The Matrix Resurrections Post-Credit Scene Explained
The following article contains spoilers for "The Matrix Resurrections."
It seems like a prerequisite for every major blockbuster to come with a post-credits scene. It can function as a fun tease for what's to come or serve as comic relief after the tension of a thrilling ride. As such, it makes sense for viewers of "The Matrix Resurrections" to stick around until after the credits finish to see if there's anything there to hint at what's to come for the rest of "The Matrix" franchise.
Fans have wondered whether "The Matrix Resurrections" will kick off a new trilogy. Director Lana Wachowski was quick to shoot down that idea, but perhaps she was just playing coy. After all, moviegoers are used to being lied to in the lead-up to massive blockbusters, as evidenced by Andrew Garfield's insistence he wasn't in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" prior to the film coming out. We all learned our lesson when that film finally released.
With that being said, there is a post-credits scene at the end of "The Matrix Resurrections." But fans may be disheartened to learn that it doesn't set up any future "Matrix" installments unless, of course, the next one's titled "The Cat-Trix."
The post-credits scene offers more meta jokes
"The Matrix Resurrections" isn't afraid to pull from the past. It makes this explicitly clear in its allusions to the original movie, and this trend continues even after the credits finish rolling. One of the most humorous scenes featured in the film occurs at Thomas Anderson's (Keanu Reeves) place of work, Deus Machina. In some meta-commentary, he and his team discuss what precisely made "The Matrix" video game such a big hit, complete with references to the original film.
It was at this point the meeting gets interrupted by Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), but we see what else they were up to after Thomas left in the post-credits scene. They use the opportunity to continue poking fun at the concept of franchise filmmaking, with one of the developers stating, "Face reality. Movies are dead, games are dead. Narrative is dead." So what's the proposed solution when traditional storytelling tenets have failed? "Cat videos," someone suggests.
The name for this idea is "The Cat-Trix," which clearly references the period of online culture where cat videos were inescapable. Come to think of it, they still kind of are. But it's clear this post-credits scene is solely designed to give audiences a chuckle rather than set up a future installment of the series. At the very least, the scene should inspire legions of moviegoers to look up videos of cats riding Roombas once everything's said and done.