The Agent Smith Fan Theory That Will Blow The Matrix Fans' Minds

It's no secret that "The Matrix" films are very complex when it comes to their storytelling, and the narrative may have at times been difficult for some fans to follow. The series is notorious for inspiring thought-provoking ideas that people continue to talk about decades after the initial film was released. But one thing that seems certain is that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is The One, and in the end, he fulfills The Oracle's (Gloria Foster and Mary Alice) prophecy. This prophecy claims three major points: that The One can change the Matrix at will, was born in the Matrix at the beginning, and will return to the Source to destroy The Matrix and free mankind.

While the case for Neo as The One seems to be pretty cut and dry for some, others have speculated against this idea, and there is an ample amount of evidence to support at least a second look at some of the other characters. But could the true One be Morpheus? Trinity? Or maybe it's the last person fans would expect.

The character with the strongest case as mankind's savior is none other than Hugo Weaving's brilliantly-realized Agent Smith. While it may seem crazy at first, the evidence is pretty compelling. As pointed out in a video from Film Theory, while Neo is able to do things like fly or fight like a super-soldier, there isn't a whole lot of Matrix manipulation going on with this guy. Smith, on the other hand, goes full virus mode, changing things at will and assimilating inhabitants.

As far as being a man born in the Matrix, Neo was actually born in a pod and shows up around the sixth iteration, according to the Architect, whereas Smith suggests to Morpheus in the first film that he has been around since the beginning. In that interrogation scene with Morpheus, Smith shows very human characteristics, unlike the other programs. He unmistakably rebels (a quality of The One) when he removes his earpiece, disconnecting his communication with the system he is supposed to protect. He then goes on to discuss smell and taste, attributes only a living being would likely know anything about or think to use when making a point.

And then there's the element of the prophecy that involves returning to the Source to reset The Matrix. Neo does accomplish this goal, but the end result only occurs after he is assimilated by Smith. Could that have been the plan all along, with a few white lies leading the right people (including the real One) down the right rabbit holes to achieve a necessary result?

The meetings with The Oracle heavily allude to Smith being The One, and the mother of the Matrix isn't afraid of being rather ominous to make her point. When she tells Neo not to worry about the vase, which he immediately knocks over, she then warns him that it will really warp his mind when he ponders whether he would have broken it had she never said anything. Could her strategy regarding The One have been similar — to get Neo to inadvertently guide Smith to fulfill the prophecy without anyone but The Oracle realizing it?

If Smith hadn't been able to run rampant beyond the machines' control to a point of such destruction (another thing The One is supposed to bring about), then Neo would probably have no bargaining chip to get his digital oppressors to agree to a truce. And when Neo jacks into the Source, he forms a conduit for Smith's code to return to the Source and reset the Matrix — something that only happens once Smith assimilates Neo, infecting him with his code.

The Architect reveals at one point that the Oracle created The One, after all ... which could be why Smith calls her "Mom." She may have known that the one advantage mankind has over machines is its proficiency in deception — and set up Neo as a red herring so that even Smith himself didn't know who The One really was. At the end of "Revolutions," The Architect comments that The Oracle has played a dangerous game. Perhaps Agent Smith, her One, was the ultimate pawn.