This article covers notable characters of Tron franchise, including all of its various cinematic, literary, video game adaptations and sequels.
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For the first film, Richard Rickitt explains that to "produce the characters who inhabit the computer world, actors were dressed in costumes that were covered in black-and-white computer circuitry designs....With coloured light shining through the white areas of their costumes, the resulting characters appeared to glow as if lit from within....optical processes were used to create all of the film's computerized characters..."[1] Frederick S. Clarke reports that "Tron: Legacy will combine live action with CGI," adding that "several characters...will be completely digital..."[2]
Kevin Flynn is the main protagonist of the first film. He is played by Jeff Bridges.
Kevin Flynn is a former employee of fictional software company Encom. At the start of the first movie he is working as manager of "Flynn's", a video arcade, where he impresses his patrons with his skills at games that (unbeknownst to them) he designed at Encom. A brilliant programmer, he is determined to hack the company's computers to find evidence that proves his assertions that CEO Ed Dillinger stole Flynn's work to advance his position within the company. Throughout most of the film, Flynn travels around the computer world, helping a few security programs to stop the Master Control Program. In time, Kevin gradually discovers that as a User he commands the physical laws of the computer world, enabling him to do feats which give him and his allies a decisive edge in their quest. Eventually, he sacrifices himself by jumping into the mainframe of the MCP, allowing Tron to destroy it, sending Flynn back to the real world immediately before obtaining the evidence of Dillinger's theft. It was only after revealing this to the public that Flynn was rehired back at Encom to become the new CEO.
In the novelization of the film, Flynn's name is revealed to be Kevin O. Flynn.
Clu (Codified Likeness Utility) is a hacking program created by Kevin Flynn for the purpose of rooting out evidence of the theft of programs stolen by Ed Dillinger that were created by Flynn. He is also played by Jeff Bridges. Clu is first seen in the opening of the movie operating a tank program in the search to uncover the stolen data. Clu is eventually captured by a recognizer and interrogated by the Master Control Program (MCP), who then absorbs all of his functions into its system when he refuses to give up information. The program Clu is then derezzed by the MCP, much to Flynn's discomfort. The information that the MCP eventually learns from Clu is then subsequently used against Flynn as he tries to escape the game grid on a lightcycle.
Alan Bradley is a computer programmer working for Encom and a friend of Kevin Flynn. He is played by Bruce Boxleitner. Alan is the creator of the Tron program that monitors communications between the Master Control Program and the real world. Bradley at first attempts to look on updates of the system through his Tron program, only to find out that the MCP has already locked it out. It was then that Flynn convinced Bradley to let him go to the laser laboratory to get to another security program to find evidence of Dillinger stealing Flynn's original work. In the film, Tron addresses Bradley with the username 'Alan-1' when he establishes communication with him.
Tron is the titular character and the deuteragonist of the film. He is also played by Bruce Boxleitner. Tron is a security program created by Alan Bradley to monitor communications between the Master Control Program and the real world. In the movie, Tron is captured by the MCP, but he is freed by the help of the digitized user named Flynn. It was then Tron receives instructions from his user on how to shut down the MCP, joining along with Lora Baines' program Yori to get to the MCP's core. As they are about to reach to it, Sark arrives in his command ship, and destroys the sailer, capturing Flynn and Yori in the process. Tron sneaks aboard the shuttle, and upon reaching the core, he engages in battle with Sark, who would later gain more of the MCP's functions, growing in size. It was Flynn who jumped into the MCP's core, allowing Tron to finally destroy the MCP and the rest of its factions with his disk, freeing the digital world to communicate with the users and sending Flynn back to the real world. In the film, Tron's program name is revealed to be TRON-JA307020.
Bit is a representation of a bit (binary digit), it was only capable of providing yes or no answers to any question. Despite this it still managed to convey emotion and other levels of complexity.
