Agent Smith

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Movie poster for The Matrix Revolutions, featuring the various copies of Agent Smith.

Agent Smith (later merely "Smith") is  a fictional character featured in the Matrix film series, played by actor Hugo Weaving. The struggle between Neo and  Smith ends up becoming the main plot underlying the events of The Matrix.

[ an  Agent of the System">edit] As an  Agent of the System

According to Morpheus, the tutor of the protagonist Neo, Smith is  an Agent, an  artificial intelligence manifested in the artificial world and  possessing extraordinary powers to manipulate his surroundings (including superhuman strength and  the ability to flawlessly dodge incoming bullets). However, Agents still have  limitations, being "based on a world that is  built on rules". Thus, he cannot fly, walk through walls, or  perform any other actions outside the boundaries of his programming. Like all Agents in the Matrix, he was originally programmed to keep order within the system by terminating troublesome programs and  human avatars which would otherwise bring instability to the simulated reality. To expedite such tasks, he and  other Agents have  the ability to take over the simulated body of any human that is  a part of the Matrix, converting it  into a copy of their own. If that body is  killed, or  an Agent needs to change his location quickly, he can assume the shell of any other human hard-wired to the Matrix in a matter of seconds. Agents also have  the ability to communicate with each other instantaneously, represented via their earpieces (thus, when Agent Smith removed his earpiece during the first Matrix movie, he briefly severed his link with the other Agents).

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"I'm sorry. This is  a dead end."

[edit] Stylistic genealogy

The look and  manner of Smith and  his fellow Agents seem to be drawn from the common pool of paranoia and  American pop culture. One influence appears to be the popular image of federal law enforcement agents as ruthlessly efficient automata who carry out their duties with cold precision and  General American accents.

Agents wear dark sunglasses with corners or  smooth angles. Agent Smith's sunglasses changed after his transformation in The Matrix Reloaded from the square Agent-style into lenses shaped similarly to the protein capsule of certain viruses. Additionally, they more  closely resemble the shape of Neo's sunglasses; but while Neo's have  rounded edges, Smith's remain angular (possibly to represent his more  calculated and  pragmatic nature).

All Agents are  Caucasian males (with a minor exception of female Agent Pace from the Matrix Online game), which also provides a dynamic when the majority population of Zion is  very diverse, with many cultures and  walks of life. The Caucasian male Agents simply show a blandness and  an apathy for the human race, with the exception of Smith's obsession with destroying Neo and  his general hatred of humans, especially their smell.

The bodyguards that provide security to many heads of state, such as the U.S. Secret Service dress in a similar manner to Smith and  his agents, and  have the same type of earpieces.

Following the naming pattern for Agents within the Matrix, Smith can be seen as a template for the everyman (or perhaps an  antithesis thereof). Other Agents have  names like Brown, Johnson, and  Thompson — bland, common, innocuous, Anglo-Saxon names. it  was mentioned in the Philosopher Commentary on the DVD collection that the names of Smith, Brown and  Johnson may be endemic to the system itself, demonstrating a very 'robotic' mindset on the part of the Machines.

In addition, the name "Smith" is  explicitly attributed (on the license plate of Smith's car in Reloaded) to the Book of Isaiah 54:16 from the Old Testament:

"Behold, I have  created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and  that bringeth forth an  instrument for his work; and  I have  created the waster to destroy."

In creating such a program to carry out menial tasks, the Machines have  laid the foundations for their own destruction, a direct parallel to the creation of AI by humankind.

The two later films in the series make much of the dialectical opposition of Smith and  Neo. Smith is  pitiless and  single-minded, focused on finality, conformity and  "inevitability". As such, Smith represents determinism. By contrast, Neo, with his unpredictable, emotional, human nature, represents unbounded free will and  the power of choice. Neo's solitary role as  and  fantasy">The One is  contrasted by Smith, who, by replicating himself, becomes 'the many' (possibly a reference to Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell, where Major and  the Puppet Master discuss the possibility of the Puppet Master cloning himself to survive and  to reproduce). When Neo asks the Oracle about Smith, the Oracle explains that Smith is  Neo's opposite and  his negative.

Agent Smith's weapon of choice, as standard with all agents of the Matrix, is  the massive Desert Eagle, chambered with the huge .50AE ammunition. His clones carry this weapon as well.

