Let’s be real: watching The Matrix Resurrections without Laurence Fishburne felt like going to a family reunion and finding out your favorite uncle wasn't invited. It was jarring. You’re sitting there in the theater, the green code starts scrolling, Keanu Reeves is back, Carrie-Anne Moss is back, but the man who gave us the red pill is nowhere to be found.
Instead, we got Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Now, Yahya is a phenomenal actor—he’s got charisma for days—but he wasn't our Morpheus. He was a program. A "modal." Basically, a digital tribute act created by Neo's subconscious.
The question that’s been burning a hole in the internet since 2021 is: Why? Why would Lana Wachowski bring back the two leads who literally died in the third movie, yet leave out the one guy who actually survived the original trilogy?
The Matrix 4 Fishburne Mystery: Was He Even Asked?
If you think Fishburne was just too busy or "moved on," think again. The truth is actually kinda heartbreaking if you’re a fan. Fishburne has been incredibly blunt about this in interviews. Speaking to New York Magazine way back when the movie was first announced, he simply said, "I have not been invited."
No phone call. No email. No "hey, we're doing this weird meta-sequel, want to do a cameo?"
It gets weirder. In April 2025, Fishburne appeared on The View and dropped an even bigger bombshell. He didn't just sit by the phone waiting; he actually reached out. "I offered my services to the fourth Matrix, and they didn't respond well to that," he told the hosts. Honestly, it sounds like he got ghosted by a franchise he helped build.
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For a lot of us, that feels wrong. Fishburne’s Morpheus wasn't just a character; he was the soul of the resistance. His voice alone carries more gravitas than most entire trilogies. To have him offer to come back and get a "thanks, but no thanks" (or worse, silence) is a tough pill to swallow. Blue or red.
Why the Story "Required" His Absence
So, what was the official reason? If you ask the writers, they’ll tell you it was a narrative choice. Lana Wachowski has spoken about how Resurrections was born out of her own grief after losing her parents. She wanted Neo and Trinity back because she wanted her "parents" back, in a sense.
Morpheus didn't fit that specific emotional puzzle.
In the world of the movie, sixty years have passed since The Matrix Revolutions. In that time:
- Zion was destroyed (or rather, replaced by Io).
- The original Morpheus became a political leader.
- He eventually died of old age or during the conflict with the new machine faction.
There’s even a statue of him in the city of Io. A literal bronze memorial. The film basically tells us, "He’s a legend now, and legends are dead."
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But there’s a deeper, nerdier layer here. If you ever played The Matrix Online (the MMO from the mid-2000s that the Wachowskis once called "canon"), Morpheus died there, too. He was assassinated by a program called the Assassin, which was basically a swarm of flies in a trench coat. Yeah, it was weird. While the movie doesn't explicitly reference the fly-man, it honors the idea that Morpheus is gone from the physical world.
The "New" Morpheus vs. The Icon
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II played a version of Morpheus that was a hybrid. He was part Morpheus, part Agent Smith. It was a meta-commentary on how Neo remembered his mentor and his enemy.
It was clever. Maybe too clever?
The problem is that The Matrix is built on iconography. When you think of the franchise, you think of Fishburne’s tilted glasses and his "stop trying to hit me and hit me" stance. By replacing him, the movie intentionally felt "off." Lana Wachowski likely wanted the audience to feel as disoriented as Neo. She wanted us to miss the old world.
Well, mission accomplished. We missed him.
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Laurence Fishburne’s Honest Review
You might wonder if Fishburne is bitter. He’s a professional, so he’s kept it classy, but he hasn't held back his true thoughts on the final product. When Variety asked him if he felt like he missed out after seeing the movie, his answer was a classic: "Not really."
He admitted it wasn't as bad as he feared, but it wasn't as good as he hoped. He praised Keanu and Carrie-Anne for "doing their thing," but you could tell the spark wasn't there for him. And why would it be? He was watching someone else wear his suit in a world he used to command.
Could he return for Matrix 5?
Believe it or not, there is a Matrix 5 in development. Drew Goddard (the guy behind The Martian and Cabin in the Woods) is set to write and direct. This is the first time a Matrix movie won't be directed by a Wachowski.
This changes everything for the Matrix 4 Fishburne saga.
When asked on The View if he’d return for the fifth one, Fishburne said it "depends on the circumstances." He’s not closing the door. If the script is good and the invitation actually shows up in his inbox this time, we might finally see the real Morpheus return to the screen.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're still reeling from the lack of Fishburne in the latest flick, here is how to navigate the lore and the future:
- Watch the Lore: If you want to understand the "true" end of the original Morpheus, look up the cinematic clips from The Matrix Online. It bridges the gap between the third and fourth movies in a way the film doesn't quite explain.
- Appreciate the Performance: Try re-watching Resurrections specifically looking at Yahya’s performance as a tribute rather than a replacement. He’s doing a very specific impression of Fishburne’s mannerisms because the character is literally "Neo’s memory" of him.
- Stay Tuned for Matrix 5: With a new director at the helm, the "rules" of the previous film might be bent. In a world of simulations and resurrections, no one is ever truly gone.
- Support the Actor: Fishburne is currently killing it in other projects, like the John Wick series (reunited with Keanu!) and his one-man show Like They Do in the Movies.
The Matrix 4 Fishburne situation was a bold creative choice that arguably alienated a huge portion of the fanbase. Whether it was a stroke of genius or a massive oversight depends on who you ask. But one thing is for sure: you can't replace the man who first told us that the Matrix is everywhere. Even when he's not in the room, his shadow is all over the walls.