Morpheus might be a bad guy.

(A theory by KGBkid)

Why do I believe this?

There are a few hints.

The first hint is the fact that the human city is named .

In Judeo-Christian / Rasta literature, Zion refers to paradise, the Promised Land, the location of the Temple of Solomon, a shelter from oppression, etc.

Zion is a term that most often designates the Land of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. It commonly referred to a specific mountain near Jerusalem (Mount Zion), on which stood a Jebusite fortress of the same name that was conquered by David and was named the City of David. The term Zion came to designate the area of Jerusalem where the fortress stood, and later became a metonym for Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem and the entire Promised Land to come, in which, according to the Hebrew Bible, God dwells among his chosen people.

The Jewish longing for Zion, starting with the deportation and enslavement of Jews during the Babylonian captivity, was adopted as a metaphor by Christianized Black slaves. Thus, Zion symbolizes a longing by wandering peoples for a safe homeland.

In the Rastafari movement, "Zion" stands for a Utopian place of unity, peace and freedom, as opposed to "Babylon," the oppressing and exploiting system of the western world and a place of evil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_(disambiguation)

The concept of Zion is opposed by the concept of Babylon.

In the same context, systems of oppression, slavery and that cause diasporas are referred to as Babylon.

Babylon (New Testament), a literal and figurative term used to refer to the city of Babylon, to Rome or the Roman Empire, or to every kind of evil

In the Rastafari movement, Babylon is a key theological concept referring to any oppressive power structure that adherents believe has been responsible for keeping their people poor and oppressed for generations.

Babylon, in Rabbinic literature, often used to refer to the Jewish diaspora, especially the Babylonian captivity

Many scholars believe that the early Christians used "Babylon" as a euphemism for pagan Rome, so that their small community wouldn't be found out and persecuted even more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_(disambiguation) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_(New_Testament)

So it’s not difficult to see many connections.

In the movie, Zion is: • A fortified or protected city that is trying to hide from discovery and further persecution • A promised land for humans who are free • A form of sanctuary from an oppressive system (the Matrix) in which the humans are enslaved • A place to which humans who have been spread out and separated from one another (diaspora) can return

In the movie, the Matrix is: • An oppressive power structure that has enslaved humanity • A form of evil • An empire (we are led to believe that it controls what’s left of the planet and seeks to conquer destroy the last human city)

What incriminates Morpheus is the fact that his ship is named the Nebuchadnezzar.

History tells us that Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar was responsible for conquering and destroying Zion and for enslaving and exiling its people from their homeland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadrezzar_II#Biography

If Morpheus’ goal is to help free the slaves (the humans) from Babylon (the Matrix), why is he the captain of a ship named after the King of Babylon?

I think it’s a hint.

Another hint is his name.

In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the god of dreams.

Morpheus ("he who forms, shapes, moulds", from the Greek morphe) is the Greek god of dreams.

Morpheus has the ability to take any human's form and appear in dreams. He is the son or brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Nyx (the goddess of night) is his mother/grandmother. The brothers (according to Hesiod) or sons (according to Ovid) of Hypnos — the Oneiroi — are rulers of visions, and include Phobetor (also known as Icelus), and Phantasos.

According to Ovid, Morpheus concentrated on the human elements of dreams, his brothers Phobetor and Phantasos being responsible for animals and inanimate objects, respectively.

Morpheus sends images of humans in dreams or visions, and is responsible for shaping dreams, or giving shape to the beings that inhabit dreams. Phobetor made fearsome dreams (etymologically related to "phobia" from the Greek φόβος "fear"). Phantasos produced tricky and unreal dreams (hence "fantasy", "phantasmagoria", etc.). Together these attendants of Hypnos rule the realm of dreams. Morpheus also had special responsibility for the dreams of kings and heroes. For these reasons Morpheus is often referred to as "Morpheus the Greek god of dreams" in superiority to his brothers.

The drug morphine (once "morphium") derives its name from Morpheus based on its dream-inducing power. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheus_(mythology)

More connections can be seen.

In the movie, the Matrix: • Keeps people in a permanent sleep-like state • Creates a collective dream reality for the sleeping humans

In the movie, Morpheus: • Forms, shapes and moulds things (the Construct, reality within the Matrix, people’s perception and experiences, etc) • Appears in dreams (the Construct and the Matrix) • Concentrates on the human elements (mentoring, influencing and controlling , , the leaders of Zion, the people of Zion, etc) • Sends images of humans (Neo, Trinity, etc) into dreams (the Construct, the Matrix) while giving shape to them (changes Neo and, presumably Trinity, from average people into powerful, knowledgeable, reality-altering beings) • Shapes dreams (controls the parameters of the Construct, controls what Neo experiences, etc)

Considering that the mythological Morpheus was one of the Oneroi, that means that he is the son (or brother) of Mythos, the god of sleep.

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine the Architect being the god of sleep. After all, he was the one who designed the various incarnations of the Matrix which sought to keep humans in a permanent sleep-like state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneiroi

So if the mythological Morpheus is the god of dreams while Hypnos is the god of sleep, this would suggest that Morpheus (from the movie) would be aligned with the Architect. After all, without sleep (the enslaved humans) how can Morpheus reign over the dream (the Matrix)?

Keeping these connections in mind, it’s not hard to starting believing that Morpheus isn’t trying to help free the slaves (humans) and save Zion. Rather, as his ship’s name suggests, he wants to help the Architect destroy Zion and exile the slaves in Babylon (the Matrix). He manipulates people into achieving his ends by controlling and shaping their dreams.

(As an aside, keeping these mythological themes in mind, one could make further comparisons. Other characters that display great deals of control or influence within the Matrix could in fact be the other Oneiroi.)

If Morpheus is indeed working for or with the Matrix, this raises up a few possibilities.

If you believe in the MWAM theory, this could suggest that Morpheus isn’t human at all but is in fact another program or machine. (This could also partially explain why he has such intimate knowledge of the various programs (major characters) of the Matrix, and why he knows so much about the prophecies.) His role could be to maintain the illusion that “the real world” is real whereas it’s actually just another false reality within the Matrix where dissenters are “sent” when their choice (as described by the Architect) is made. Maintaining this illusion keeps their bodies healthy while connected to the Matrix. As for his relationship with Neo, it could simply be that his role is to influence Neo to do exactly what the Architect wants him to while keeping track of how powerful he gets in order to assess the risk to the Matrix.

If you don’t believe in the MWAM theory, this could suggest that Morpheus is either a human who has been enticed by the machines and the programs into working for them (like Cypher) or that he’s a program who has uploaded himself into a human much like Smith did. His goal is to bring upon the destruction of the last remaining human city so that the power balance remains in the hands of the machines and the Matrix.

I know that all of this probably raises more questions than it answers, but I thought it was nonetheless interesting enough to share.

I certainly don’t claim that this is truth about Morpheus and the Matrix! It’s simply information that could be considered when further analyzing the story and the various theories that people have come up with.

I’d love to hear people’s comments about my ideas and what I’ve written.

Thanks for your time!