The Showdown in Mega City was the epic conclusion of the Machine War manifested as a final confrontation between Neo, wielding all his abilities as The One, and the viral Smith, who has infected every entity in the Matrix.
Prelude[]
Journey to the Machine City[]
Neo: Peace.― towards forming the Truce[src]
The Oracle has warned Neo of Smith's burgeoning presence in the Matrix and says that the end of the war is coming no matter what. As the Resistance makes their final stand for Zion, Neo and Trinity fly to Machine City in Niobe's ship, the Logos.
After arriving outside the city's perimeters, 01's defensive armada activates and deploys a massive amount of tow bombs at the hovercraft. At the same time, Sentinels give chase from behind. Neo, using his powers, remotely detonates the tow bombs before asking Trinity to pilot the Logos up and beyond the nanite clouds[2] as the Sentinels catch up to them and swarm the ship exterior.
Using the powers of The One, Neo detonates the tow bombs as the Logos pierces through
The hovercraft ascends through the clouds and the Sentinels lose power and fall. The Logos, meanwhile, rides its own momentum and breaks through the clouds. Momentarily, the hovercraft basks in sunlight before hurtling back downwards. Guided by Neo, Trinity is able to ignite the Logos mere seconds from the ground, crashing the hovercraft horizontally into a building instead of directly into the ground.
Neo cries over Trinity's death
Trinity apologizes for not being able to join Neo afterwards as Neo begins to realize the fatal injuries Trinity has sustained. Crying that he will be unable to fulfill his destiny without her, Trinity comforts Neo and reinforces her belief in him and, with her dying breaths, professes her love a final time.
Neo jacks into the Matrix to engage Smith
Neo then says goodbye to her and crawls out of the Logos and finds Deus Ex Machina. And after offering no resistance, Neo is able to bargain for a truce, that is, if Neo can destroy Smith then the Synthients will make peace with humans. With that, Deus Ex Machina provides Neo with an uplink as he jacks in to the Matrix.
Standoff[]
Neo and Smith have their final standoff
“ Mr. Anderson, welcome back. We... missed you.
”― Smith to Neo[src]
Neo finds himself walking along the wide streets of Mega City through a torrent of rain. Alongside him, and up in the buildings above, gather thousands of Smith clones sneering and scowling at Neo as he passes by. Up ahead, a lone Smith copy steps out of the horde to face and talk to Neo.
The two each acknowledge that it will soon all end, with this particular Smith asserting how he has foreseen his victory and hinting at how they have managed to possess The Oracle's body and powers. Ever so sure of his prescience, Smith chooses to fight Neo using a single copy while the others "enjoy the show". Clenching their fists, the two combatants race towards each other.
Super Burly Brawl[]
Neo dodging Smith's initial attack
Smith: I know it does, I've seen it. That's why the rest of me is just going to enjoy the show because we already know I'm the one that beats you!― Smith boasting The Oracle's powers which he possessed[src]
The fight initially starts in Neo's favor who manages to block, parry, or dodge more of Smith's punches, landing more of his own fists and kicks over time. The two are broken apart however when both simultaneously lands hard right hooks on the other, sending them both flying back and away from one another.
Neo displays more control and technique, landing lightly on his feet, while Smith crashes on his back, the impact destroying a few meters of pavement as Smith skids through. Angrily, Smith takes to the sky and Neo follows. They clash spectacularly in midair, blowing rainwater back in a giant shock wave that shatters the windows of the surrounding buildings. After a few moments, the rain resumes falling on the horde of Smiths below as they watch the two grab hold of each with one arm while attacking with the other. Rolling over and over in the air, they exchange punches and headbutts until Smith finally manages to throw Neo overhead and into a nearby building, causing Neo to smash through a couple of walls.
Neo and Smith fighting inside the abandoned apartment building
Neo stands and Smith rushes through the opening in an attempt to ram Neo. Neo deftly leaps over Smith who then slows down and pauses in midair as he awaits Neo's move. Neo then kicks off from the wall and flies at Smith who likewise flies and charges forward. Once again, they collide above ground and the impact sends both of them hurtling backwards with Neo slamming back into the wall he launched himself from. Smith soon recovers from the ground and taunts Neo about his impending demise as the latter slowly gets back up while spitting out blood. But still refusing to relent, Neo continues to take a stance and beckons Smith to come. An infuriated Smith rushes towards Neo and their battle resumes.
Smith comes with a fast flurry of punches but Neo takes back advantage over the ground and flawlessly knocks Smith back, delivering a brutal series of kicks to Smith's face which causes him to bleed before knocking his sunglasses off. Neo then lands one tremendous kick sending Smith smashing through the window and flying backwards through the air for some distance.
Neo begins to fall after battling Smith in the sky
Smith catches himself in the air and speedily zooms back towards Neo who also flies to meet him as the two collide in midair a third time, the resulting impact larger than ever. However, the two instantly grab hold of one another as they grapple and brawl with each other, continuing to float up higher and higher against the great flashes of lightning in the skies. Both then land impressive blows on their opponent, knocking the other back in turn and with considerable force and distance. Smith's power soon seems to dominate the skies however as he soon chooses to build momentum, looping around before he rockets towards Neo from an angle. Neo steels himself as he prepares to counter with a well-placed fist but fails, receiving the full impact of the collision that once more rocks the air and topples him out of the skies.
