While I’ve been waiting for a brand new trailer for Tron: Ares, I didn’t think my wish would be answered this soon. As the 2025 Disney movie is heading to San Diego Comic-Con next weekend, I was surely anticipating some sort of footage being shown, if not released to the public. Then the full trailer for this Jared Leto-led ensemble dropped, with a clear view of Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn in the biodigital flesh…and it’s left me with some theories on why he’s actually back again.
Theory #1: There’s A Grid That Still Looks Like The OG Tron
As confirmed through D23’s 2024 updates on Tron: Ares, a new Grid is on the board: The Dillinger Grid. Ares (Jared Leto) is its Master Control Program, with Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) being the human puppeteer who wants to use him for profit. I presume that’s why the red color scheme dominates Ares’ look, and the marketing for the movie is designed as it is.
Keeping that in mind, take a closer look at that Kevin Flynn photo at the top. Or better still, check out how Tron: Ares’ potential anti-hero looks as he speaks with the Maker himself:
Does anyone else hear Wendy Carlos’ classic 1982 theme tune, or is it just me? It seems like Ares is definitely heading to a digital realm that looks and feels like it’s from the start of the Tron movie timeline, only with an older Flynn. Don’t worry, I have an explanation for that as well.
Theory #2: This Isn’t The Kevin Flynn, But Another Copy
The original Kevin Flynn, for our purposes, is dead. Taken out by reintegrating with the villainous CLU in Tron: Legacy’s finale, any trace of the long-captive genius rests in that necklace we saw on Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund). With another Grid in existence, that surely has to mean there’s another copy of Kevin Flynn out there, right?
Ready for another potential twist that’s worth booting up your Disney+ subscription? I think this potentially new version of Kevin Flynn was designed by Sam! Don’t forget, the short film “The Next Day” saw the young rebel taking his place as the head of ENCOM - which is now run by Ares newcomer Eve Kim (Greta Lee).
While we don’t know where Sam (or Olivia Wilde’s Quorra) are in Tron: Ares' story, we do know that for a time, the Son of Flynn was ready to run the show. He could have very easily put together a version of his father that combined leftover code from Legacy, other records at ENCOM Tower, and whatever else he could scrape together.
Theory #3: Kevin Flynn Is Ares' Way To Find The Permanence Code
I’m kind of glad I learned about Tron: Ares’ Permanence Code when I did, because Kevin Flynn (whichever version he is) surely has to have something to do with that mega macguffin. If Sam Flynn did create this version of his father, it may have been to help him seek out that very code to preserve Quorra’s life in the real world.
That means Kevin Flynn 3.0 already has this answer, and that’s why Ares needs to see him. Furthering the analogy of Ares as a new version of Pinocchio, Jeff Bridges is almost literally the Blue Fairy for Jared Leto’s little digital boy. Which will undoubtedly ruffle feathers, instigate some fights, and could see Julian Dillinger running into the consequences his mother Elisabth (Gillian Anderson) tried to warn him about.
Yeah, that's not a look of maternal pride. That's a look that says "We're doomed." I hope I'm wrong for the sake of our species, because that last shot of the Recognizer firing an absurd amount of missiles in a real-world setting still haunts me.
The truth, and Tron: Ares itself, enters our world on October 10th. It’s going to be a battle for more than the fate of The Grid. It could very well determine the survival of humanity and all life on planet Earth. Are you ready to fight for Users and Programs alike?
