
I was watching Reloaded the other day, and the scene where Link returns to Zion made me question "How did Tank die?" He was alive when The Matrix ended, but had suffered a very serious injury from Cipher. Do you think he died from those injuries or from an event that occurred between The Matrix and Reloaded? Any speculations? Here is how we know he died from Reloaded:
Link: I'm gonna get what?
Zee: Every ship out there has been home two, even three times more than the Nebuchadnezzar.
Link: Come on, Zee! I thought we were past this!
Zee: We'll get past this when you start operating another ship.
Link: I can't do that!
Zee: Why?
Link: You know why.
Zee: If Dozer knew how I felt, he wouldn't have asked you to do this.
Link: Maybe. But it's too late now. I made a promise, and some promises can't be unmade.
Zee: It's not fair.
Link: Nobody said it was gonna be. You think Cas thinks it's fair that I'm here and Dozer's not?
Zee: I lost two brothers to that ship, Link. Afraid of it. Afraid it's gonna take you too.
Link: It won't.
Zee: How can you say that to me?
Link: Because of Morpheus, because of what he's told me. He said that this is it. That it will be over soon.
Zee: Link, Morpheus is crazy.
Link: No doubt, but Tank and Dozer believed him, and I'll tell you what - soon after being on that ship and seeing Neo do the things he can do, I gotta say - I'm starting to believe him too.
Zee: Be careful, Link. Please be careful.
The fact that she lost two brothers to the ship means that he must have died during an incident on or involving the ship. So he didn't die of a disease of of and accident in zion. But I wouldn't have thought that the injuries he sustained from cypher would have killed him. He looked as though he was doing alright after the fact.
The only problem after that is there isn't allot of time in between the first movie and reloaded. I don't know exactly how much time, because at the end of the first movie, neo can already fly. So we don't really know how much time passes. If its very little time, then we can say that tank died from his wounds from cypher's treachery. But if its a longer period of time, then we don't know what other fights took place before they returned to zion. Obviously, they returned at least once between the first and second movie because link was the pilot when they returned.
I am prone to think that there was enough time that something else that is unknown to us happened to cause the death of tank. They then would have had to limp home with a then wounded tank. Then, in zion, tank would have talked with link and thats when link made his promise. Link then goes out on an obviously extended mission with morpheus and the crew because links wife is not happy about the length of his voyage and the lack of return times he has. Enter the argument between link and his wife.
Thanks for your insight, Konquererz. I agree it is all speculation when trying to figure out what happened to him. Outside of the storyline, the actor who played Tank (Marcus Chong) was written out of the storyline because he wanted more money to make the sequels. He then was reported to have created an anti-Matrix website because of his displeasure. All in all, most of the actors in the trilogy were very loyal and devoted to the film, and still are to this day. I guess there always has to be the one or two folks who are in it solely for the money.
I personally have a speculation about the death of Tank. I do not believe that it was actually the wounds that he had already endured but actually in the end scene when the sentinels are inside the ship, before the EMP was blown after NEO got out he may have suffered additional injuries or death at that point. As I say it is merely speculation but that would seem to be more of an idea to me than others.
That is an interesting theory Bwren. I will have to watch the ending of the original again to see if there is anything there that would indicate Tank was still not alive. We know the EMP wouldn't have killed him, so it would have to be a sentinel that got him, or a part of the ship impaling him. As good a theory as any I've heard, or tried to come up with.
Wow, very cool idea Bwren! I watch the original just four days ago after reviewing this thread, I just had to know! He is indeed still pretty hurt, but not dead hurt. He is limping around with help, still, but he is also being held up under his arm/shoulder. But since you don't see him again, it leaves open that time period afterwards for speculation.
Name: Phil
Comments: Tank was able to resume his duties to aid Trinity and Neo in rescuing Morpheus from a military-secured building, and to witness Neo's transformation into The One.
The crew could not heal his wound due to the fact that the plasma shot left his wound permanent. Tank died two months after the events in The Matrix but before the events in the sequel, The Matrix Reloaded. The character's duties as ship's Operator was handed over to Link, who is married to Tank and Dozer's sister, Zee.
The demise of the character was reportedly due to actor Marcus Chong's salary demands and conflicts with the Wachowski brothers, the writers and creators of the Matrix series, leading to him being fired.[4]