Smith takes advantage of this by grabbing Neo and careening at full speed toward the ground in a devastating pile-driver. The impact of Smith's thunderous attack creates a monumental wave of impact and creates a huge crater in the street with Smith standing over a beaten and exhausted Neo.
Smith's Incomprehension[]
Neo: Because I choose to.
Neo's devastating punch to Smith's face
As the rain continues to pour, the Smith clones gather around the impact crater to watch. As the seemingly unbeatable Smith stands over his opponent, Neo stirs and slowly gets on all fours to get up and continue fighting. Almost at a loss, Smith begins to question the reasoning behind Neo's relentlessness with rising fury.
Smith ardently makes the claim that Neo's plight is meaningless and nothing he fights for carries any significance, especially in the face of the impossibility of him winning. Furthermore, Smith disparages human sentiment and intellect and compares their artificiality to the Matrix. Neo simply replies that it is his own choice to keep fighting.
Climax[]
“ This is my world! MY WORLD!!!
”― Smith to Neo[src]
Smith once again throws a series of punches at Neo, who strains to block and parry them, after which he throws a walloping right hook that stuns Smith for a moment. Once again showing his dominance over ground, Neo then delivers both arms straight into Smith's chest, burying Smith in the rubble while Neo himself looks spent of all his energy.
Smith bursts forth from the rubble and flies up into the air before advancing at Neo, tackling him to the ground. Smith pounds Neo's face then lifts him up and punches him backwards, landing Neo flat on the ground.
Neo surrenders to Smith and allows assimilation
All at once, Smith realizes how he has foreseen this very moment and attempts to recall a line of great significance he was supposed to say. Then he uttered, "everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo." Neo looks at Smith, who winces, surprised and confused by the sudden context of it all. Believing he has been subverted, Smith questions the reality of his behavior. Neo gets up and a panicked Smith backs away.
Neo agrees with Smith saying how he was right all along and how "it was inevitable". Growing more unnerved, Smith jams his fingers into Neo's chest and once again infects him. Neo, with no resistance, surrenders himself fully. And when his assimilation is completed and only the image of Smith is left in his body, Smith still nervously asks him whether it was over.
The new replica nods and relief washes over Smith. But then the new Smith replica begins to act oddly.
Reboot[]
Smith and his copies are deleted in cascade
“ It is done.
”― Deus Ex Machina[src]
Back in Machine City, Neo's body remains plugged to the Matrix and suddenly serves as a direct connection to Smith. Taking this opportunity to return Neo to the Source and to destroy Smith, Deus Ex Machina uses Neo's body to reload the Matrix while simultaneously transmitting something that shocks his physical body. This travels and jolts down to the new Smith replica back in the Matrix. Soon, the process causes rays of golden light to shoot forth from Neo's physical body and, likewise, from his assimilated digital self. Smith stares in horror as his latest copy is engulfed by the light, followed by his many other clones and then, finally, by himself. In the end, he can only mutter how it was not "fair" as he and his clones suddenly explode in a flash of light.
A New Start[]
The Architect speaks with The Oracle as the Truce starts
The Oracle: As long as it can.― the so-called "father" and "mother" of the current Matrix at the start of its seventh (7th) iteration[src]
Zionites rejoice upon receiving news that the Machine War has ended
After Smith's destruction, the plugin cables retreat gently from Neo's corpse. It is then carefully transferred and carried away by the Garbage Truck.[3] The Sentinels retreat from Zion leaving the survivors in peace. Kid immediately credits Neo with the Sentinels retreat and runs around Zion shouting how the war was over, causing elation to the thousands of Zionite survivors who hear his news.
Near the docks, Lock, ever skeptical of the Prophecy, is unable to comprehend the unfolding events. Niobe, meanwhile, could only hug Morpheus as they both tear up with joy over the fulfillment of their dreams and how, finally, the war has ended and the world was now saved.
Back in the Matrix, everything is reconstructed as the Matrix continues reloading. In the outskirts of Mega City, The Architect meets with The Oracle to discuss the situation at hand. When asked about all remaining potentials, The Architect promises her that the Truce will guarantee the freedom of anyone who wishes to break free of the Matrix. Elsewhere, Sati wakes up to see a black cat besides her get reset as the Matrix is reconstructed around her. She then stands up and follows it. Soon after, she reemerges with Seraph to where The Oracle still awaits just after meeting with The Architect.
A new dawn rises over Mega City
Sati then creates a beautiful sunrise for Neo and shows it to The Oracle, asking her if they would ever see him again. The Oracle affirms how she suspects Neo will indeed return someday. When quizzed by Seraph about the extent of her knowledge, The Oracle says that she did not truly always know the outcome of things. Rather, she believed.
References[]
- ↑ The Architect revealed to Neo that the Matrix had been reloaded approximately every 100 hundred years with the current Matrix currently near the end of its 6th iteration during the events of the first three films
- ↑ Mahiro Maeda's Behind the Second Renaissance, matrixfans.net
- ↑ Ultimate Matrix Collection's Zion Archive