Agent (The Matrix)
Agents are programs that feature in The Matrix.
Contents |
History
Agents were artificial intelligence programs that were created at some point by the Machines following the defeat of mankind. Humanity was not exterminated but rather put to use as biological energy batteries to help power the Machines with their minds placed into a virtual setting with this system being known as the Matrix. The Agents served as enforcers and guardians within the virtual setting which by 2199 resembled that of modern day Earth set in the year 1999.
During the Truce, the Matrix was redesigned by The Analyst so that Agents were no longer necessary thanks to a built-in "swarm" mode that would allow The Analyst to saturate the Matrix with 'bots' that possessed remarkably human appearances and behaviors. When triggered, the 'bots' followed the same protocols as Agents and, as a consequence, the majority of the Agents that used to inhabit the Matrix were deleted as they were deemed redundant - with the only apparent exceptions being Agent Johnson and Agent Smith. When Neo, under his Bluepill identity of Thomas Anderson, created a modal based upon his suppressed memories, he created three Agents - Agent Smith, Agent White and Agent Jones. These Agents behaved the same way Agents of the old Matrix did as well as possessing many of the same abilities. The fake Agent Smith gained awareness of his situation and of Thomas Anderson, allowing Bugs to free him and for him to assume the identity of Morpheus. Agents White and Jones were deleted when the modal was deleted.
Overview
In appearance, Agents within the Matrix appeared as humans that wore black suits and shoes, ties and wore sunglasses with an earpiece on one side resembling the Men in Black. They were sentient programs that were able to move in and out of any software that was still hardwired in the Matrix system. As such, anyone within the system that was not unplugged could potentially be an Agent.
Such was the extent of their control over the Matrix that they could punch through concrete walls and entire clips of bullet fire could be shot at them only to hit nothing but empty air. It was said that ultimately the Agents served as the gatekeepers in the Matrix and guarded the means of exiting it as well as the means of leaving the virtual setting.
Until Neo, every human that had fought an Agent had died in the process. As such, humans within the Matrix survived by hiding from the Agents and running from them.
Agents appeared to be human but collectively lacked a substantive personality, and so normally worked in trios where one Agent seemed to have a more defined personality for discussions with or interrogations of Bluepills. They do not carry badges or identification of any kind, and seem to just automatically and naturally inherit authority in any situation and from the perspective of any Bluepill. The Agents were also assisted by a hidden system, through the eyes of numerous programs and Bluepills alike, that continuously monitored the Matrix for aberrations and anomalies. An example of this tactical advantage was when a homeless man spotted Morpheus exit the Matrix, seemingly melting away, through a public telephone. The homeless man's heightened reactions alone were enough to trip the system, tipping off Agent Smith of their whereabouts. Another example was when an Agent, without being in proximity of the anomaly, was alerted by the hidden system about a "haunted" house which, in truth, had a programming glitch which skewed and suspended the laws of physics.
Members
- Smith :
- Brown :
- Jones :
Notes
- Agents were created by the The Wachowskis where they featured in the setting of The Matrix universe.
In other media
Television
Video games
- In The Matrix Online, Agents featured in the MMORPG continuation of the film storyline where they were no longer hostile to the redpill humans following the truce brokered by Neo. Instead, they guarded various areas of the Matrix that were still restricted to the awakened but revert to their original programming after the collapse of the Truce.
Appearance
- The Matrix:
External Link
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