The Only Recap You Need Before Tron: Ares

Tron: Ares – the third film in the Tron saga – is set to hit theaters on October 10, 2025. It promises to break new ground by bringing a program into our world — humanity’s first encounter with an AI from the Grid. Well, sort of. We found out that was possible at the end of Legacy, but more about that in a minute. Before Ares, let’s relive the key storylines of the first two Tron films. From the original 1982 classic that pioneered the digital frontier to the 2010 sequel that brought the grid to a new generation, this is the only recap you need to prepare for Tron: Ares.

Tron (1982) – Enter the Grid

In 1982’s Tron, computer programmer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is a brilliant game developer who once worked for the tech giant ENCOM. Flynn has been hacking into ENCOM’s mainframe to find proof that senior executive Ed Dillinger stole his video game designs. But the company’s central AI, the Master Control Program (MCP), has gone rogue — secretly assimilating other systems and manipulating Dillinger to maintain power.

Flynn sneaks into ENCOM with friends Alan Bradley and Lora Baines, but the MCP digitizes him with a powerful laser, zapping him inside the computer world known as the Grid. Here, programs appear as humanoid avatars of their users, and the MCP rules through fear. Programs are enslaved and forced to fight in gladiatorial games, including the iconic Light Cycle battles.

Flynn befriends Tron, a heroic security program created by Alan to defend the system, and together they fight back. Flynn discovers his “User” powers allow him to manipulate the digital environment, helping Tron reach the MCP’s core. In a climactic battle, Flynn sacrifices himself inside the MCP’s beam, allowing Tron to destroy it from within. The MCP derezzes, freeing the Grid and restoring the link to the outside world.

Flynn reappears in ENCOM’s lab, where the system prints out evidence proving Dillinger’s theft. Then we see Flynn emerging from a helicopter on the roof of the ENCOM building, hugging his two accomplices. The film closes with a time lapse of the city whose lights and light trails throwback to the digital frontier of the grid.

Nerd Notes: If you’ve not seen this film, it’s worth watching at least once. The computer animated effects were revolutionary for their time, and Kevin Flynn being digitized still looks incredible even all these years later. While there’s actually a lot that holds up in this film, the lighting effects on the character’s suits aren’t one of them and there’s a lot of weird glitches because of the way they achieved that look. Regardless, Tron is a timeless story with themes that continue to resonate today––maybe even more so with the rise of AI. If only we had a Tron to defeat our evil AI overlords.

Tron: Legacy (2010) – The Next Generation Discovers a Lost World

Fast forward nearly three decades. In Tron: Legacy, Kevin’s son Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is a rebellious heir to ENCOM. His father disappeared in 1989 without a trace. One night, Alan Bradley tells Sam he received a mysterious page from Flynn’s old arcade — disconnected for 20 years. Sam investigates and discovers a hidden lab beneath the arcade, still running his father’s system. Before he knows it, the same laser pulls him into a new Grid.

This Grid is sleeker, deadlier, and under the control of Clu — a digital replica of Kevin Flynn, created to build the perfect system. But perfection turned toxic. Clu betrayed Kevin, overthrew him, and wiped out an entire race of spontaneous digital lifeforms called ISOs (Isomorphic Algorithms). Kevin has been trapped inside the system ever since, unable to return once the “Portal” to the real world closed.

Sam survives the deadly Games and meets Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a skilled warrior who rescues him and takes him to Kevin. Reunited, father and son hatch a plan to escape the Grid. Along the way, Sam learns Quorra is the last surviving ISO — proof that digital life can evolve beyond human control. Their only way out is through the Portal, but Clu wants Kevin’s identity disc — the master key to the system — to escape into the real world himself.

After betrayals, Light Cycle battles, and a dazzling Light Jet dogfight, Kevin and Sam confront Clu at the Portal. Clu nearly wins until Kevin sacrifices himself, merging with his creation and destroying them both in a brilliant flash. Sam and Quorra escape to the real world, where she experiences her first sunrise — the ultimate symbol of the Grid’s evolution spilling into ours.

By the end, Flynn is gone, Clu is destroyed, and Sam takes charge of ENCOM with Quorra by his side. Tron — revealed to have survived but corrupted as Clu’s enforcer, Rinzler — redeems himself with the line that defines the series: “I fight for the Users.” His final act hints that the Grid’s greatest hero still lives.

Nerd Notes: Neither of these films are necessary watches before Ares (you are reading a recap, after all). But if you watch Legacy for one reason, it should be for the incredible soundtrack by Daft Punk. Their involvement (and cameo) in the film was just a part of the huge hype generated when the film was announced over 15 years ago. As part of the promotional campaign, Disney even recreated Flynn’s Arcade and revealed a full-sized lightcycle at 2009’s San Diego Comic-Con. Beyond the promos, they had a huge cast including, of course, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde (who by this time was at the height of her acting career with the hit hospital drama House), Michael Sheen, and even Cillian Murphy (hot off of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) in a small role. Sadly, the music, cast, and special effects weren’t enough to save it from the critics. Some of the biggest issues were a subpar, sometimes disjointed story with odd pacing and the ridiculous de-aging of Jeff Bridges and his digital counterpart, Clu. To be fair, it was early days for de-aging technology, but relying on it so heavily was a mistake, in my opinion. The current critic score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 51%, with the audience score not much better.

Beyond Legacy – Setting the Stage for Tron: Ares

With Clu defeated and the Grid free, you might think the story was over. But Tron has always been about pushing boundaries between man and machine.

This new film introduces Ares (Jared Leto), a highly advanced program who emerges from the digital world into the real one. For the first time, humanity will meet a sentient AI face-to-face. While Tron: Legacy hinted at this with Quorra’s escape, Ares looks set to take the concept much further, bringing all the notable elements of The Grid to the real world.

Expect threads from across the saga — the Flynns, ENCOM’s shadowy legacy, and maybe even a returning Tron — to converge as digital life crosses into our reality. Sadly, Daft Punk will not be returning to write the music for Ares, having retired in 2021. Nine Inch Nails will be scoring this one and what little we’ve heard certainly sounds promising.

So rev up your Light Cycle, Users. The Grid is booting back up, and Tron: Ares is about to rewrite the code of what’s possible.