Only one familiar face from the Tron franchise is confirmed for the 2025 movie release Tron: Ares, and ironically, it’s not Bruce Boxleitner’s Tron (though I do wonder if he’ll make a surprise appearance). Rather, Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn, who was thought to have died in Tron: Legacy, is back for this new installment centered around Jared Leto’s Ares. Various theories have been floated for how Kevin can be present in Tron: Ares, and while Disney has now seemingly spoiled what’s going with him, I can’t help wondering if this is actually the studio trying to misdirect us.
What’s Revealed In The New Tron: Ares Promo
The latest promo for Tron: Ares is titled “Flynn Lives.” It starts off with Bridges’ character narrating about his experiences in The Grid as footage from the original Tron and Tron: Legacy plays, then transitions into a mix of existing and new footage for Ares, where we get another look at the Kevin giving off those Jor-El vibes. Watch it for yourself below:
So if we’re to take this promo at face value, Kevin Flynn survived the events of Tron: Legacy. Kevin had been stranded in The Grid for over 20 years when the 2010 movie began, and while he was fortunately able to finally reunite with his son Sam, he sacrificed himself soon after by reintegrating Clu with himself so that Sam and Quorra could escape to the real world. How exactly Kevin is still alive will likely be saved from when Tron: Ares is released, but frankly, I’m still not convinced this is happening.
Why I’m Suspicious About This Tron: Ares Spoiler
Before going further, I need to remind those of you reading that “Flynn Lives” was also the name of a collection of individuals in the Tron universe who believed that, despite his disappearance in 1989, Kevin Flynn was still alive. The group was part of the Tron: Legacy viral marketing campaign in real life, and at the end of the short film Tron: The Next Day, which was attached to Legacy’s home media release, it was revealed that Sam was involved with the movement. More importantly, “Flynn Lives” doubled as a uniting phrase for the people who wanted to keep the spirit of ENCOM CEO and his beliefs alive.
That’s why I think this Tron: Ares promo is trying to misdirect us. Ever since it was announced that Jeff Bridges would appear in this standalone follow-up to Legacy, I’ve subscribed to the theories that Ares’ Kevin Flynn is either a copy of the real deal or a Program masquerading as him. Along those lines, I think The Grid from which Ares hails is actually a duplicate of the original Grid from Tron rather than the version of The Grid Sam Flynn visited in Legacy. That would explain why the lighting and environment where we see Kevin and Ares together is so reminiscent of how The Grid was presented in the movie that came out over 40 years ago.
If I’m proven wrong and Kevin Flynn turns out to indeed be alive, I won’t be disappointed and will welcome learning how that’s possible. For now though, I’m still convinced this Kevin isn’t the same one we saw in Tron: Legacy, and I’ll even go a step further and speculate that “Kevin” is actually the Master Control Program of this Grid, similar to how the Supreme Intelligence made itself look like Annette Bening’s Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel. We’ll find out what’s happening one way or another when Tron: Ares is released on October 10.
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