As a massive fan of all things Tron, from the previous two films to the numerous video games to the excellent Disney World roller coaster, I am as excited as anybody that a third film, Tron: Ares, is nearing its release. For a long time, it seemed this film might never happen, and now, not only is it set to take place, but Jeff Bridges will somehow return.
We’ve known for a while that Jeff Bridges would appear in the new film, despite his character Flynn appearing to die in Tron: Legacy. We got our first look at Bridges' return in the most recent Tron: Ares trailer, and while it doesn’t explain anything, it does have a lot of people online, and now myself, thinking that Jeff Bridges is looking an awful lot like Marlon Brando in the original Superman.
Maybe because I saw superman he look like Jor el from superman the movie pic.twitter.com/HIHGWTKLlvJuly 17, 2025
Once you see it, it’s pretty hard to unsee. Bridges is dressed in a white gown, has white hair, is standing in front of a stark background, and even has a glowing logo right where Brando’s Jor-El does in Superman. The only thing Brando is missing is Bridges’ cool beard. Lots of fans are seeing the parallel, and making comments like...
Bro what is Jor-El doing on Tron
Honestly, he looks a bit like Jor-El, no matter which Superman movie you watch, as the surprise Jor-El cameo in the brand new Superman is clearly inspired by Brando’s performance, with similar monochrome outfits. And that actor even has a beard, making him look as much like Jeff Bridges in Tron: Ares as Brando.
I thought he was playing Jor-El..... pic.twitter.com/p5FQrAFz93July 17, 2025
To be fair, Jeff Bridges doesn’t look all that different from the way Flynn looked in Tron: Legacy. The outfit was very similar. Although it was missing the glowing logo on the chest, which certainly goes a long way on its own to building that Superman-like look. What that logo means, if anything, is a potentially interesting question. It’s possible the similarity is intentional, as it's unlikely the filmmakers wouldn’t have noticed the resemblance, considering how many fans have instantly made the connection with comments like @tronparallels…
close enough, welcome back jor-el
It’s even possible that Bridges’ performance is going to fill a somewhat similar role to that of Jor-El, at least in the original Superman movie. It’s not actually clear if Bridges is playing Flynn or simply assuming the form of Flynn. He could be part of the system, communicating with Ares and providing him with information, as a pre-recorded Jor-El does in teaching Christopher Reeve’s Superman.
Even if Flynn looks like Jor-El, and even if that’s all I’ll be thinking about when he shows up in Tron: Ares, I don’t care. The fact that a new Tron movie is coming, and Jeff Bridges is part of it, is what matters.
