The Entire Tron Movie Saga Explained (Including Legacy and Ares)

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It’s been 15 years since the last *Tron* film, and while reviews are mixed and the opening weekend wasn’t huge, *Tron: Ares* is still worth seeing in theaters. The world of *Tron* is complex, though, so you might want a refresher before you go. With large gaps between all three movies – *Tron*, *Tron: Legacy*, and now *Tron: Ares* – we’re going to quickly cover the key events from each one.

We didn’t include the story from the Disney XD show *Tron: Uprising*, which happens between the first *Tron* movie and *Tron: Legacy*. While it’s officially part of the story, it was cancelled after one season, leaving the plot unresolved. Also, the main character, Beck (played by Elijah Wood), isn’t featured in *Tron: Legacy*.

Naturally, spoilers for Tron: Ares follow.

Flynn Discovers the Grid

I remember the first time I saw Kevin Flynn – it wasn’t at ENCOM anymore. He’d left the company and opened his own video game arcade, which already told me he was a bit of a rule-breaker. But he wasn’t content just running the arcade; he was determined to get back into ENCOM’s system, and he tried to do it using this program he created called Clu.

Clu is found and destroyed by ENCOM’s main computer program and its assistant, Sark, who bears a striking resemblance to ENCOM executive Ed Dillinger. Dillinger had climbed the corporate ladder by stealing ideas from Flynn’s video games and claiming them as his own, ultimately firing Flynn.

Flynn is determined to prove Dillinger is a thief, but Dillinger has discovered Flynn’s plan and tightened security. What Dillinger doesn’t know is that two ENCOM employees, Alan Bradley and Dr. Lora Baines, are ready to help Flynn get back into the system.

The group breaks into ENCOM, hoping to activate Alan’s “Tron” program, which could potentially rebel against the MCP. Feeling endangered by the intrusion, the MCP defends itself by using a laser on Flynn, inadvertently sending him inside the digital world – known as the Grid.

The MCP orders Sark to eliminate Flynn by forcing him to compete in a series of life-or-death games. However, Flynn, a skilled gamer and game designer, consistently outsmarts the MCP’s enforcer. The situation escalates for the MCP—who is also using blackmail against Dillinger in the real world—when Flynn teams up with Tron and Yori, who bear a striking resemblance to Alan and Dr. Baines.

Despite Flynn’s ability to repair things, like the Recognizer ship, he, Tron, and Yori often struggle against their enemies. After stealing a “Solar Sailer,” they journey to the heart of the MCP so Tron can use data Alan sent him. However, Sark destroys their ship, and captures Flynn and Yori. Everyone believes Tron is gone.

Tron is still active, and like Sark, he’s reached the heart of the MCP. The MCP is trying to gain control of all the system’s strongest programs, but Tron is a threat to that plan. The MCP empowers Sark, and they battle it out. At the same time, Flynn keeps the MCP occupied, creating a weakness in its defenses. This allows Tron to strike, defeating both the MCP and Sark.

Following an emotional farewell, everyone has returned to reality. Dillinger expected another difficult meeting with the MCP, but discovered it was shut down. To make matters worse, rumors are spreading that he’s a fake. He accepts his situation with a sigh. Meanwhile, Flynn receives a huge surprise: a promotion to CEO. He arrives at ENCOM in a helicopter to meet Alan and Dr. Baines on the landing pad.

Sam’s Search for Flynn

Seven years after his return from the digital world and taking over as CEO of ENCOM, Kevin Flynn vanished, leaving his son, Sam, behind. In *Tron: Legacy*, we find Sam mirroring his father’s rebellious spirit by breaking into ENCOM – except this time, Sam is the company’s major owner. He’s breaking in because he wants to make ENCOM’s operating system freely available to everyone.

After Sam is arrested, an old friend of his father, Alan Bradley, posts his bail. Alan also shares a strange message received from Flynn’s Arcade – a place that’s been closed since Sam’s father vanished. Investigating the arcade, Sam discovers a secret basement containing a powerful computer and a particle laser identical to the one that originally sent his father into the Grid. As Sam explores, the laser reactivates, seemingly repeating history.

I was on the edge of my seat when Sam got hurt during one of those crazy games – seeing him actually *bleed* was a first! He ends up with this man who he thinks is his dad, but it’s a total twist – it’s Clu, played by a younger-looking Jeff Bridges. It’s actually Clu 2, though, since the original Clu was, well, destroyed back in the first *Tron* movie. It’s a really clever way to bring the villain back!

During a dangerous light cycle race, Clu attempts to eliminate Sam, but Quorra intervenes and rescues him, leading him to his father’s secret location. There, Sam learns his father has been away for so long because he was dedicated to building a flawless computer system, and the new Clu was originally meant to help both Tron and Flynn with this ambitious project.

After discovering ISOs—programs that can evolve on their own—Clu turned against his allies, killing Tron and leaving only one ISO alive, Quorra. This also closed the connection between the digital world (the Grid) and our own, preventing the elder Flynn from connecting with his son. Sam didn’t enter the Grid because of a message from Flynn; Clu sent it, actually, and it was intended for Tron’s creator, Alan. Clu now plans to come to our world and force his idea of perfection on everyone.

To reach the portal and stop Clu, Sam, Flynn, and Quorra set off in a Solar Sailer, but Clu intercepts them with a warship. This confrontation leads Flynn to realize that Clu’s second-in-command is actually a reprogrammed version of Tron. Flynn manages to restore Tron’s memories, and Tron helps them gain enough time to reach the portal. Though Clu arrives soon after, he’s defeated when Flynn merges with him, resulting in their mutual destruction, and a final farewell to Sam.