[edit] Departure from the norm

Agent Smith complains at one point that the Matrix and  its inhabitants smell disgusting — an  odd observation for an  artificial entity. it  is perhaps a metaphorical statement since he later remarks "if there is  such a thing" (as smell). Smith has a strong hatred of humans and  their weakness of the flesh. He compares humanity to a virus, a disease organism that would replicate uncontrollably to destroy their environment were it  not for the machine intelligences keeping them in check.

During Morpheus' imprisonment:

“I’d like to share with you a revelation I’ve had, during my time here. it  came to me when I tried to classify your species and  I realized that you aren’t actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with its surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an  area and  you multiply, and  multiply until every natural resource is  consumed. The only way you can survive is  to spread to another area. There is  another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it  is? A virus. Human beings are  a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are  a plague, and  we...are the cure.”

At the same time, Smith also secretly despises The Matrix itself, feeling that he is  as much a prisoner of it  as the humans he is  tasked with watching over. it  is perhaps these sentiments that later drive him to possess an  immense desire for the destruction of both mankind and  machines alike.

Smith also appears to be the leader of other Agents in that he has the authority to launch Sentinel attacks in the real world. it  is unclear whether or  not sentience was a part of his initial programming or  developed through experience in dealing with Zion rebels. Unlike other Agents, Smith does not approach problems through a pragmatic point of view, but rather with brute force and  questionable rage. The fact that he refers to The Matrix as a prison, if interpreted as a reference to his own condition, could be an  indication that he had become self-aware, a mind existing outside of the machines' control.

The Wachowski brothers have  commented that Smith's gradual humanisation throughout The Matrix is  a process intended to mirror and  balance Neo's own increasing power and  understanding of the machine world. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Free Agency

As a result of being partially overwritten by The One, Smith also begins to exhibit stronger, more  virulent human behaviors and  emotions such as unpredictability and  dry humor (this is  a clear departure from his stern demeanor in the original movie). He makes the claim that Neo has set him free, indicating that he now has not only the vision but also the ability to break free of the machines' control and  exist as a singular being. He is  now allied with no one but himself, rendering him an  outlaw to both the Matrix and  the human minds which populate it. Being free of burden, however, Smith is  also compelled to feel that he is  still crushed by the weight of purpose. He essentially correlates purpose with imprisonment, and  because he still exists within The Matrix, there is  an unseen purpose which binds together Neo and  himself.

The idea of Smith's transformation from being an  Agent of the System into becoming a "free Agent" is  similar to Lucifer's Fall from Grace. In both cases, a former Agent of the System (in the two sequels, Smith is  no longer referred to as "'Agent' Smith", but simply as "Smith") becomes able to move freely, and  comes to have  a dangerously rebellious and  opposite nature.

[edit] Revelation of purpose

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"The best thing about being me is  that there is  so many of me."

Agent Smith appears to have  been destroyed by Neo at the end of the first movie in the Matrix trilogy, but he makes a calculated return in The Matrix Reloaded with somewhat altered abilities and  motivations, in addition to dropping the title "Agent". His appearance has changed from the first movie as well — his sunglasses are  of a different, more  angular shape than the square ones the Agents wear and  his suit is  now black instead of dark green (Matrix code): physical signs of his connection with Neo. Smith also lacks the earpiece most Agents wear on their right ear, showing he is  now "unplugged". Smith loses his ability to phase into any body connected to the Matrix at will, as he is  no longer a part of the system. Instead, Smith is  now infectious through touch; by jabbing his hand into the body of another being in the Matrix, a Smith can convert that being into another Smith, replicating himself in much the way a computer virus might.

• Although Smith gains the power to copy over Agents, in truth Smith only copies the body the Agent was possessing at that time. The program of the Agent can move to another body, as demonstrated in The Matrix Reloaded. However, this was nullified when Agent Smith and  his clones dominated the entire population of The Matrix.

• It may also be that in place of the normal power of the Agents to leap into any shell connected to the Matrix, that Smith has the ability to enter the shell, although permanently now; or  possibly enter it  but cannot exit due to unknown reasons.

• Smith is  also able to copy over redpills, something regular Agents cannot do. When he does copy over redpills, he can inhabit their physical bodies when he jacks out of The Matrix, as in the case of Bane. Fortunately, most redpills were in Zion at the time of Smith's return, making Bane the only one possessed by Smith. However, Smith was nearly successful when he attempted to absorb Niobe and  Ghost, two other redpills in Enter the Matrix. Like Neo, they were able to repel the attack and  managed to elude Smith.

