Twins (The Matrix)
Encyclopedia
The Twins are fictional characters in the 2003 film The Matrix Reloaded
. They are the henchmen of the Merovingian who can become translucent and move through solid objects.
They are also the 'ghosts' the Oracle
explains while talking to Neo
before the 'Burly Brawl'. In other words, their abilities as programs (becoming translucent and moving through objects) were still usable in exile.
smoking a hookah
in his restaurant in The Matrix Reloaded
. They smirk at the fact that neither Trinity
, Morpheus
, nor Neo appear to have the same intellect as The Merovingian. The Twins rarely speak, but when they do it is with a slow paced English accent, and when one speaks to the other, they usually say "we", as opposed to "I".
Later, when Morpheus and crew free the Keymaker
, the Merovingian sends the Twins to kill the 'redpill
s' and recapture the keymaker. They catch up with Morpheus and Trinity in a parking garage and quickly demonstrate both their skill in hand-to-hand combat (using a straight razor
) and their ability to become incorporeal. The latter power not only allows bullets to pass harmlessly through them, but also heals injuries they sustain while in corporeal form. Morpheus, Trinity, and the Keymaker flee in a car, but are pursued first by the twins, then by police and by agents.
Eventually, after a long chase through the freeway, and firing upon Morpheus and company with an HK UMP, the Twins are dispatched by Morpheus when he causes their vehicle to overturn and explode. Although they enter their incorporeal forms moments after the car explodes, they are not seen in The Matrix Revolutions
.
video game, which chronicles the events leading up to The Matrix Reloaded, the twins are shown attempting to stop Niobe
and Ghost from escaping the Merovingian's mansion via a car chase in the multi-leveled garage. In this incarnation of the characters they do not wear their trademark glasses. Their smoking, overturned vehicle can be briefly seen on an overpass at one point during the highway chase level.
, synthesised cheat codes based on those drunk by the Unlimit officer Beirn allowed the Merovingian to retrieve and reforge the fragmented and heavily dissipated RSIs of the Twins. His operatives were tasked with finding the partially reconstructed pieces, which were successfully secured and combined, returning the Twins to fully functional states.
, there was some controversy from people who saw the Twins as emblematic of Hollywood's negative portrayal of characters with albinism. Several major media outlets (e.g. USA Today
, MSNBC
) reported on the story, and it was mentioned in a joke by late-night talk show host Jay Leno
: "When is the establishment going to give the really white man a break?" Film studio Warner Bros.
responded to the controversy, with a spokesperson saying, "It's not our intention to single out any group of people as villains", and "It was never our intention to position these characters as albinos", noting that the Twins have black eyebrows.
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
. They are the henchmen of the Merovingian who can become translucent and move through solid objects.
They are also the 'ghosts' the Oracle
Oracle (The Matrix)
The Oracle is a fictional character portrayed by Gloria Foster and Mary Alice within the Matrix series of films created by the Wachowski brothers...
explains while talking to Neo
Neo (The Matrix)
Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
before the 'Burly Brawl'. In other words, their abilities as programs (becoming translucent and moving through objects) were still usable in exile.
Story
The Twins are first seen with the MerovingianMerovingian (The Matrix)
The Merovingian, also known as the Frenchman, and called Merv by Trinity, is a fictional character in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, portrayed by Lambert Wilson in both films...
smoking a hookah
Hookah
A hookah A hookah(Gujarati હૂકાહ) A hookah(Gujarati હૂકાહ) (Hindustani: हुक़्क़ा (Devanagari, (Nastaleeq) huqqah) also known as a waterpipe or narghile, is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) instrument for smoking in which the smoke is cooled by water. The tobacco smoked is referred to...
in his restaurant in The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
. They smirk at the fact that neither Trinity
Trinity (The Matrix)
Trinity is a fictional character and Neo's love interest in The Matrix universe, played by Carrie-Anne Moss in the films. In the gameplay segments of Path of Neo, she is voiced by Jennifer Hale...
, Morpheus
Morpheus (The Matrix)
Morpheus is the name of a fictional character and the secondary protagonist of The Matrix Franchise. The Wachowski brothers were fans of Neil Gaiman and based the character of Morpheus on the title character from the comic book The Sandman, also adopting one of his most common pseudonyms,...
, nor Neo appear to have the same intellect as The Merovingian. The Twins rarely speak, but when they do it is with a slow paced English accent, and when one speaks to the other, they usually say "we", as opposed to "I".
Later, when Morpheus and crew free the Keymaker
Keymaker
The Keymaker is a fictional character in The Matrix film series portrayed by Korean-American actor Randall Duk Kim. The Keymaker is one of the sentient programs, rogue to the System. It carves shortcut keys used by every program in the Matrix...
, the Merovingian sends the Twins to kill the 'redpill
Redpill
The term red pill and its opposite, blue pill, are pop culture terms that have become a common symbol for the choice between the blissful ignorance of illusion and embracing the sometimes painful truth of reality ....
s' and recapture the keymaker. They catch up with Morpheus and Trinity in a parking garage and quickly demonstrate both their skill in hand-to-hand combat (using a straight razor
Straight razor
A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors.Although straight razors were once the principal method of manual shaving, they have been largely overshadowed by the safety razor, incorporating a disposable blade...
) and their ability to become incorporeal. The latter power not only allows bullets to pass harmlessly through them, but also heals injuries they sustain while in corporeal form. Morpheus, Trinity, and the Keymaker flee in a car, but are pursued first by the twins, then by police and by agents.
Eventually, after a long chase through the freeway, and firing upon Morpheus and company with an HK UMP, the Twins are dispatched by Morpheus when he causes their vehicle to overturn and explode. Although they enter their incorporeal forms moments after the car explodes, they are not seen in The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
.
Video game
In the Enter the MatrixEnter the Matrix
Enter the Matrix is the first video game based on The Matrix series of films. It was developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Atari and WB Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube game systems, and for the PC. It was published in Japan by Bandai...
video game, which chronicles the events leading up to The Matrix Reloaded, the twins are shown attempting to stop Niobe
Niobe (The Matrix)
Niobe is a fictional character in the video game Enter the Matrix and the two feature films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Niobe also appears in the MMORPG The Matrix Online...
and Ghost from escaping the Merovingian's mansion via a car chase in the multi-leveled garage. In this incarnation of the characters they do not wear their trademark glasses. Their smoking, overturned vehicle can be briefly seen on an overpass at one point during the highway chase level.
Online
In The Matrix OnlineThe Matrix Online
The Matrix Online was a massively multiplayer online game developed by Monolith Productions created by Richard Carroll. It was the official continuation of the storyline of the Matrix series of films. The game began closed beta-testing in June 2004 which was then opened for people who pre-ordered...
, synthesised cheat codes based on those drunk by the Unlimit officer Beirn allowed the Merovingian to retrieve and reforge the fragmented and heavily dissipated RSIs of the Twins. His operatives were tasked with finding the partially reconstructed pieces, which were successfully secured and combined, returning the Twins to fully functional states.
Controversy
At the time of the release of The Matrix ReloadedThe Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
, there was some controversy from people who saw the Twins as emblematic of Hollywood's negative portrayal of characters with albinism. Several major media outlets (e.g. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
) reported on the story, and it was mentioned in a joke by late-night talk show host Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
: "When is the establishment going to give the really white man a break?" Film studio Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
responded to the controversy, with a spokesperson saying, "It's not our intention to single out any group of people as villains", and "It was never our intention to position these characters as albinos", noting that the Twins have black eyebrows.