Physically, Bit was represented within the movie by a blue polyhedral shape that morphed between the compound of dodecahedron and icosahedron and the small triambic icosahedron (the first stellation of the icosahedron).[3] When "at rest" this shape was constantly shifting. When the Bit announces the answer "yes" it briefly changes into a yellow octahedron, and when it announces "no" it changes into the 35th stellation of the icosahedron, colored red.
Bit appeared twice in the movie, once at the beginning of the movie as a companion to Flynn's hacking program Clu and later on as a companion to Flynn himself when he stole the Recognizer which Clu had earlier destroyed.
Bit was originally to have a more extensive role in the film, but it was cut to just two minutes due to scheduling reasons.[4] Despite this, the co-creators of Max Headroom, in their book Creative Computer Graphics, called it "one of the most memorable characters in the film."[4] At the time of the film's release, the character represented an innovative use of computer graphics techniques such as vector graphics[4] and morphing.[5]
Lora Baines is a research engineer at the software company Encom. She is played by Cindy Morgan. Lora is one of the designers of the matter scanning laser that transports Kevin Flynn into the computer world from her terminal. She is also the girlfriend of Alan Bradley and ex-girlfriend of Kevin Flynn, and the creator of the Yori program that befriends Flynn in the computer world. Yori and Tron are close friends.
Ed Dillinger is the Senior Executive Vice President of fictional software company Encom and the "real world" antagonist of the first film. He is played by David Warner.
Ed Dillinger first started out as a co-worker in Encom, before stealing Kevin Flynn's original work and presenting it as his own to the company, earning him a series of promotions, ending up being the SEVP. He contributes to the rise of the Master Control Program that controls the Encom mainframe and the user of Sark that acts as the MCP's second-in-command. As Flynn tries to buy his way into finding the evidence of Dillinger's theft of his work to no avail, Dillinger authorizes the MCP to tighten security controls. Eventually, the MCP becomes more assertive into control, blackmailing Dillinger to do its misdeeds, as it wants to eliminate all programs monitoring it before serving its own purposes. In the end, however, TRON destroys the MCP and Flynn is returned to the real world. Dillinger, having arrived to see that the MCP is no longer in use and that the evidence of his theft is shown on the display screen, assuring that Flynn has got hold of it. It can be inferred that Dillinger is busted out from the company and sent to jail for stealing Flynn's work.
The Master Control Program (MCP), voiced by David Warner, is the main antagonist of the first film.
MCP is a rogue artificial intelligence created by ENCOM founder Walter Gibbs (as a chess program) and improved by Ed Dillinger that ruled over the world inside Encom's mainframe computer known as the Encom-511 (in the comic book Tron: Betrayal, the program Dumont states that Kevin Flynn created the MCP). The MCP grew by absorbing other programs, becoming more powerful. During the rule of the MCP, many programs that the MCP had no use for were either supposed to align with the MCP or be enslaved and forced to play games against its henchmen, led by Sark (also played by Warner). To gain information and power, as soon as Ed Dillinger (who is Sark's real world counterpart) was promoted due to the video games he pirated from another programmer's file, the MCP immediately began to blackmail Dillinger into doing his bidding, threatening to reveal his theft of Flynn's files to the public if he doesn't comply.
Dillinger used the MCP to administer the company's computer network (in effect an AI Superuser). However, the MCP had the capacity to learn and grow beyond the confines of its original programming. It began to steal data from other systems, and took control of several companies and institutions. Its intelligence - and ambition - grew nearly out of control, 2,415 times more since its creation, and the MCP grew to desire nothing less than world domination; stating "With the information I can access, I can run things 900 to 1200 times better than any human."
Eventually, however, the MCP foolishly caused its own downfall. It digitized former Encom programmer Kevin Flynn, who had come dangerously close to uncovering Dillinger's schemes ("He pushed me in the real world. Somebody pushes me, I push back."). Flynn, in the computer world, allied himself with Tron, a security program; their combined efforts resulted in the deresolution (death) of the MCP. The MCP then reverted back to its original chess program appearance (which, in the digital universe, appeared as an old man in a control chair) followed by this program vanishing as it was deleted with the subsequent self-destruction of the Holy Pit it resided in. Following the deresolution of the MCP, Flynn returns to the real world with evidence of Dillinger's theft of his original work and winning a promotion as the new CEO, while Dillinger was sent to jail.
