10 Movie Characters Who Had To Die To Win

Poor Neo. First, you find out that your entire rainy, grey-tinged, Dark City-indebted city existence is a lie and that your life is merely a projection covering up a dystopian reality wherein the Machines run the world using humans as a power source.

Then as if that weren’t bad enough, you get lost in an almost impossible-to-follow quagmire of mythology courtesy of an inscrutable Architect who’s full of faux-deep koans but not quite as generous when it comes to actual explanations.

And finally, once you understand what’s happening and why so many grinning Hugo Weavings are constantly kung fu fighting you, you’re expected to sacrifice yourself to them!

Yes, when the original Matrix trilogy reaches its convoluted end, it’s clear that the only way for Neo to defeat the nefarious Agent Smith is by allowing himself to be overpowered and assimilated. And yes, becoming part of Agent Smith allows for his defeat via Neo, so everything does go to plan in the end.

Except, you know, Neo living happily ever after once all is said and done, that is.