• Keeping in the theme of machines, Smith's behavior is  very similar to a computer virus, which also copies its programming into or  over other files. This is  somewhat fitting — Smith notes in The Matrix he considers human beings a "virus", and  in the process of becoming more  human, Smith has also become a virus. In a bizarre irony, he becomes what he hates most about humans: something which consumes all resources before moving on and  acting without reason or  logic.

[edit] Against the Anomaly

Smith battling Neo for the last time.

In The Matrix Revolutions, Smith's presence in The Matrix has consumed all of the "Core Network" (the underlying foundation of the inner workings of The Matrix), thus rendering him immutable by even the machines themselves. The Oracle explains to Neo that he and  Smith have  become equal in power, and  that for Smith to be eliminated, the equation must be "unbalanced". Smith succeeds in absorbing all the inhabitants of the Matrix; every single human being plugged into it, and  every single program functioning inside it, including the Oracle. When he absorbs the Oracle, the process apparently granted him her powers of foresight as well as reality-bending powers equivalent to those possessed by Neo. Towards the end of the movie, Neo engages a single Smith, the one that was created from the Oracle, in a seemingly endless struggle between two forces of equal might. The other Smiths do not participate, because Oracle/Smith explains he has foreseen that he is  the Smith that will beat Neo. In the midst of this battle, Smith explains to Neo his final nihilistic revelation, he has come to learn from Neo ("It was your life that taught me the purpose of all life.") that "the purpose of life is  to end." it  instantaneously becomes apparent to the viewer that Smith also intended to conquer the real world as well, and  had Neo not defeated him he would have  downloaded himself into Machines so that he could destroy Zion himself.

After an  arduous battle in midair, Neo is  smashed into the ground by an  enraged Smith, making a large impact crater. Smith is  perplexed as to why Neo fights, as they both have  seen the outcome of the fight. Smith asks why Neo fights when he knows he will lose: "Is it  freedom or  truth? Perhaps peace? Could it  be for love?", reasons which he believes are  "temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an  existence that is  without meaning or  purpose, and  all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself". Smith is  enraged by Neo's simple and  irrational answer: "Because I choose to".

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"This is  my world! MY world!"

Ultimately, Smith prevails, beating Neo unconscious. Suddenly recognizing the scene from prophecy, he stands before Neo and  says, "Everything that has a beginning has an  end, Neo". This is  the only time that Smith does not call him "Mr. Anderson" to his face (in a line in The Matrix Reloaded, Smith says he's, "looking for Neo." This is  probably out of practicality, as most other characters have  no idea who Thomas Anderson is), suggesting that it  is the Oracle within Smith, and  not Smith himself, who speaks. Unable to overpower Smith, Neo understands that he will never beat him in this way. He surrenders to Smith, who absorbs him, seemingly conquering his enemy. Some have  claimed that, in absorbing Neo, Smith's purpose is  completed, and, since Smith is  technically already an  Exile, he is  deleted when the One's code is  assimilated. This cannot be as, if the Source wished Smith deleted, it  would have  done so; fulfilling purpose was moot as the Source also had the opportunity to kill Neo without struggle in the real world.

The "absorption" is  not one-sided, with either force conquering the other. Rather, we have  a union of opposites, of thesis and  anithesis leading to the synthesis of the new beginning, in which the Matrix, with its equation of oppression and  control is  unbalanced.

[edit] Theories of Smith's deletion

Note: more  than one theory may apply.

• When Neo jacked in, he was connected to the Source. Then when Smith consumed Neo, as all the Smiths are  connected, the Source was now directly connected to Smith. So the Source then deleted Smith.

• Neo may have  defeated Smith in the same way he did it  in the first movie, hence the beginning and  the end happening the same way. The shock to Neo's body was Smith becoming one with Neo (as a partnership). Neo using the power of the Source (knowing it  would kill him to use it) and  a knowledge of his own code, and  now also Smith’s, first destroyed his digital self and  then moved his consciousness through the former Agent’s clones from the inside (showing that he has the ability to detach his mind from his body). Also, destroying himself as well ensured Smith couldn’t escape and  be reborn.

