If you've just seen The Matrix Resurrections trailer, you probably noticed that Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus was absent and potentially even replaced by a new character. Perhaps you didn't clock Fishburne was missing, or always thought it was Samuel L. Jackson in the movies. If that's the case, you might have some unresolved issues to work on. If you did notice though, you’re likely a little confused. 'Why's the Candyman guy in The Matrix now?' is a question you might have asked. 'Why's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in The Matrix?' you might have said if you're a proper film buff. The point is you may be a bit confused. Fear not, we've got you covered - it turns out Morpheus isn't in the trailer because of The Matrix Online.
The Matrix Online was an MMORPG set in the world of - you guessed it - The Matrix, launching in 2005 and shutting down four years later in 2009. The Wachowskis gave their blessing to the game at the time, which was touted as a canonical sequel, continuing the trilogy as the directors moved on to other projects. In the game, Morpheus dies - and since the game is canon, that means he's dead in the movies too.
We don't know who Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays yet. There are rumours he could be a younger version of Morpheus - reality has less meaning in The Matrix, after all. Having Neo and Trinity aged up but Morpheus aged down would make logical sense and would still honour the canon of the games by having Morpheus appear before his death, rather than just undoing it.
One thing that needs to be stressed however is how unfathomably shit Morpheus' death was. It's hard to write a truly great death - the character still dies, which puts a damper on celebrations a bit - but there's no Rasputin moments here. Morpheus plants a weird Matrix bomb and leaps to safety while a masked gunman shoots at him. The bullet misses, with Morpheus diving over a railing. However, as Morpheus heads outside, said gunman slithers through a vent and shoots him square in the chest - quite how this man got in the vent, why it leads outside, and how Morpheus was caught off guard so easily is unexplained. The man then shoots Morpheus in the chest again several times while he's on the ground, then the scene changes to the Matrixers - you know the people I mean - and the Agents arguing, with the Agents claiming they are not responsible for his death.
Speculation amongst The Matrix Online fans - yeah, plural - at the time was that Morpheus wasn't really dead, and that this was all part of an elaborate narrative ruse. However, since the servers were shut down before this theory was confirmed, as it stands Morpheus is canonically dead. Lana Wachowski could easily do a George Lucas and just decide several things that were once canon now aren't, but the trailer and the distinct lack of Morpheus - aside from potentially young Morpheus - suggest that she's upholding the canon of the game and Morpheus’ lacklustre death along with it.
I don't think there would be too many Matrix Online fans annoyed if Morpheus was brought back - there weren't many fans anyway, that's why it was shut down - but it's kinda cool to see the blockbuster juggernaut pay attention and respect a short-lived MMORPG that hardly anybody played. Unfortunately, it means no Laurence Fishburne in The Matrix Resurrections, but at least now you know why Candyman is there.