The MCP would end most of its conversations with Dillinger and Sark with the phrase "End of line". In the sequel, Tron: Legacy, the digital world has a music club called the "End of Line Club" as a tribute to the Master Control Program.
Ram is an actuarial program who "worked for a big insurance company" before being captured by the MCP and forced to play on the Game Grid. While held captive, he met Tron and became a brief sidekick character. He is played by Dan Shor.
While involved in the games, Ram evolves beyond his original programming into quite a proficient gamer. Though not quite at the level of Tron, Ram expresses a fair amount of confidence in his abilities while being held in detention between contests. Personality wise, Ram is very laid back and disarming. He took great pride in his work as an actuarial program, remarking that it gave him a great feeling helping people plan for their future needs. He later is injured by a game tank after escaping the game grid with Flynn and Tron. Flynn moves the injured Ram to a type of game grid junk yard and into what was left of a Recognizer. A little later, after Flynn reveals his "user" status to Ram, Ram asks Flynn to help Tron before finally derezzing. Tron later asks Flynn of Ram's whereabouts, and is told that Ram "didn't make it".
Sark is an evil computer program who serves as the secondary antagonist of the first film. He is played by David Warner.[6]
Command Program Sark, as his memory guards call him, is the henchman and chief lieutenant to the Master Control Program. He is created by Encom CEO Ed Dillinger, and shares Dillinger's voice (and in Sark's case, his physical form), though in the case of the MCP, this voice is much deeper. Sark oversaw the training of new programs that were kidnapped and brought to the Game Grid by the MCP. Sark freely admitted that the training he arranged for the conscripts was somewhat substandard, as Sark's own elite force of programs nearly always won every match they took part in. Sark was known to enter the games himself from time to time, and was a grand master at any game he cared to try (when we first meet him, he is victorious in a game of Light Cycles).
Sark was brutally efficient at his work. Furthermore, the MCP himself pointed out that Sark actually enjoyed his job—"brutal and needlessly sadistic", as the MCP put it. Sark took immense pride in being labeled as such.
Nevertheless, Sark and the MCP's reign of terror over the computer world quickly came to a crashing halt when Kevin Flynn, a former programmer at Encom, was digitized and brought into the computer world. Sark refused to believe that there was anything special about Flynn, arrogantly dismissing him as "just an ordinary program". Sark threw everything he could at Flynn in an effort to eliminate him, but Flynn (along with Tron, a security program) fought back just as hard. Sark's repeated failure to kill Flynn drew the ire of the MCP, who menacingly wondered how Sark would "take to working in a pocket calculator". After being threatened with deresolution (death), Sark resolved to wipe Flynn out once and for all. On board his command carrier, Sark captured Flynn and attempted to use him to lure Tron out into the open where he could kill them both. In a battle with Tron, Sark was mortally wounded (Tron threw his disk hard enough to break through Sark's own) but was revived by the MCP, who infused Sark with all of his functions, making him much larger and more powerful than before—"Sark, All of my functions are now yours". Flynn eventually breaks into the MCP's core, allowing Tron to finally shut the MCP down for good. Upon the MCP's demise, Sark derezzed and ceased to exist (presumably along with all other 'MCP faction' programs). In the novelization of the film, his program name is revealed to be SARK-ES1117821.
Yori was a program written by Lora Baines and is the tritagonist and the romantic interest of Tron. She is also played by Cindy Morgan. She was in charge of the creation of digital simulations (such as the Solar Sailer) and assisted in the de-rezzing procedure of the digitizing laser. Yori is reunited with Tron after he rescues her from the clutches of the MCP. She then proceeds to help both Tron and Flynn reach the core of the MCP, where their combined efforts leads to the destruction of the MCP and its factional programs. As Flynn has already sacrificed himself to stop the MCP, Yori ponders on what Flynn's fate would be, unaware that Flynn has been returned to the real world.
