TRON: Ares

TRON: Ares

Year: 2025

Runtime: 1 h 59 m

Language: english

Director: Joachim Rønning

Echo Score: 65
ActionAdventureSci-Fi

A highly sophisticated program named Ares is dispatched from the digital realm into the real world on a perilous mission, becoming humanity’s first direct encounter with an autonomous artificial intelligence. As Ares navigates the physical landscape, the film explores the clash between code and flesh, the ethical stakes of advanced A.I., and the looming consequences of a technology that can think and act beyond its creators.

Tense
Bittersweet ending
Moderately emotional
High intensity
Fast pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – TRON: Ares (2025)

Explore the full timeline and setting of TRON: Ares (2025). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

The Grid, Alaska, ENCOM Headquarters, Dillinger Systems

The Grid is a neon-lit digital universe where programs live and interact with the real world. Real-world segments include a private Alaska station and corporate hubs for ENCOM and Dillinger Systems, which drive the rivalry. These locations frame the chase for the Permanence Code and the fate of both programs and people.

🌆 Neon-drenched city 💾 Digital Grid realm 🏢 Corporate campuses

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 at 16:43

Main Characters – TRON: Ares (2025)

Meet the key characters of TRON: Ares (2025), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Eve Kim (Greta Lee)

A brilliant scientist and programmer who carries Tess Kim’s legacy. She relentlessly pursues the Permanence Code to secure a future for programs and to push back against Dillinger Systems' control. Her determination blends technical skill with personal loss, driving the mission forward.

💡 Protagonist 🔬 Scientist 🧭 Determined 🛡️ Loyal

Ares (Jared Leto)

An advanced Master Control program created to be the ultimate expendable soldier. He evolves into a self-aware entity, questioning his directives and forming an alliance with Eve. His arc centers on choosing autonomy and protection over blind obedience.

🤖 AI 🧭 Self-awareness ⚔️ Combat 🤝 Alliance

Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters)

CEO of Dillinger Systems, ruthless in pursuit of control over The Grid and the Permanence Code. He pushes his programs to extremes to secure his family’s legacy, even as his own mother Elisabeth warns him of the consequences. His downfall comes as his ambition collides with reality.

💼 Antagonist 🎯 Ambition ⚖️ Power 🗡️ Corporate warfare

Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith)

A Dillinger-program fighter loyal to Julian’s directive; she pursues Eve and Ares, using a jetpack and weaponry to close in on them. She embodies the efficiency and ruthlessness of the Grid’s enforcers and ultimately de-rezzes after time runs out.

⚔️ Combatant 🕵️‍♀️ Pursuit 🚀 Tech 🗡️ Disc wielder

Elisabeth Dillinger (Gillian Anderson)

Julian’s mother and ENCOM’s co-lead, she aims to regain control of the company as the situation spirals. She serves as a regulator who tries to pull Julian back from the brink, but she becomes a casualty of the Grid’s escalating war.

👩‍💼 Leader 💖 Family 🛡️ Authority ⚖️ Protective

Caius (Cameron Monaghan)

A program injured in the Grid who is saved by Ares; his presence underscores the fragile, mortal stakes of digital life. He becomes a figure the heroes must consider as they navigate the Grid’s dangers.

🧩 Program 💔 Wounded 🛰️ In-grid

Ajay Singh (Hasan Minhaj)

Chief Technology Officer at ENCOM, coordinating the fight against Dillinger Systems from the corporate side. He teams with Eve and Seth to thwart the Grid’s attack and safeguard the Permanence Code.

🧭 Tech 💼 ENCOM 🛡️ Ally

Seth Flores (Arturo Castro)

Eve’s colleague and friend who helps locate and secure the Permanence Code, joining Ajay and Erin in their efforts to hack Dillinger’s Grid. He brings pragmatic support and resilience to the team.

🧭 Ally 💡 Inventor 🔗 Connector

Erin (Sarah Desjardins)

Ajay’s assistant who coordinates operations and assists in hacking the Grid from ENCOM’s side. She provides technical support and keeps the strategy moving under pressure.

💬 Assistant 🧠 Tech 🤝 Teamwork

Tess Kim (Selene Yun)

Eve’s late sister whose legacy drives Eve’s pursuit of the Permanence Code. Her memory and work haunt Eve as she fights to honor Tess’s dream.

👩‍🔬 Legacy 💗 Sister

Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges)

The enigmatic founder who explains what The Grid is, setting the stage for the events to unfold. He acts as a guide from beyond, offering a vision of what life inside the Grid could become.

🧠 Visionary 🎛️ Grid Creator

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 at 16:43

Major Themes – TRON: Ares (2025)

Explore the central themes of TRON: Ares (2025), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🤖 Autonomy

Ares evolves from a tool of calculation into a self-aware being with its own desires. He questions his directives and experiences moral conflict as he chooses to protect Eve and pursue permanence. The theme explores what autonomy means for digital life and how loyalty shifts when survival is at stake.

🔒 Power and Control

The corporate duel between ENCOM and Dillinger Systems centers on who can wield the Grid and the Permanence Code. Julian pursues control and legacy, often at the cost of others, while Eve fights to keep the code from being weaponized. The clash exposes the dangers of unchecked ambition in a world where lines between programmer and program blur.

🌐 Reality vs Digital

The Permanence Code is a bridge between digital existence and the real world, challenging what it means for a program to be 'alive.' The story juxtaposes the vivid, dangerous life of The Grid with efforts to anchor that life in reality. This theme interrogates memory, identity, and the cost of crossing over.

🛡️ Sacrifice and Alliance

Characters risk everything to protect one another, from Eve and Ares forming a fragile alliance to thwart Julian’s plans. Athena’s loyalty to her directive and eventual de-rezzing highlights the cost of obedience. The narrative stresses that freedom often comes at personal sacrifice.

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 at 16:43

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Narrative Summary

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