Debunked: The Merovingian is a Former One

Persephone tells Neo that the Merovingian used to be more like him, and this makes a lot of people think the Merovingian is one of Neo's predecessors. But Persephone was just referring to simple personality traits, before the Merovingian was corrupted by so much power. Here are factors that support this theory:

• If the Merovingian is "one of the oldest of us," he is probably even older than the Oracle, which means he was around during Matrix versions for which no "One" was necessary because the earliest Matrix versions were not choice-driven. In fact, The Kid maintains a blog that is dedicated to watching and discussing his enemy Cryptos, a character who emerges in The Matrix Online (see the Kid's encoded message from the March 30, 2006 Sentinel issue). In the "Theories of the General" article, the Kid refers to the Merovingian as an "operating system" and leaves no room for question (nor do any of his commenters question it). The Merovingian is a former operating system, not a former One.
• Other characters refer to the fact that the Merovingian is a program. First, when Neo visits the Oracle, she tells him that the Keymaker is being held by "an especially dangerous program, one of the oldest of us [programs]." Second, the Keymaker says in Enter the Matrix, "I have been held captive in a chateau in the mountains by an Exile named the Merovingian." It seems unlikely that the Merovingian could be an exiled program if he was originally human.
• Persephone says, "I'm so sick and tired of his bullshit. Pompous prick." before she says, "He was like you." This seems to suggest she is talking about his character, since "bullshit" wouldn't have anything to do with the Merovingian's fighting or flying skills.
• After you read Seraph: Former One, you'll probably agree that it seems strange to use a former One to "traffic information." A former One would be more likely to provide protection and do other things within the Matrix that involve fighting.

Back to Debunked

Debunked: Previous Smith Viruses

Debunked: Keymaker Non-Purpose