TRON: Ares is bringing audiences back into a world first established over forty years ago, and here are the most important details that audiences need to remember. The third film in the cult classic sci-fi franchise, TRON: Ares focuses on a new collection of programs and Users who come into conflict over the Permanence Code.

Although Ares only has one confirmed returning character in the form of Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn, even that turn raises questions about the fallout of 2010’s TRON: Legacy. In case you’re rusty on the lore of the gaming franchise, here is a quick run-down of the characters, settings, and organizations that lay the groundwork for TRON: Ares.

The Grid Is The Digital World Of Tron

In the TRON films — including TRON: Ares — the Grid is a digital landscape that serves as the home for countless programs. Established in TRON as a creation of software engineer Kevin Flynn and the other employees at tech firm ENCOM, the Grid is an entirely separate world that can be crossed into with the use of a specific digitizing laser.

The programs in the Grid have a certain amount of autonomy and personality thanks to their Idenтιтy Disk, but are designed to serve the command of Users (i.e. real-life people). The programs also follow the lead of the designated Master Control Program. The MCP can direct other programs and has a direct line of communication to Users.

The Grid operates like a computer program; as a result, it is subject to the effects of the real world on digital systems. It can be shut off from the outside, and hacking into it can give Users control over the environment. The primary architect of the Grid is Kevin Flynn, whose digital avatar was dubbed Clu in TRON.

Programs Can Rebel Against Their Creators

A consistent theme in the first two TRON movies was the development of antagonistic programs that could openly rebel against the Users. In both cases, the programs were originally designed by Users, but eventually developed their own perspectives on the Grid and how to maintain control of it.

In TRON, the central threat of the film is the Master Control Program created by software engineer (and Kevin Flynn’s cheif rival), Ed Dillinger. Having evolved from a simple program into a more complex artificial intelligence, the MCP of TRON appropriated and absorbed various other programs to increase its own processing power.

The MCP even blackmailed Dillinger, ensuring that it could continue to develop as a program. Something similar occurred in TRON: Legacy, which featured Clu as the main villain. After being restored by Flynn after the events of TRON, Clu worked with Flynn and Tron to create a perfect, harmonious digital system.

However, Clu rebelled against his creator and took over the Grid for himself, turning programs against Users and the new naturally occurring digital lifeforms, ISOs. The possibility of programs turning on their creators is a consistent one in this franchise, making the digital warriors of TRON: Ares all the more threatening.

ENCOM & Dillinger’s History

ENCOM is the biggest software company in the world of TRON, a mᴀssive firm that develops everything from government technology to popular video games. Much of the company’s early success was predicated on the creations of Kevin Flynn. However, Ed Dillinger was able to steal credit and be named CEO.

TRON‘s follows the efforts of Kevin and his colleagues, Alan and Lora, to prove Dillinger’s crimes. By the end of the film, the trio is successful and exposes his plagiarism of Kevin’s work. This results in Kevin taking over the company. However, he’s only there for a few years before he mysteriously disappears, leaving the company and his family behind.

TRON: Legacy revealed that the company survived the natural turmoil and continued to grow. Dillinger’s son, Ed Jr., eventually found a place at the company alongside an enduring Alan. Kevin’s son Sam became the majority shareholder in the company, eventually taking it over and installing Alan as chairman of the board.

Sam is absent from TRON: Ares, with the company now under the leadership of Eve Kim and Ajay Singh. Meanwhile, Dillinger Systems has become a rival in the race for permanence, a discovery that could allow digital creations to exist in the real world indefinitely instead of being limited to a single 29-minute window.

Kevin Flynn’s Journey Into The Grid & Disappearance

In TRON, Kevin’s investigation into ENCOM led him to confront the MCP. In a bid to contain his threat, the MCP used the experimental digitizer to bring Flynn into the Grid. There, Kevin allied himself with programs like Tron to combat the MCP and its right-hand man, Sark.

Eventually realizing his true potential as a User within the Grid, Kevin was able to bring down the MCP and make his way back home. However, the discovery of the Grid eventually led him to leave his family to return to the digital world. Working with Clu and Tron, Kevin went to work expanding and improving the Grid.

After Clu’s betrayal, however, the gate back to the material world was locked. This led the world to ᴀssume Kevin Flynn was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, and ENCOM continued in his stead. Trapped in the Grid, Kevin went into hiding so that Clu could not continue to develop new admin abilities by further duplicating him.

During this time, Kevin also took on an apprentice, Quorra. The last of the ISOs, Kevin’s guilt after Clu destroyed the rest of the unique lifeforms led him to teach her about the real world, the best he could. This positioned Quorra as a unique figure within the lore of TRON.

Sam’s Mission In The Grid In Tron: Legacy

Clu’s motivation in TRON: Legacy is to lure a User to the Grid. There, he can steal their Idenтιтy Disc and use it to unlock the digital gateway, giving him (and his armies) the ability to invade Earth. His bid to trap Alan instead caught Sam, who was digitized into the Grid.

Initially, Sam’s efforts to escape were sheer survival. After meeting Quorra and his father, Sam becomes dedicated to escaping the Grid to specifically to prevent Clu’s plans. However, Sam’s lack of trust in his father and impulsive nature led him into a trap that he barely escaped, leaving Clu with the Idenтιтy Key.

Luckily, Kevin ended his self-imposed exile and helped them reach the gate, leading to a confrontation with Clu that also revealed Tron had been reprogrammed into Clu’s agent, Rinzler. With Rinzler’s help (seemingly at the cost of his life), Clu was held back long enough for Sam and Quoarra to reach the gate back to the real world.

Refusing to let Clu escape, Kevin sacrificed his life by fusing with the program, killing them both. The resulting explosion destroyed the gate and the Grid, leading to the different digital landscapes that appear in TRON: Ares. It also seemed to be the end of Kevin Flynn, although the character is set to appear in some capacity in TRON: Ares.

Sam & Quorra’s Escape From The Grid

The biggest lingering thread from the ending of TRON: Legacy is the fate of Sam and Quorra. After tricking Clu and fighting alongside Kevin, the pair can barely escape the Grid before Kevin’s sacrifice seemingly destroys it. The pair is last seen driving off together as Quorra looks up and witnesses her first sunrise.

TRON: Ares doesn’t bring back the pair as major players, although there are hints in the narrative that they have since gone off the grid themselves. Their fates are one of the biggest mysteries that TRON: Ares sets up, especially in light of Eve and her sister being given control of ENCOM sometime between the two TRON sequels.

Ares seems to be bringing back a lot of elements from the previous films, all while charting a new path forward for the series. It’ll be interesting to see how it sets the stage for the future of the franchise beyond TRON: Ares and what kind of role Sam and Quorra could have in driving it forward.