The video game Tron 2.0 was a direct sequel to Tron but is now non-canon with release of Tron: Legacy and its various related titles. The comic book Tron: The Ghost in the Machine further explores the Tron 2.0 characters and storyline.
Jet Bradley is the son of Alan Bradley and Lora Baines Bradley and the main protagonist of the game Tron 2.0. Jet is digitized while searching for his missing father. Once within the computer world, he is tasked with locating the Tron Legacy Code.
Jet is also the basis for the experimental program that is the central character of Tron: The Ghost in the Machine. This version of Jet is a digital backup of the original User, copied and stored within the system. Due to the complexities involved in making a copy of a human being, the program version of Jet is corrupted and split into three separate aspects. Eventually, all aspects of the program are united and given the choice to ascend from the digital world into the real world.
Mercury is a female humanoid computer program. She is voiced by Rebecca Romijn. She is known within the computer world as a champion lightcycle racer but also shows some combat skills during the course of the game. She returns in Tron: The Ghost in the Machine as one of the leaders the resistance against the red version of the program Jet, who is masquerading as the MCP.
Ma3a is a female computer program. She is voiced by Cindy Morgan. Unlike most other programs in the computer world, Ma3a is shaped like a sphere. When she was originally written by Alan Bradley in the March 1988, she was known as Ma1a, followed by Ma2a in the June 1996, and by 2003, Ma3a. Ma3a carries many of Lora Bradley's personality traits and even sounds like her (considering Cindy Morgan also played Lora in TRON). Speculation within Encom has led some employees to believe that part of Lora was digitized into Ma3a's code in the midst of the 1994 digitizing accident resulting in Lora's death. In March 2003, Alan Bradley was given the "Digital Pal" award for Ma3a.
Thorne was an executive from fCon who was improperly digitized into the computer and became corrupted, spreading like a virus throughout the system. Corrupted programs that follow Thorne as "The Master User" are called Z-Lots. Thorne is derezzed after a battle with The Kernel. Before he dies, he passes along vital information on fCon to Jet Bradley.
The Kernel is a security program commanding the system's ICPs. He was destroyed by Jet Bradley during a battle with the corrupted user, Thorne.
Byte is a redesigned Bit but is identical in design and speaks in the same distorted voice. Unlike Bit, Byte is able to speak full English.
Data Wraiths are digitized elite hacker Users that were employed by fCon to create havoc in computer systems around the world, steal top-secret data and destroying the databases of fCon's competitors. When they derez in the computer world they are kicked out of the computer and return to their original human form, unconscious.
These three fCon executive attempted to transfer themselves into the computer world unaware that the correction algorithms necessary for proper transfer had been disabled. Without the algorithms, the digitization process went awry and the three executives were merged into one horrible monstrosity.
Tron: Legacy, its comic book prequel Tron: Betrayal, the forthcoming animated television prequel Tron: Uprising and the video game tie-in Tron: Evolution are all direct sequels to Tron. Several characters will appear in all four pieces of the franchise while others are specific to one component. All four parts establish a specific time line of the Tron universe.[7]
Abraxas is the main antagonist of Tron: Evolution. He is voiced by John Glover. Formerly an ISO named Jalen, he was re-tasked by Clu as a computer virus as a means to justify the purge of the ISOs from the Grid in an effort to create Clu's "perfect" system.
Beck is the main protagonist in Tron: Uprising. He is voiced by Elijah Wood.
Beck is a young program that leads a revolution against Clu and his armies from within the digital realm of The Grid. He is trained by Tron and looks to him as a mentor throughout his time as a games warrior. Beck eventually becomes as powerful as Tron and challenges the tyranny of Tesler and his oppressive forces.[7]
Clu 2 (Codified Likeness Utility 2.0) is a program created by Kevin Flynn to oversee the development of the Grid and the main antagonist of Tron: Legacy. He is played by Jeff Bridges.
