Agent Smith first became famous in The Matrix in 1999, where Hugo Weaving's program turned Neo's surname into a chilling catchphrase across the films. Smith almost never calls him Neo, preferring the formal Mr. Anderson, which underlines that he still sees him as Thomas Anderson, the ordinary man inside the system. Clips of the greeting later spread on soundboards and in fan edits, with stretched versions exaggerating the final syllable for comedy. It remains popular because a single name instantly signals a confident villain confronting his hero.