smith reveals to Neo right before their fight at the park in Reloaded, the brief moment in which they merged inside the Matrix changed Smith completely – it made the now-former Agent more powerful, free, and more aware of the world around him.
Smith and Neo created an almost symbiotic dynamic after The Matrix, in which the powers of The One were making Smith powerful while Smith’s actions were helping Neo break the vicious cycle of The One set up by the machines. Smith had almost a certain level of admiration for Neo, with the villain acknowledging that he had only become free thanks to Neo’s The One powers. In a way, Agent Smith was the antithesis of The One, with some even arguing that Smith was also The One. That is why Smith’s sunglasses resembled Neo’s – they were two sides of the same coin.