• The Oracle hinted that Neo should have  returned to the Source at the end of Matrix Reloaded. When explaining to him what happened she says, "The Source: that's what you felt when you touched those Sentinels, but you weren't ready for it. You should be dead, but apparently you weren't ready for that, either." In Reloaded, the Architect says that "The function of the One is  to return to the Source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program." This is  the same as saying that once the One returns to the Source, the Matrix will "reboot". After Neo was consumed/deleted by Smith, he was able to return to the Source. Since the power of the One extends to the Source, and  since Smith took that power from Neo, Smith was also dragged to the Source and  deleted. After which, the Matrix was more  or less  "rebooted" and  returned to normal.

• Similar to the theory above, the Source is  another way of Smith's death. The Architect had mentioned that there were 5 other "The Ones" and  they had all chosen to return to the Source and  to reboot The Matrix. Neo chose differently, however: instead of returning to the Source, he returned to the Matrix. Therefore, when he engaged Smith, he was different than the other ones, due to his choice, and  the Source, when Neo was absorbed by Smith, detected the virus and  deleted it. it  is still a point of debate why The Architect hasn't intervened personally, but a likely explanation is  that Smith was too powerful at this point, and  would have  defeated him (as he did the Oracle).

• Smith was specifically designed to be an  eventual threat to the Matrix and  mankind, with the potential to threaten the machine world as well. Thus, when the Architect said that if Neo did not return to the source humankind would be wiped out, he was referring to Smith, who would kill all humans in the Matrix as the machines killed all the humans in Zion. There has, therefore, been a Smith for all preceding versions of Neo; however, only this one has emerged as a significant threat, since Neo did not return to the Source this time. Presumably, therefore, each Smith has become a virus after being defeated by their One, and  threatened humanity. This could also mean that Smith was specifically created by the Machines—an Agent with a genocidal mindset and  the ability to go rogue—so that the One will have  a greater threat to deal with than the machines, one that even threatens the machines themselves, and  thus will return to the Source to destroy it.

• The Oracle was the binding point between Neo and  Smith. She was the one who foretold the prophecy and  kept the search on for The One. She surrenders when Smith comes to her, thus giving both Neo and  Smith an  entry point back into system. According to The Architect, Neo was an  anomaly and  after being consumed by Neo, Smith became one as well, but as Neo's mirror image. it  was the Oracle within Smith who said, "Everything that has a beginning has an  end, Neo" and  showed Neo the way to end the conflict which was the remaining choice for him.

• Smith was deleted at that moment. Smith's purpose was to kill The One. Once a program's purpose is  fulfilled, it  is, according to the Keymaker, deleted. Smith's purpose was fulfilled, and  thus made him eligible for deletion. This is  the central objective in garbage collection and  fits with the "garbage collector" robot that picks up Neo's body in Zero-One afterwards. The same is  true for Neo due to his purpose of returning to the Source and  saving Zion. However, this view is  probably false in light of the Oracle's statement about Smith, "Soon he will have  the power to destroy this world, but I don't think he'll stop there, he can't. He won't stop until there isn't anything left." This implies that Smith's purpose was to destroy everything. When Smith would achieve this, he himself would be destroyed in the act of defeating the Source, as he is  a program.

• In Revolutions, the Oracle told Neo that Smith was "the result of the equation trying to balance itself out". This equation, which is  a metaphor for the Matrix, becomes unbalanced with Neo's realization of his powers as the One. In order to keep the system balanced, Smith is  "created". When Smith destroys Neo, the equation becomes unbalanced again  and thus must destroy Smith to rebalance itself. This yin-yang, balance/unbalance reasoning is  used throughout Revolutions. Although a possibly unimportant detail, if one looks closely, one can see the Oracle's earrings are  jade yin-yangs, adding relevance to this theory.

• The cause of the "mysterious force" may be that because Neo is  The One (positive), and  Smith his exact opposite (negative). Adding the two together results in zero, which eliminates both Neo and  Smith and  returns order.

• On a philosophical level, the ending draws heavily on the Hindu/Buddhist concept of the cycle of rebirth, as seen in the use of Sanskrit lyrics in the music played during the climactic scenes. The endless copying of Smith is  a depiction of the individual trapped in the process of continual reincarnation. By sacrificing himself, Neo renounces the self and  thus offers the potential of nirvana. Where Smith seeks control of the Matrix and  fails, Neo achieves oneness with the Matrix and  succeeds.