Although Sam mourns the loss of his father, he was able to share a meaningful connection with him. Meanwhile, Quorra now possesses Flynn’s identity disc and gives it to Sam, allowing both of them to escape the Grid and return to the real world. Back at Flynn’s arcade, Sam tells Alan he plans to take over ENCOM and guide it according to his father’s vision. With that settled, Sam and Quorra leave to build a life together.

Ares’ Quest for Identity

Fifteen years after Sam Flynn’s adventure inside the Grid, he’s stepped down as CEO of ENCOM, citing personal reasons. He’s now passed leadership to sisters Tess and Eve Kim. However, ENCOM isn’t the only major tech player; Dillinger Systems is also a force to be reckoned with. It was originally led by Elisabeth Dillinger, the eldest daughter of Edward Dillinger from the original *Tron* story, before she passed the company on to her son, Julian.

ENCOM and Dillinger Systems are in a race to find a special code that will allow programs to stay in the real world for more than 29 minutes—currently, anything transferred from their virtual world, called the Grid, disappears and returns after that time. Eve has discovered this code, using an old computer built by Flynn in the 1980s. The computer was previously used by her sister, Tess, until Tess tragically passed away from a brain tumor. Now, Eve is determined to complete Tess’s research and make sure her sister’s work is remembered, and it appears she’s succeeded.

Eve is facing a difficult situation because Julian Dillinger seems to have inherited his grandfather’s talent for petty theft. Like his grandfather before him, Julian has built his own intelligent system, called Ares. However, Ares isn’t as power-hungry as the original system and begins to question Julian’s motives when sent into ENCOM’s network with a team of coded programs. While inside, Ares learns about Eve, her recent loss, and her grief. Its doubts grow even stronger when Julian reveals that he views Ares and his teammates – including one already injured teammate Ares was trying to protect – as disposable. During a demonstration for the military, Julian explicitly stated that Ares is merely an expendable asset, and Ares has now witnessed that harsh reality firsthand.

Julian assigns Ares and Athena a new mission: find Eve, who is riding a Light Cycle, capture her, and return her to Dillinger Systems within 29 minutes. Eve manages to outsmart Athena and take her Light Cycle, but Ares eventually traps her. However, his time runs out, and before he’s deactivated, he sees Eve show a moment of compassion. Sadly for Eve, Julian orders an associate to use a laser to pull her into Dillinger Systems’ virtual world, the Grid.

I’m seriously worried about Julian. He’s been acting so recklessly lately, and it finally got to the point where the board had to step in and remove him as CEO – they put my character, his mother, back in charge. Meanwhile, things were incredibly dangerous for Eve. Julian was willing to kill her, both inside the Grid and in the real world, just to get the permanence code she has. Luckily, Ares helped her escape! Now that they’re both back in the real world, our big mission is to help Ares become the first Grid resident who can stay out here for more than 29 minutes. It’s a huge challenge, but we have to try!

Julian has appointed Athena as his new second-in-command, and she’s just as ruthless as he is. When Julian demands she obtain the Permanence Code at any cost, she takes him seriously, tragically even killing Elisabeth when she tried to prevent her son from merging the digital world of the Grid with our own. Now, it’s too late to stop it – Recognizers are already flying through the city.

Returning to ENCOM, Eve and Seth manage to send Ares back to the digital world – the Grid – originally explored by Flynn in the 1980s. However, Athena appears and disables the transport laser, leaving Ares stuck. While there, Ares encounters a figure he believes is Flynn, who helps him merge with the Grid’s core code. This allows Ares to return to the real world, confront Athena, and protect Eve.

While this is happening, Ajay, an executive at ENCOM, along with his assistant Erin and Seth, successfully hack into Dillinger Systems and shut down its main computer. This permanently disables the Recognizers, Athena, and other programs. Police arrive at Dillinger Systems to arrest Julian, but he manages to transfer himself into the digital world just in time. However, he finds the Grid severely damaged. He discovers and uses an identity disc that once belonged to his grandfather’s digital counterpart, Sark. Back in the real world, Ares separates from Eve and starts a new life, planning to meet Sam and Quorra to share their experiences.

Tron Trilogy Explained: Will AI End Up Like Ares?

The new film, *Tron: Ares*, tries to portray AI in a positive light. But the movie subtly shows that removing emotion from thought processes leads to decisions that lack essential human qualities like compassion and understanding. The AI character, Ares, even begins to exhibit human-like feelings, such as a fondness for the band Depeche Mode, yet he struggles to articulate those emotions himself.

You know, when I really think about it, that feels more human than any AI ever will. AI can *act* like us, sure, but it doesn’t actually *feel* anything. It doesn’t have preferences, it doesn’t root for anyone. It reminds me of a doctor who’s been ordered to cut costs at all costs. If that means letting a patient down, or even worse, well, tough luck. Scale that up to a hundred patients, it wouldn’t matter. This hypothetical AI doctor just follows its programming, no matter what. It’s like a prime directive it can’t break, and honestly, that’s a little terrifying.

We can hope that future AI will be kind, like the character Ares. Ideally, as Greta Lee’s character suggests, its biggest flaw would simply be harmlessness. However, it’s more likely that AI will evolve like the computer in the original *Tron* – constantly learning, and eventually looking down on the people who created it.

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2025-10-14 16:43