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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
There is one other factor which mostly supports the theory, and that is the reference by other characters 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. However, this would admittedly be possible under the theory
that Seraph (also a program) is a former One.