• Neo is  the series' Christ figure, created to be the savior of humanity. Neo, like Jesus, walked alone to the fight and  surrendered himself to Smith. Smith's plan might just be a mirror to the scheme of Satan in that if he was to kill Neo, the prophesied savior, humanity would be damned. Instead Neo destroyed himself and  allowed humanity to be saved. The cross of light into which Neo dissolves lends some support to this theory, as do the Gnostic overtones throughout much of the films. However, since the Wachowski Brothers based many ideas in the Matrix on Judaism, and  more importantly Kabbalah, it  is highly unlikely that this theory is  correct.

• When Neo jacked into the Matrix for the final fight with Smith, he did so through an  array of plugs that connected directly to  and  machines in the Matrix series">Deus Ex Machina. Thus, Deus Ex Machina had a connection into the Matrix that it  lost when Smith overtook all beings in the Matrix. Not wanting to risk rebooting the Matrix with Smith still completely dominant within, Deus Ex Machina waited until Neo was forced to allow Smith to assimilate him, then analyzed the revised Smith code through his connection to Neo, and  was able to write a deletion program that would wipe out the Smiths.

• The Matrix was being re-booted when Smith was trying to take over Neo.

• Quoted before the "Megasmith fight" in the Matrix: Path of Neo, the Wachowski brothers state:

"Neo stands on the verge of Satori, ready to resolve the paradox of Choice and  Choicelessness, of Free Will versus Fate. But that can only be achieved through an  act of surrender, which occurs after he has abandoned the perspectival nature of Truth, accepting the Totality of Present Consciousness which ultimately allows an  evolutionary transition, transcending the Cartesian dilemma through the emergence of the de-limited spirit, which then provides the world with the choice of a third path, the path of Neo, the path of the peace."

Stated by the Architect, Neo had only two choices in saving the humans: destroy the entire human race or  leave seven males and  sixteen females to rebuild Zion. But, in an  act of surrender by offering himself, he saves both humanity and  the machines. This is  similar to the Christian belief that Jesus Christ died for the sins of humanity by allowing himself to be crucified. This seems to be the correct theory since the Wachowski brothers themselves stated this in The Matrix: Path of Neo

[edit] MegaSmith

In The Matrix: Path of Neo, the final boss is  the MegaSmith. The MegaSmith was used for gameplay reasons, because the Wachowski Brothers thought the martyr approach was "Really lame", so this character is  the classical "final boss" in Path of Neo. The MegaSmith is  composed of destroyed buildings, cars, parts of the road, and  the "spectator Smiths" standing around the crater and  in the streets. Essentially, to attack him you must first dodge his attacks and  wait until the jump button flashes on the bottom left hand corner.

After Neo knocks Smith into the crater in the level "Aerial Battle", Smith is  sent flying through the ground and  up through the street. As Neo relaxes, the surrounding Smiths walk away from the crater. Neo gets out of the crater, and  dodges a car which flies through the air and  lands in a pile of debris. Neo looks on as Smiths tear up chunks of the road and  throw cars into this pile. A truck then speeds into a building and  blows it  up. The debris takes on a thirty-story tall humanoid form as lightning strikes it, powering it  up. Neo flies up to watch as the giant humanoid lowers its head onto its shoulders. The giant Smith then pulls a pair of giant Smith Shades from a billboard and  puts them on. He smirks, then the fight begins.

After the fight, Neo flies straight into MegaSmith's mouth, causing the Smiths throughout the Matrix (possibly because Neo destroyed the original Smith) to overload and  explode. We then cut to a shot seen in The Matrix: Revolutions of the streets shining with light from the destroyed Smiths. it  is unknown if Neo either survived or  was killed.

[edit] Trivia

• In the popular flash game "Madness Interactive" (based on a "Madness" flash movie series), players are  able to customize the appearance of their characer to look like Agent Smith, with options such as "Smith Shades", and  "Smith Hair" (which includes an  earpiece that Smith wore in the first film, The Matrix.) In addition to this, the game features a gameplay mode in which the player takes on a role similar to Neo's, in fighting infinite spawning "Agent Smith" NPCs.
• In The Matrix: Path of Neo, during the Burly Brawl level, if the player goes straight for a pole, a Smith will say "Can't do it  without some help, Mr. Anderson?"
• In the beginning level of Path of Neo, some of Smith's quotes can be heard distantly ("And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself!") through the dreamlike skill test level "Ever had a dream, Neo?"
• It has been suggested that Smith still exists after The Matrix Revolutions, in the online game The Matrix Online. an  example may be Agent Gray who uses Smith's vocabulary and  has un-program-like rage.