8 Questions We Still Have After Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy Sam Flynn, in his Grid suit holding an ID disk

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It's been nearly 10 full years since the release of Tron: Legacy, and the ambitious sequel to Disney’s 1982 cult classic Tron still has some outstanding questions its fans want answers to. With the imaginations of fans still captured by the world that directors Steven Lisbarger and Joseph Kosinski have, respectively, created and expanded upon, it was only a matter of time before people started to ask about some lingering thoughts left in the wake of this modern sequel.

Now that Disney+ has come around to open this particular subject up for examination, and with all of the recent talk about Tron: Legacy preparing the world to celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary, we’re going to dig deep and ask eight questions we still have about what happened when the film ended.

Game on, Users; it’s time to go back to Disney’s colorful sci-fi landscape, and start digging around for questions we’d love to see answered in the near future.

Tron: Legacy Alan Bradley holds his pager curiously

Can Alan Bradley Save ENCOM?

Named the chairman of the ENCOM at the end of Tron: Legacy, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) became a powerful ally to Sam Flynn (Garret Hedlund) once he returned from the digital world. Ready to take back the company that his father started, Sam felt it only proper to enlist the man that helped the first generation of Flynns win the company in the first place.

But can Alan Bradley, in the wake of the ENCOM OS-12 leak, and the extensive mismanagement of the company under previous chairman Richard Mackey, right the ship in time for Tron 3 to open with a thriving company? It’s quite possible, but that question’s answer lies in the result of another very important Tron: Legacy question.

Tron: Legacy Sam Flynn shows off his Flynn Lives t-shirt

Is Sam Flynn Really Going To Stick With Running ENCOM?

The bad boy of ENCOM, Sam Flynn, looks to have turned over a new leaf and taken an interest in running the company his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges) helped turn into a video game and computing empire before his disappearance. But is Sam’s interest in taking over the company in Tron: Legacy going to keep him occupied?

A daredevil who has a taste for adventure, the quest he went on in the world of Programs may have been filled with enough danger to quench his thirst and inspire him to settle down for a moment. But that moment could be over before you know it, with Sam looking for something riskier and more cutting edge to partake in; which would run counter to the responsible image he started to cultivate at the end of Tron: Legacy.

Tron: Legacy Edward Dillinger Jr. looks moody at the board meeting

What Are The Dillingers Plotting For Tron 3?

In the hidden special features collection on the Tron: Legacy Blu-ray, there’s a short video that shows a text exchange between Edward Dillinger Jr. (Cillian Murphy) and his father, Edward Sr. Upon learning that Sam is now in charge of ENCOM, the father asks the son if this new turn of events will be a problem.

As Edward Dillinger Jr. tells his father the Flynn takeover won’t be a problem in the slightest, there’s clearly a plan to take ENCOM back for themselves. Which poses the question of what exactly the two are going to do in order to seize power for the once powerful, now disgraced family of ENCOM’s storied history.

Tron: Legacy Kevin Flynn leans over sadly

Are Kevin Flynn/Clu/Tron Really Dead?

Much like any good movie/comic franchise, the death of major characters should always be questioned. Tron: Legacy gives the audience three whoppers to question in its third act, as Tron sacrifices himself to save the Flynns, and Kevin merges with Clu in order to nullify his existence.

But are all three of these Tron characters really dead? You’d have to think that their deaths, especially in digital space, could easily be overwritten. Not to mention, the ghosts of their code could very easily be hiding in the gateway device that Sam uses to reconnect with his father. Of course, even if they are still alive, there’s another question that pops up.

Tron: Legacy Sam Flynn and Quorra riding his motorcycle

How Is Quorra Faring In The Human World?

As Tron 3 has been described as partially being about Olivia Wilde’s Quorra and her adjustment to the world of the humans, the potential sequel to Tron: Legacy already has one of the questions we’re looking to have answered built into its very storyline. We last saw Kevin Flynn’s Iso companion riding into the sunrise with his son, Sam, implying that the two were about to set off on their own set of adventures in our world. While Tron: Ascension is supposed to be set years after Tron: Legacy, we’ll probably be skipping over the initial awkward phases if we ever see the film become a reality.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be some concepts she’s had to either ingeniously work around, or quite possibly, still hasn’t gotten the hang of yet. Seeing as she’s one of the most colorful characters added to the Tron landscape, any next steps need to include catching up with this digital Disney princess.

Tron Lora Baines in Flynn's Arcade

Where In The World Is Lora Baines-Bradley?

Except for an appearance at the WonderCon viral marketing event for the Flynn Lives ARG, Cindy Morgan’s Lora Baines-Bradley, wife to Bruce Boxleitner’s Alan Bradley, hasn’t really been active in the Tron canon. While she is alive and well, despite the alternate canon created in the Tron 2.0 video game, Lora isn’t seen or mentioned in Tron: Legacy. With Boxleitner being a potential no-show for another sequel, fans are probably questioning whether or not Lora will finally make her cinematic return with a third Tron film.

It would seem to make sense, as not only has the technology advanced so that her program Yori could also be revived/deaged, but also that in the potential absence of Kevin Flynn, it would be the perfect time to continue the story of the Bradley family’s progress since Tron. Though, speaking of reviving the threads left open by Tron…

Tron: Legacy Flynn's Arcade in disrepair

Will Flynn’s Arcade Ever Reopen?

With the building still full of video games, the lease obviously still being paid and Sam Flynn having his last meeting with Alan Bradley in Tron: Legacy within its walls, Flynn’s Arcade is surely destined to be reopened, right? A symbol of the classic age of ENCOM, and a memorial to Kevin Flynn himself, it’s a prospect too good to pass up.

Arcades and nostalgia have become popular with younger generations, and on top of that good fortune, Sam would have a perfect reminder of just what his father’s legacy added up to in the long run. Plus, you can’t shut down the “Home of Space Paranoids.” That’s tantamount to tearing down an American landmark!

Tron: Legacy Sam Flynn and Rinzler race head to head on light cycles

Could We Finally Get A Sequel To Tron: Legacy?

And now, our dance ends with the same familiar step that we’ve been making over the course of the past decade. All of these unanswered questions at the end of Tron: Legacy have led to the one that matters most: whether any of those particular queries will be answered through a sequel to Joseph Kosinski’s 2010 box office success.

With a script that was 80% completed, another follow-up idea supposedly in the works with Jared Leto, plus Tron fans and creators alike still holding out hope for another round on The Grid, it feels like a new installment in this series is a no-brainer. But, of course, like many other sequels the world would like to see happen, the studio brass at Disney are the gate keepers that hold the keys to the future of Tron: Legacy’s unanswered questions.

We may never get the answers to these and many other questions that Tron: Legacy has left the door open to. But maybe, if we keep asking, there’s a chance that the buzz will grow loud enough for Tron: Ascension, or any other third Tron film, to finally take its place at the hypothetical future box office.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to return to the world of Tron: Legacy, you can enjoy a free 7-day trial of Disney+ and get back onto The Grid in no time! And don’t forget, the short lived animated spin-off Tron: Uprising is available on that same platform.

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.