When Grant Morrison was beginning their now legendary Vertigo comic series The Invisibles, they were dedicated to making the comic into something that would change and influence the world, but they likely didn't expect their ideas to penetrate pop culture so effectively that they would seemingly inspire several elements of the Wachowskis' box-office hit The Matrix. Morrison referred to The Invisibles as a "hypersigil," weaving imagery, ideas, real-life events, spells and more into a magical symbol that played out as it was read by the reader. The Invisibles is part autobiography, part magical spell, and Morrison would even use the stories within this magical work to provide the reader with a map to changing their own world.

In an extensive interview, Morrison spoke openly to Patrick Neighly and Kereth Cowe-Spigai for their book Anarchy for the Masses: A Disinformation Guide to The Invisibles about realizing that their ideas had hit the mainstream, and how that changed their approach to their own work:

Suddenly I felt my territory invaded. That was stuff that nobody had even been doing in comic books or in pop culture. It was always there in the underground, because that's where I'd come out of. But suddenly it was everywhere; you kind of feel that the gazelles have come to your watering hole and are drinking in your water. So for me it was the end of The Invisibles; a kind of a farewell to that and trying to move forward into a different way of thinking, a different way of working. Because... the comic was becoming a set of cliches - you know, the group who opposed strange forces from other dimensions. The initiated ones who stand between us and the dark side. So many of these things started to crop up. The Invisibles was on the set [of The Matrix]. People who were there have told me. [The Wachowskis] are comic fans. They were Vertigo fans in particular.

It's obvious that similar to Harlan Ellison's lawsuit over Terminator, Morrison would have appreciated greater acknowledgement regarding the stories their work had seemingly influenced. As is evident in the aforementioned Morrison quote, The Matrix shares many similarities with The Invisibles, including its iconic and stunning visuals.

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The Look

The Invisibles was released in 1992 and was a big hit within the Goth subculture of the time, but the cultural moment was changing. The rise of dance music led the movement to break up into more closely tied factions, from Cyber Goth to Medieval Goth to Zombie Goth. This was reflected and in some cases anticipated in the various fashion styles depicted by Morrison and the artists who worked on The Invisibles, including notable 2000 AD artist Steve Yeowell, iconic illustrator and frequent Neil Gaiman collaborator Jill Thompson, DC artist Phil Jimenez, and many others.

With predominant black leather, sunglasses, piercings and highly defined personal character styles, The Invisibles resonated with the Goth scene and - like its fellow Vertigo book Neil Gaiman's Sandman - likewise inspired aspects of Goth fashion. But while The Invisibles largely resonated with the underground, outsider crowd, The Matrix resonated with everybody. The Invisibles' alleged influence over the look of The Matrix is one of the key points that hits a personal note for Morrison, who lamented in Rolling Stone's 'Grant Morrison: Psychedelic Superhero' that, "I was told by people on the set that Invisibles books were passed around for visual reference."

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Any sense of irritation at how The Invisibles' aesthetic was later co-opted was likely exacerbated by the fact that the character of King Mob was largely based on Morrison and their own experiments with fashion and club culture.

The Story

The Matrix's plot bears many similarities to volume 1 of The Invisibles, which includes pretty much everything from The Matrix minus the computer simulation. The Invisibles does include elements of reality being not as one knows it, but uses the idea of multiple dimensions rather than a simulation of reality.

In The Invisibles, Morrison creates a narrative about a secret group of freedom fighters who operate on multiple planes of reality and the journey of Jack Frost, who transforms from a regular inhabitant of reality into the next Buddha. The comic deals with aspects of reality being an illusion, and the real world being controlled by inhuman masters, before imploring the audience to wake up. The audience POV Character in both The Invisibles and The Matrix is even referred to as the One. Both stories follow the lives of people living in relatable circumstances, only to be initiated into a cell of reality-bending rebels in order to become their savior. Neo is modeled more on a gnostic Christ, whereas Jack Frost is a reincarnation of Buddha, but their journeys are very similar, especially when Doom Patrol #58 is added to the mix.

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Written by Morrison, 1992's Doom Patrol #58 features art by frequent Ed Brubaker collaborator Sean Philips. The issue depicts Robotman's consciousness stuck in an artificial reality called the "Data Matrix," and his journey to realizing he is in a simulation before finding a way to ascend to reality by the end of the issue. The life Robotman leads before "waking up" is highly reminiscent of Neo's early days before encountering Morpheus. If Morrison had used this concept as the lead-in for The Invisibles, it would essentially just be The Matrix.

The Iconic Moments

A major story point in both Neo and Jack Frost's journeys is when a mentor figure asks them to partake in something to open their eyes to the metaphysical truth of the world around them. While the allegorical influence of the Red Pill is debated, it serves the same purpose as the Blue Mold that Jack Frost is offered in The Invisibles. Mirrors also feature heavily within both series, and a major initiatory test moment for both stories' primary characters is when they are asked to leap from a skyscraper.

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King Mob's interrogation in The Invisibles could effectively be used as a storyboard for The Matrix's scene involving Agent Smith's questioning of Morpheus. From Agent Smith placing his hands on either side of Morpheus' head to the warrior hero's single bleeding nostril, the similarities are incredibly striking, and both scenes play out with the mentor character being handcuffed, injected, and interrogated before they are finally rescued.

Matrix Resolutions

invisibles blue mold

Grant Morrison has shared irritation at the similarities between The Invisibles and The Matrix in the past, even while expressing admiration for the first movie. But while there are many, many similarities, there are also differences that make both pieces of art worthwhile for audiences. The similarities provide fans with the opportunity to observe how creators choose to depict similar ideas, but to concentrate only on their similarities can obscure the breadth each story has to offer.

Comments from the Wachowskis themselves on the topic are scarce, and they have never publicly acknowledged Morrison's influence. Further commenting in Anarchy for the Masses, Morrison talked of putting the matter to bed, saying:

After the initial rage, when I really went through it plot point by plot point ... The jumps from buildings, the magic mirror, the boy who's being inducted called the One, the black drones, the shades, the fetish. The Kung Fu as well. The dojo scene. The whole thing - the insect machines that in fact are from a higher dimension, which supposedly enslaved their own. The entire gnostic theme. But then I began to think, well, wasn't that what the spell was supposed to do? Quit griping!

Morrison is no stranger to creating work imbued with occult philosophy, and with an understanding of the occult oftentimes comes a unique view on the nature of ideas, and a powerful lesson can be learned from Morrison's view of the matter. They created The Invisibles as a spell to popularize certain ideas, and to have them saturate pop culture. To have so many of the ideas of the early work of The Invisibles show up within The Matrix could be seen as an outcome of Grant Morrison's Invisibles hypersigil, and if that's the case, Morrison is seemingly at peace with it.

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Sources: Anarchy for the Masses: A Disinfo Guide to the Invisibles, Rolling Stone