No one wants to be branded a conspiracy theorist, but even we've got to admit there are some pretty convincing conspiracy theories out there. Reach for the tin foil because we've got a doozy that connects one of the most iconic movies of all time to one of the most tragic events of all time.
Even 24 years after the September 11 attacks, the world still mourns the 3,000 deaths that came from the destruction of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers via American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 being flown into the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93's passenger revolt that led to a crash in Pennsylvania.
The way we fly was forever changed by 9/11, and while little could've been done to prevent the devastating terror attack, there's a wild theory that The Matrix predicted it some two years earlier.
1999 was a massive one for movies, but alongside Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Toy Story 2 dominating the box office, The Wachowskis' The Matrix inadvertently became one of the most influential movies ever made. Starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, The Matrix did (and continues to) make us question everything we know about reality.
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The Matrix is a fictionalised account of a dystopian future where the human race is unknowingly trapped in the titular simulated reality that's created by intelligent machines. It's become far more relevant as artificial intelligence continues to evolve and fuel conspiracy theories that we're stuck in our own real-life version of the Matrix.
In terms of The Matrix 'predicting' 9/11, a resurfaced post on X reminds us that Neo's passport expires on September 11, 2001.
Eerily foreshadowing the September 11 attacks, one scene features Neo being interrogated by federal agents who have a folder filled with his documents. Neo's passport confirms his birth name as Thomas A. Anderson, but also has the spooky expiry date.
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Responding to the resurfsaced reveal, one person on X wrote: "This is not a coincidence. Even if a human didn’t choose this date a higher Power put this date in their head and chose it."
Another went even deeper as they added: "Joel Silver, the producer of The Matrix, founded Dark Castle Entertainment with Robert Zemeckis, who directed Back to the Future, in which 9/11 is also predicted."
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A third said: "Mind. Blown. 🤯 The way some film details eerily 'predict' or just happen to align with future events is fascinating. This Neo passport date is definitely one of the most talked-about. Just like The Simpsons predictions."
A fourth fell right down the rabbit hole as they concluded: "His birthday reads September 13, 1971. Tupac Shakur died on September 13th and was born in 1971. 2Pac is Neo confirmed."
As for what Grok thinks about it, Elon Musk's controversial chatbot said: "The date 9/11/2001 on Neo's passport in The Matrix (1999) eerily matches the 9/11 attacks. It's often cited as a coincidence fueling conspiracy theories like predictive programming, but no evidence supports intent—probably just random prop design."