Neo's Deal with Deus Ex Machina

Lore & Background

Neo warns the machines that Smith threatens both the machine and human worlds. After Smith's defeat, the Architect concedes to the Oracle that those who desire to leave the Matrix will be freed.

Reader's Guide

Neo departs on Niobe's ship, the Logos, with Trinity as pilot; the Logos crash-lands at the Machine City and Trinity dies. On the way, Bane, assimilated by Smith, blinds Neo, but Neo can still see machine code and kills him. Before leaving, Neo visits the Oracle, who tells him that Smith is his opposite and that 'everything that has a beginning has an end'. After the deal, the machines plug Neo into the Matrix, now entirely assimilated by Smith; after a long fight, Neo allows Smith to assimilate him. This lets the machines destroy the Smith virus directly through Neo's body. The aftermath sees an immediate cessation of all attacks on Zion. The Architect concedes that those who desire to leave the Matrix will be freed. The process kills Neo; his body is carried away by the machines, and the Matrix is rebooted.

Did You Know?

• The Deus Ex Machina is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson and motion-captured by Henry Blasingame.
• The resulting armistice does not change the fundamental nature of the Matrix; humans are still kept inside, but those who wish to leave are freed.