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The following contains spoilers for Tron: AresTron: Ares builds on the legacy of the older Tron films but doesn't bring back many of the franchise's most important characters. For the most part, Tron: Ares is focused on a new cast of characters who are wrestling with the legacy of Tron while driving the franchise into the future, with only Kevin Flynn (technically) returning. While there are new generations of programmers and developers following in the footsteps of Flynn and Dillinger, the film is focused on laying out new directions for the series. However, it specifically leaves the door open for some characters to return, especially in light of Tron: Ares' ending. Here are the biggest Tron characters who didn't return for Tron: Ares. Tron The most notable Tron character missing from Tron: Ares is the titular character himself. Introduced in Tron as the primary heroic program who works to help the Users, Tron was a crucial part of the fight against MCP and Sark. Tron returned in Tron: Legacy, albeit in a new form as the villainous Rizzler after being reprogrammed by Clu. Rizzler eventually regains his autonomy and seemingly sacrifices himself to save Flynn, Sam, and Quorra. However, his death was ambiguous enough that he could easily return. Tron may have risked overshadowing Ares and his arc, however, likely explaining why he doesn't appear in any real form in Tron: Ares. Still, it would have been nice to see Tron again. Alan Bradley Played by Bruce Boxleitner in Tron and Tron: Legacy, Alan is one of Flynn's best friends. One of his colleagues at ENCOM, Alan works alongside Flynn in Tron from the real world while his digital avatar assists in the fight against MCP. Alan then reappeared in Tron: Legacy, serving as Executive Consultant for the company. Because Tron is a digital avatar of Alan, Bruce Boxleitner also plays Tron in Tron and delivers his vocal performance in Tron: Legacy and Tron: Uprising. Alan is absent from Tron: Ares, and the film doesn't reveal his current place in the company or how it works with the ascension of Eve. Since Tron: Ares is such a departure from the older films, it makes sense why Alan doesn't appear. However, it is a little sad to see a Tron project without Boxleitner in it. Lora Baines A programmer at ENCOM, Lora is one of the scientists who invented the digitization laser that has become a crucial piece of tech in the series. Alan's love interest in Tron (and eventual wife), Lora is part of their plan to break into ENCOM in Tron to prove that Dillinger stole the credit for Flynn's super popular video games. Lora is actually one of the original Tron characters who could have naturally fit into the narrative of Tron: Ares, given that it's her technology that is crucial to the transfer of matter (and people) from the real world to the Grid. However, Cindy Morgan passed away in 2023, giving another reason why the Tron series wouldn't bring her back. Yori As Tron is a digital avatar of Alan and Clu is one of Flynn, Yori is a program modeled after Lora. A freedom fighter alongside Tron (and his love interest, paralleling the romance between Alan and Lora), Yori is one of the heroic supporting characters in Tron and one of the few programs who actually survives the final fight. Because Tron: Ares doesn't revisit the previous Grid and instead explores modern versions (and back-up iterations) of the concept, Yori doesn't have a natural way of appearing in Tron: Ares. However, a potential sequel could bring back the character or at least delve into her fate, as it was never fully revealed during the events of Tron: Legacy. Sam Flynn The protagonist of Tron: Legacy, Sam is the son of Kevin Flynn. After being led to Flynn's arcade in search of Flynn, Sam is digitized and deposited within the Grid. Sam's efforts to escape make up much of that film's plot, building to his escape alongside Quorra. Despite all that film's sequel set-up, Sam does not return in Tron: Ares. Unlike many characters on this list, Tron: Ares does openly reference Sam. After taking over ENCOM, he gave the company to Eve and her sister before seemingly departing to an unknown location with Quorra. Given the ending of Tron: Ares, it seems likely that any potential sequel would have to reveal more about his current place in the world. Quorra Quorra is one of the more intriguing characters in Tron: Legacy, and is eventually referenced in Tron: Ares. The last of the ISOs (a race of naturally occurring programs), Quorra ended the film escaping into the real world with Sam. She does not formally appear in Tron: Ares, despite her apparent survival without the permanence code. Quorra's presence in Tron: Ares would have raised serious questions about the permanence code, especially because she seems to have been able to survive in the material world without it. Given that Ares is shown looking at pictures of her in the ending of Tron: Ares, it seems a prospective sequel would bring her back into the fold. Ed Dillinger Jr. Julian Dillinger is the main villain of Tron: Ares, but another member of the family was set up in Tron: Legacy as a direct contrast to Sam Flynn. Played by Cillian Murphy, Ed Dillinger Jr. was established as a brilliant programmer with his own plans for the future of ENCOM. An easter egg in the Tron: Legacy Blu-ray release teased that he was working with his father or a resurgent MCP. However, Ed Jr. is completely absent from Tron: Ares, with the Dillingers now operating their own company as a direct rival to ENCOM. It seems that Ed Jr. is the uncle to Julian and brother to Elisabeth Dillinger. Given Murphy's talents at playing villains, it was an exciting tease in Tron: Legacy that ultimately didn't lead to anything for the franchise. However, given the fate of Julian and his mother in Tron: Ares, a prospective fourth Tron movie would be perfectly positioned to revisit the character and delve into his reaction to the collapse of his family's company. Richard Mackey Richard Mackey was a corporate executive at ENCOM in Tron: Legacy. Depicted as the antithesis of the kind of progressive inventor that Flynn was, Mackey's efforts to squeeze every dollar out of ENCOM made him a useful narrative hindrance for Sam and Alan. By the events of Tron: Ares, he seems to have been pushed out of the company. Mackey's absence in Tron: Ares makes sense, given the current state of ENCOM. However, Mackey and his role in ENCOM between the events of the film could shed light on how Eve was able to take such a big role in the company and even introduce another competitor in the market that could complicate the "ENCOM vs. Dillinger" conflict. Beck In between Tron: Legacy and Tron: Ares was the animated series Tron: Uprising. Set during the rise of Clu in the Grid before and alongside the events of Legacy, Tron: Uprising featured a star-studded cast as programs struggling under the growing rule of Clu. The most compelling was Beck, the apprentice of Tron and the main hero of the show.
