One Hidden Cyberpunk 2077 Detail Opens Up A Multiverse Can Of Worms

Summary Cyberpunk 2077's Night City is full of media references, including several to Keanu Reeves character and other roles.

Keanu's character, Johnny Silverhand plays a major role in Cyberpunk 2077's narrative. Reeves' existence as an actor in-universe adds meta layers to the game.

The inclusion of the Matrix-esque John Anderson and ORPH3U5, a John Wick Easter egg, and Keanu Reeves' in-game existence add complexity and meta fun to Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077's Night City is full of references to other media, with its own version of the Batmobile found within a cave, to one of the fastest bikes in the game, the Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X, which is also known as the motorbike from Akira. Some details, however, open up a multiversal can of worms, mainly surrounding the works of actor Keanu Reeves, who also portrays Rockerboy Johnny Silverhand in the game.

Silverhand is one of the main characters in the game, despite having died 54 years prior to V's story. The deceased rockstar rebel's engram is on the prototype version of the Relic embedded in V's head, which is gradually killing them. Through flashbacks and conversations with Silverhand, players learn more about his backstory, goals, enemies, and alliances, many of whom return to assist V or cause trouble in Cyberpunk 2077's narrative. Silverhand will also appear to comment on actions throughout the game, and even assume control of V's body at certain points.

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An Archived Conversation Resembles The Matrix

Only This Mr. Anderson Wasn't So Fortunate

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When entering a cooling installation on Scoffield Street in The Glen, Heywood, players will find the body of a suited man, and will be able to pick up a skill shard for Blades, and what is presumably the final conversation this man had. As pointed out by Redditor copolii, upon reading the shard, it's clear that this moment was pulled from the classic 1999 sci-fi action movie, The Matrix, only with a slight change of the characters' names. Instead of Thomas Anderson (aka. Neo) and Morpheus, Cyberpunk 2077's versions are called John Anderson and ORPH3U5.

The moment in question is when Morpheus tries to navigate Neo through his office building to escape the Agents who are hunting him. It leads to a moment in which he is told to climb out of a window and onto a narrow ledge to scale the outside of the skyscraper to reach the roof and get to freedom. A gust of wind blows and Neo's fear takes over, with him telling Morpheus he can't do it and ultimately getting captured. Cyberpunk 2077's version clearly plays out a bit differently, with John Anderson climbing onto the ledge and falling to his death.

Related Keanu Reeves' 10 Most Memorable Characters, Ranked With a career spanning multiple genres and several decades, Keanu Reeves has one of the most iconic and diverse filmographies in Hollywood.

A John Wick Reference Can Also Be Found In Cyberpunk 2077

The Easter Egg Was Added In Phantom Liberty

Custom Image by Glenn Bunn

Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion added an entirely new area of Night City, Dogtown back in September 2023, and with it came many more references and hidden details. One of which was a weapons case with a sign reading "FOR MR. WICK", alluding to Keanu Reeves' famous assassin character, John Wick. Players can find the John Wick Easter egg from the moment they first reach Dogtown if they head to Sofia's weapons shop in the EBM Petrochem Stadium.

Much like the Matrix reference, if players wait until Johnny Silverhand is back in the passenger seat rather than Songbird - who is guiding V into the area at the start of Phantom Liberty - before visiting the weapons shop, he appears and reacts to the reference with a brief expletive. Unlike the deceased Mr. Anderson, however, it's not clear whether John Wick exists as a real person within the Cyberpunk universe, or if this is a prop or a reference to the character from an old movie.

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Keanu Reeves Is Also Canon In The Cyberpunk Universe

The Actor Was Often Mistaken For Johnny Silverhand

This is because the actor Keanu Reeves is also canon in Cyberpunk 2077, and is still alive as of 2077. Reeves being canon was confirmed by CD Projekt Red's Senior Quest Designer Patrick Mills, around the time of Cyberpunk 2077's original release. Mills was responding to a lyric in Run the Jewels' song for the game, No Save Point, which refers to Reeves, saying "Keanu Reeves, cyber arm under my sleeve". As Run the Jewels appears as the group Yankee and the Brave in Cyberpunk 2077, Mills stated that the lyric is "lore friendly" and refers to "a little-known Collapse-era actor who bore an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Silverhand".

The Arch motorcycle company in Cyberpunk 2077 is the same one Reeves owns in real life, with both being founded in 2011.

Mills went on to explain that Reeves would often be mistaken for Silverhand in the years following the Rockerboy's disappearance, suggesting that he is still alive by the events of the game. Therefore, while the Matrix-esque event clearly happened, the John Wick reference in Phantom Liberty may be an in-universe nod to the popular action movie franchise or even a prop from a little-known film that's become a cult collector's item.

Related New Hidden Cyberpunk 2077 Easter Egg Reveals A Creepy Obsession For Johnny Silverhand A new mission in Cyberpunk 2077's 2.1 update shows Johnny Silverhand and his band, Samurai still have some die-hard fans in Night City.

Cyberpunk 2077 Can Get Extremely Meta At Times

How Many Of Reeves' Characters Exist In Night City?

With how meta Cyberpunk 2077 can get at times, there's also the possibility that there are people who are almost exactly like the characters Reeves portrayed just inhabiting the game's universe, just like John Anderson, which would suggest that Silverhand's reaction to the Wick Easter egg was acknowledging yet another, deadly doppelgänger. Although Silverhand's reactions to both references are extremely short and are simply expletive comments, they do play up the connection between him and Reeves' other characters as a fun nod to the players.

With Keanu Reeves' in-game existence, could these characters serve as the real-world inspiration for some of his roles? Considering the Matrix-esque storyline of Mr. Anderson unlocking his full potential and becoming "The One" clearly never happened in Cyberpunk 2077. His escape would have unfolded when the in-universe Reeves was much older, which suggests this isn't the case here. However, John Wick still could have been a Night City legend with his skills as an extremely deadly assassin fitting in perfectly and warranting him getting his own movie.

It's unknown exactly which roles Reeves played in that reality compared to ours, and which of his characters are just real people, so more of his characters from movies in our world could be roaming Night City. The idea that the Cyberpunk 2077 universe shares similar elements to the real world is certainly a fun one, and almost plays into the themes of The Matrix with events unfolding within a simulation that those within it are unaware of. Maybe the reason Silverhand feels a connection to those who resemble Reeves' other roles is because he followed his actor doppelgänger's work, or maybe because as an engram he knows they are connected in a different way.

Source: copolii/Reddit, Patrick Mills/X