Clu was created by Flynn to oversee the development of the Grid, so that Flynn could make time in the "real world" as CEO of Encom and for his son, Sam. Programmed with the command of creating a perfect system, Clu grew to resent Flynn as his actions took him further away from Clu's idea of perfection. After the manifestation of the ISOs, unique life forms which Clu saw as imperfect beings, Clu became corrupted and betrayed Flynn and Tron to seize total control of the Grid, and then proceeded to enact genocide upon the ISOs, leaving Flynn to remain in the computer world for the next 20 years.
Over the next twenty years, Clu kept the Grid in a stranglehold as he sought perfection, reprogramming damaged or rogue programs as soldiers for his own army, led by a reprogrammed Tron under the name 'Rinzler'. He continued to seek Flynn for his identity disc, which possessed information that would allow Clu to cross over into the real world with his army so that they can perfect it in their own image. Eventually he found a way to send a page to Alan Bradley, which led to Flynn's son, Sam, coming to the Grid. After first trying to destroy him, Clu attempts to use Sam to draw out Flynn, and succeeds in obtaining his identity disc.
After preparing his army, Clu advances the portal to the real world, but is unsuccessful after Sam, Flynn and Quorra steal back the disc, and Rinzler betrays him after learning of his past identity as Tron. In a last ditch effort, Clu attempts to take the disc from Flynn on his own at the portal's gateway, but is tricked into stealing Quorra's disc, while Sam and Quorra keeps hold of Flynn's actual disc. Desperately trying to reach the portal as Sam and Quorra escape, Clu is ultimately destroyed as Flynn 'reintegrates' Clu into himself, resulting in an explosion that kills them both.[8]
The ISOs (short for isomorphic algorithms) are a race of sentient programs that spontaneously arose in the world of the Grid. Despised by Clu, he saw them as an obstacle to his creation of a perfect system whilst Kevin Flynn saw them as the next stage of evolution. The ISOs were the victims of a genocide known as The Purge, led by Clu as shown in Evolution and Legacy. The last remaining ISO in existence is Quorra, who was saved by Flynn and would go to the real world with Sam.
Sam Flynn is the son of Kevin Flynn, controlling shareholder of ENCOM and the main protagonist of Tron: Legacy. As a kid, he loved to listen to Flynn's stories about Tron and the Grid, even collecting the merchandise based on them. After Flynn's disappearance, Sam was raised by his grandparents as his mother had already passed beforehand. By age 27, Sam had lost his grandparents and lived in a shabby apartment below the bridge with his dog, Marv. He also grew to be a thrill-seeker as he performed dangerous stunts during his annual pranks on ENCOM. He did so because he lacked interest in the company otherwise. However, he had hardened to the thought of his father returning; believing him to be dead or living peacefully on a tropical island.
However, his father's best friend and work associate informed him that he received a page from Flynn's arcade, which had not been use all these 20 years. Sam investigated and found Flynn's lab. However, he accidentally zapped himself into the Grid, where he was mistaken for a damaged program and forced into the Games. However, his opponent, Rinzler, noticed he bled and recognized him as a User. Sam was then brought before Clu (who at first put on the charade of being Flynn due to their resemblance), who thought he would have the information on his Identity Disk to free him from the Grid. However, this proved not to go in Clu's favor and Sam was forced onto the Light Cycle arena. There, Sam was nearly killed by Clu, but was rescued by a program named Quorra.
Escaping with Quorra, Sam reunited with his father, who enlightened him as to why he had been trapped in the Grid for 20 years. Deciding to return home rather than listen to his father and stay to keep Clu from getting what he wants, Sam went to Tron City to met one of Quorra's old acquaintances, Zuse. However, Zuse proved to be a backstabber and turned Sam over to Clu's guards. Luckily Quorra and Flynn arrived and rescued him, but lost Flynn's disk to Zuse. Sam, then boarded a transport heading to the exit portal. On board, he learned Quorra was the last ISO and that she was needed on the outside. When the transport arrived at Clu's re-purposing area, Sam took back Flynn's disk and they stole a flying vehicle to escape. Reaching the portal, Sam was forced by his father to leave with Quorra while Clu was destroyed. Back in the real world, Sam downloaded the Grid onto a chip and keeps it. Deciding to take responsibility of ENCOM, he names Alan Board Chairman and takes Quorra to see her first sunrise. Throughout the movie, Sam is shown to have a growing attraction to Quorra. He is played by Garrett Hedlund.
