Morpheus is one of the iconic figures of The Matrix franchise and even when Laurence Fishburne isn’t there to play him, the Wachowski sisters are going to make sure the character appears. Morpheus has long been a favorite character in The Matrix and his role shepherding Neo (Keanu Reeves) out of the Matrix and into the real world, has solidified him as one of the most memorable movie characters ever. His offer of a red or blue pill has gone beyond The Matrix and has entered the lexicon as a meme and even a politically charged message.

Laurence Fishburne played the character in The Matrix and reprised his role in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. With an Academy Award nomination, 15 Emmy nominations, and one Golden Globe nomination, Laurence Fishburne consistently brought all the gravity expected of a highly decorated actor, and the series would not be the same without his powerful delivery of exposition, and inspirational leadership as an important figure in Zion. Fishburne’s performance is one of the highlights of the trilogy, so it was a bit of a downer when it was announced Morpheus would be recast in The Matrix Resurrections.

Who Is The New Morpheus In The Matrix Resurrections?

The New Morpheus Is Neo’s Memories Transformed Into A Program

The new Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections isn’t exactly the Morpheus fans have come to love, though he still has that Morpheus somewhere inside him. This Morpheus is played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, not Laurence Fishburne, and it’s more than a simple recast. In The Matrix Resurrections, Neo has forgotten all about the events of the first three films, believing them to be the storyline for a game he created. However, his suppressed subconscious of the events built a program based on his memories, and that program is released by Bugs (Jessica Henwick).

This Morpheus is an amalgamation of Neo’s memories of Agent Smith and the original Morpheus, creating a hybrid of the two. When he’s released by Bugs, he drops his Agent Smith conditioning, and fully takes on the role of Morpheus from the first three films, helping Neo to escape and offering him the choice between the red and blue pills. When he finally convinces Neo to leave the Matrix, they go to Io, a human sanctuary city where Neo learns 60 years have pᴀssed in the real world, and in that time, Zion was destroyed.

Sadly, many of Neo’s allies also pᴀssed away during that period, including the original Morpheus. All that is left of him is his memory, and a statue celebrating his commitment to humanity. Neo learns that Morpheus was selected to the high chair at the council of Zion but did not heed the warnings of the new power coming for the city. Morpheus reappears towards the end of The Matrix Resurrections, using a nanobot body, and inspires Neo to find Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and later helps the two get back onto the ship and save Bugs’ crew.

Laurence Fishburne Weighed In On The Fourth Matrix Movie

Fishburne Was Not Worried About Returning To The Movie

Like a lot of actors, Laurence Fishburne did not return to the cast for The Matrix Resurrections. He’s never given an exact reason as to why, and when it was first announced that a fourth film was in production, Fishburne responded to a question about whether he would be returning with (via People),

“I have not been invited. Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it’s great.”

When asked if he felt like he had missed out on the movie after it premiered, Fishburne responded (via Variety),

“No, not really.”

He also gave his characteristically short thoughts on the movie,

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. And it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. But I thought Carrie-Anne and Keanu really did their thing. Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

To be fair, that review of The Matrix Resurrections could actually be considered one of the more positive ones, considering the movie has a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s unclear whether Fishburne is bitter about not being asked to return, confused about why there was a fourth movie in the first place, or wholly uninterested in talking about a production from over 20 years ago. Fishburne has his schedule filled with movies and TV shows, so perhaps he would rather be asked about his current projects rather than something he hasn’t been a part of for decades.

The Wachowskis have not commented on why exactly Fishburne wasn’t invited back to The Matrix Resurrections, but he isn’t the only one not to return. Mary Alice as The Oracle, Paul Goddard as Agent Brown, Robert Taylor as Agent Jones, Marc Aden Gray as Choi, Ada Nicodemou as Dujour, and Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith all did not return for the fourth movie despite the actors still working and their characters still theoretically alive. It’s likely the Wachowskis just wanted a fresh start with their fourth film, and perhaps were considering budget constraints as well.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is A Franchise TV And Movie Staple

Mateen’s Career Is Off To A Great Start

While Laurence Fishburne is almost irreplaceable as Morpheus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II makes a great case for why recastings don’t always have to go wrong. Mateen manages to conjure up the personalities of Fishburne’s Morpheus and Weaving’s Agent Smith without mimicking either actor’s performance. He’s his own character, but it’s perfectly clear who has influenced his personality and affectations. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has already proven his considerable talents as an actor with his movie and TV roles.

He’s become something of a dependable franchise star, appearing in major blockbusters and series. He plays Black Manta in the Aquaman movies, Sergeant Garner Ellerbee in Baywatch, the тιтular Candyman in Candyman, and Cal Abar in Watchmen​​​​​. Mateen has had plenty of non-franchise roles too, including Russel Thomas in Us, Big Stunna in The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Karl in the Black Mirror episode “Striking Vipers”.

Mateen’s career is still just beginning, and already, he’s shown an incredible capacity as an actor with a sharp sense of which directors to work with. His smile is charming, but he can lock his jaws and narrow his eyes to the point of being frightening. He can play the hero or the villain, and his role as Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections is just a hint of what is to come with him.