The following contains spoilers for Tron: AresTron: Ares features lots of sly references and overt allusions to the history of the franchise. Tron: Ares is largely a stand-alone story that builds on the history of the franchise but focuses on a new collection of characters. However, the history of the Tron universe hangs over much of the film, even before an avatar of Kevin Flynn appears.

Some of the easter eggs are direct shout-outs to the first Tron. Others continue the sly references that appeared in Tron: Legacy, one of which even serves as a tease about the fate of Sam Flynn after the events of Tron: Legacy. Here are ten of the best references and easter eggs to be found in Tron: Ares.

The Digitized Orange

One of the earliest references to the first Tron that occurs in Tron: Ares is the use of an orange as the focus point for experimentation in digitization. In Tron, Flynn and ENCOM used an orange to test if it was possible to bring organic life into the digital space known as the Grid.

In Tron: Ares, Eve is attempting to reverse the process, using the permanence to prevent the formerly digital constructs from collapsing on themselves. She notably uses an orange tree as the test proof of concept, connecting her experiments with the ones Flynn worked on years previously. The successful creation of an orange mirrors the digitization of the fruit in Tron.

Flynn’s Secret Server Looks Like The First Film

The key to uncovering the secret of permanence turns out to be Flynn’s private serve. This leads Ares to be digitized and uploaded into it. Once there, the modern CGI is replaced by the computer effects of the original TRON instead of the sleek and modern look to the Grid of Tron: Legacy and Tron: Ares.

The Grid has been updated with each entry in the series, adding more depth to the setting and even establishing multiple Grids thanks to Dillinger’s personal server. The purposefully retro aesthetic of the Flynn Grid is a fun addition to the film, highlighting the history and impact of the first movie without spending too much of the plot revisiting it.

Bit Returns

One of the more overt references to TRON occurs in Flynn’s server when Bit arrives. After landing in Flynn’s server, Ares is surprised when he is greeted by Bit. The helpful little program gives Ares a classic Lightcycle and guides him to the digital copy of Flynn. It’s a small role for Bit, but a fun return for the character.

Bit appeared as an ally of the heroes in Tron, serving as comic relief alongside digital characters like Clu. The digital dodecahedron that can only say yes or no in the original film, which it repeats here. The appearance of Bit is a sweet moment, considering that the character’s fate after the events of Tron were initially unrevealed.

Flynn The Guru

Flynn was always a bit of a spiritual thinker, which was emphasized in Tron: Legacy. That film depicted an older Flynn as a hermit, living in self-imposed exile after being betrayed by Clu. Although that version of Flynn sacrificed himself to save his son and Quorra, another copy of Flynn appears in Tron: Ares with a very similar aesthetic.

Introduced after Ares reaches Flynn’s private server, the copy retains much of the same aesthetic and personality as the guru Flynn. It’s one of the big reasons it can be slightly confusing at first whether they are the same character or not. This copy of Flynn even replicates the more slang-heavy dialogue of Flynn from the first movie.

The Dumont Dumpster

After surviving her chase with Ares, Eve survives the Lightcycle crash by landing in a dumpster. The sign on the dumpster reveals it belongs to the Dumont company. This is a small beat, but one that pays off some of the world-building in Tron: Legacy. In that film, Sam Flynn lives inside a shipping container refashioned into a home.

The shipping container is connected to the same company, indicating it remains a big corporation in this world over a decade later. Both companies are also a reference to the character of Dumont, a minor ally of the heroes in Tron played by Barnard Hughes.

The Game Panel Includes A Tron Cosplayer

ENCOM is revealed to have split its attention in the modern day between high-tech innovations and broadly appealing video games. During a panel for the company that Eve misses early in the film, one of the video game fans who can be seen in the crowd cheering is cosplaying as Tron.

This is a reference to how popular the in-universe video games created by Flynn have become. It also suggests that the world only really sees Tron as a fictional video game character, another clue that the larger populace doesn’t know about the events of the Tron films.

The Poster for the First Film Appears In Flynn’s Arcade

In-universe, Tron has been shown to be a video game character that people obsess over. This carries over into the backstory and background of Tron: Ares, with the resurgence of ENCOM as a gaming company, helping cement their place in the world. The history of the company is referenced several times over in Flynn’s Arcade.

Flynn’s Arcade was a major setting in the first film and was revisited in Tron: Legacy. The closed building returns in Tron: Ares, as it’s where Ares is brought back to the real world after gaining the permanence code. Inside the arcade is a poster for Tron that mimics the poster of the original movie, further entrenching their in-universe game.

Flynn’s Personal Office Was Donated By Sam

Flynn’s Arcade isn’t the only reference to Flynn’s old workspace. When Eve and Ares go to the ENCOM offices, it’s revealed that a replica of Flynn’s original home office has been recreated within the building. This includes plenty of small references to other video games Flynn enjoyed, including Pac-Man.

The office space was notably noted by a plaque to be donated by Sam Flynn. Sam was the estranged son of Flynn and the main character of Tron: Legacy. Although Sam doesn’t appear in Tron: Ares, the plaque explaining his connection to the office further cements his lingering influence on the world.

Dillinger Appears In The Grid As MCP

One of the clever ways that Tron: Ares reinterprets the visuals of the older Tron movies while keeping it consistent with its own story is the way it depicts communication between Users and programs. Whenever Julian Dillinger speaks to Ares within the Grid, he appears as a large, featureless head.

This is similar to the visual design of the Master Control Program in Tron. The overarching threat of that film, MCP was ultimately defeated through the alliance of Flynn and programs like Tron. Initially, Tron: Ares recreates the MCP/Sark dynamic with Julian and Ares, but this eventually falls to the wayside as Ares rebels.

Julian Becomes Like Sark

The mid-credits scene of Tron: Ares sets the stage for the future of the series, setting the stage for Quorra and Sam to return in a prospective sequel. However, the other tease places Julian within the remnants of his version of the Grid, where he claims his Idenтιтy Disc and is last seen gaining a digital upgrade.

The shape and color of the costume growing around him is reminiscent of Sark, the primary antagonist of Tron. Considering that the character was played by David Warner (who also played Ed Dillinger) in the first film, it’s another way that Julian has truly become his grandfather’s heir in Tron: Ares.