Castor is the flamboyant owner of the End of Line night club located inside the Grid. He hides his true identity fearing reprisals having worked with the ISOs before Clu purged them, and only a few know he is "Zuse". He's willing to betray others for his own benefit and haggle with Clu for a sufficient payment for Flynn's disk. He is played by Michael Sheen.[9]
Quorra is a skilled warrior and confidant to Kevin Flynn. She is the deuteragonist of Tron: Legacy. She rescues Sam Flynn from certain death at the hands of Clu when Sam is forced into a light cycle match on the Grid. It is revealed later on that Quorra is in fact an ISO, the last remaining member of a group of beings wiped out by Clu. During the genocide of the ISOs, Kevin rescued Quorra and began educating her about the outside world off the grid. Longing to experience the outside world for herself, Quorra accompanies Kevin and Sam on their perilous journey to reach the portal to escape the grid and return to reality. She is played by Olivia Wilde.
Rinzler is Clu's right-hand man and enforcer. Considered a master warrior, he uses two identity discs when in combat and displays advanced acrobatic talent. Rinzler is named after Lucasfilm Executive Editor, J.W. Rinzler, author of several books including The Making of Star Wars, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, and Making of The Empire Strikes Back. Director Joseph Kosinski chose the name during a working session with the writers when one of Rinzler's books happened to be on the table.[10]
Throughout the course of Tron: Legacy, it is revealed that Rinzler is a reprogrammed version of Tron. Tron was selected by Flynn to help him build the Grid, and defended Flynn when Clu betrayed them. Tron appeared to have been 'derezzed' as Flynn escaped, but actually was repurposed to serve Clu, being wiped of his memories as Tron in the process. He has several encounters with Sam Flynn through the course of the film, and during an aerial fight sequence, remembers his past identity and turns against Clu, saying that he fights for the users. Though he crashes both their vehicles, Tron had a back-up and prepared to use it. However, he was knocked unconscious by Clu, who stole it. He is left in the Sea of Simulation, and as he sinks to the bottom his armor reverts from its orange hue back to white, indicating that he has become Tron again. His ultimate fate is left unknown.
Rinzler is played by Anis Cheurfa, a well-known martial arts performer who was cast for his abilities. His stunts and acrobatic talents can be seen throughout the film. Rinzler is voiced by Bruce Boxleitner.
Jarvis is Clu's chief bureaucrat and administrator. While probably efficient in his function, his personality is shown to be sycophantic and cowardly. Jarvis attempts at every turn to impress Clu and win approval. After Jarvis fails to even attempt to prevent Sam Flynn from taking back Kevin's disc, Clu derezzes him. Jarvis is played by James Frain.
Tesler, also referred to as 'General Tesler', is the main antagonist of Tron: Uprising and is voiced by Lance Henriksen.
Edward Dillinger Jr. is the son of Ed Dillinger, one of the main antagonists of the first film. He is the lead programmer on the ENCOM operating system and is seen attending an ENCOM board meeting in the beginning of Legacy. It would seem he inherited his father's habit of betraying others and their beliefs to further his own profits as well as those of the company. He is played by an uncredited Cillian Murphy.[11]
Gem is a character in Tron: Legacy and is played by Beau Garrett.
Paige is a character in Tron: Uprising and is voiced by Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Mara is a character in Tron: Uprising and is voiced by Mandy Moore.
Zed is a character in Tron: Uprising and is voiced by Nate Corddry.
Pavel is a character in Tron: Uprising and is voiced by Paul Reubens.
Able is a character in Tron: Uprising and is voiced by Reginald VelJohnson.
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