Original Production Costume Sketch of "Morpheus" from the Film "The Matrix"

This costume sketch for the character Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne (b. 1961), in The Matrix, 1999, was illustrated by costume illustrator Lois DeArmond (b. unknown) for costume designer Kym Barrett (b. 1965).  

The original Matrix trilogy (1999 - 2003) is unique, not only its captivating story, but also in its queer and trans subtext as a blockbuster franchise created by two trans women. Scholars and pop culture enthusiasts alike have noted that Neo’s experience mirrors that of gender dysphoria and transition. Neo starts out as the quintessential “everyman” with a corporate job, conformist clothing, and the name “Thomas Anderson.” Through discovering the truth about the world and his true self he meets like-minded community, expresses himself through new clothing, and adopts his true name.  

Director Lilly Wachowski noted in an interview with Them. magazine that there is a “burbling transness simmering below everything” in The Matrix. Beyond Neo, we see queer themes in the importance of community – you can’t exit the Matrix without someone there to pull you out, and those in the real world must rely on and trust each other to survive.  

These themes of trans and queer community liberation are mirrored in this costume sketch. Inspired by club kids and leather clubs of the late ’90s, largely populated by LGBTQIA+ communities, the costumes in The Matrix make the subtextual queer themes of the film textual. As visibility of queer and trans identities in pop culture continues to be a hotly debated issue, we can look to LGBTQIA+ creators for indications of how to radically depict the experiences of marginalized groups.