Characters / TRON 2.0

Jethro "Jet" Bradley

Voiced by: Jason Cottle

Son of Alan Bradley and Lora Baines-Bradley, digitized unwillingly by Ma3a to stop the infection of ENCOM.

• Action Survivor: He's not as gifted as the Flynns when it comes to an Indy Ploy, but makes up for it by figuring out how to use the weaponry.
• Blue Is Heroic: Sports elaborate cyan Tron Lines as part of his cyberspace armor. In the comics Blue Jet is the clearly the heroic aspect, and implied to be the most accurate "copy" of Jet's personality, with Red and Green being sadistic and amoral, respectively.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Jet got arrested for hacking into his school's mainframe because he was "just bored," got an "A" in his computer classes (with three other classes getting incompletes), and turned down a promotion in order to continue being a game designer. His father is less than thrilled.
• Comes Great Responsibility: Comes to this conclusion as of the Ghost in the Machine graphic novel. He's still not really keen on User status, but figures that the best option is to make sure the Programs are safe.
• Decomposite Character: In-game, he's very much a prototype for Sam Flynn, with the playful hacking, the arrest record, and apparent apathy. In the comics, he seems more a prototype for Beck, being a Hero with Bad Publicity, leading an uprising inside the system, and the troubled relationship with his father-figure.
• Did Not Get the Girl: At the end, Jet goes back to the analog world, and Mercury has to stay in her digital one.
  Mercury: You're leaving, aren't you? This is no world for a User. We're too crude and rudimentary.
  Jet: If anyone's crude, it's us. We're not ready to exist here; not yet, anyway.
• Fights Like a Normal: Aside from the Mesh (Datawraith) weaponry, Jet's arsenal and the way they're used is the same as the Programs he's fighting.
• Former Teen Rebel: While he's implied to have had a stormy adolescence, complete with bad grades and an arrest record, Jet appears to have cleaned up his act by the time the story opens. While his job isn't the one his father would like him to have, he is holding down employment and paying his bills. His boss even assures Alan via email that Jet more than pulls his weight on the job, and promoted him to lead programmer.
• A God I Am Not: He's quick to tell Mercury that, if anyone's crude and unworthy of peaceful co-existence, it's the humans - not the Programs. Played up a lot more in the spin-off comic; once Jet realized what being a "User" means in the context of that universe, it sent him to Heroic BSoD. He never wanted that kind of responsibility or power.
• Kidnapped by the Call: Ma3a didn't warn him, much less ask for consent. Before he fully understands what's going on, he's digitized, has a disc shoved in his hands, and fighting for his life.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: Zig-Zagged. Jet doesn't seem to take after Alan much (except in appearance). He takes more after his easier-going mother, and (on a meta level) definitely takes after his virtual "siblings," Tron and Yori. See the Fridge page.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Implied. His family is certainly not hurting, financially, but between his mom's death and his dad's drowning his grief in work, Jet acted out a lot.
• Missing Mom: In-game emails and a flashback reveal that Lora died in a lab accident. This has driven a wedge the size of Texas between Jet and Alan.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: You only learn his "legal" name from an in-game email. In the spin-off comic, he insists that even the psychiatrist call him "Jet."
• Nerd Action Hero: A game designer who is all but conscripted by Shiva Laser to protect the digital world, and ends up fighting off trained human mercenaries by the endgame.
• Not Afraid to Die: At least, Blue Jet in the graphic novel.
  "We've already had this discussion. If I don't stop the MCP, then who will? People like me, we created this universe. We have a responsibility to keep it safe. These Programs they need me! […] I know I'm in danger – it's war! I could die, or get derezzed, or whatever. I'm a big boy, I get that."
• Playful Hacker: He cheerfully says that there isn't a firewall he can't take down. Again, his father (who, as you recall, programmed the most badass security program ever made) is less than thrilled.
  Jet: Don't worry, Dad. There isn't a firewall I can't take down.
  Alan: (sarcastically) Yes, I almost forgot about your "alternative" set of skills.
• Right Man in the Wrong Place: He ran down to the lab because he heard the F-Con goons kidnap his father - only to have Ma3a activate the laser.
  Ma3a: (in response to Jet's question about why she digitized him) My existence was threatened by the spread of the corruption...Alan-1 was not available. You [Jet] are.
• Robosexual: It doesn't matter to him that Mercury is software.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: In the Ghost in the Machine spin-off comic, we see that the Fridge Horror of cyberspace hit Jet like a speeding truck. Not only were the Programs he killed sentient beings, but he possibly killed some digitized humans as well. Afterwards he refuses to even touch a computer, as he thinks it would be cruelly playing with the lives of Programs.
• Spin-Offspring: Played a bit sideways in that Jet's the son of the other two human leads. (And in an ass-backwards way, a younger brother to both Tron and Yori) ^note  There's also a fan theory, somewhere between Wild Mass Guessing and full-blown Fanon that he might be Beck's User, which would throw the trope for a full loop.
• Stranger in a Familiar Land: Fitting in with above. The spin-off comic almost acts as a Deconstructor Fleet on the entire franchise when it isn't just gunning for Mind Screw.
• Why Couldn't You Be Different?: In their Establishing Character Moment, Jet is playing a video game when his dad calls, angry that Jet turned down a promotion that "I pulled a lot of strings" to try and arrange for Jet. Jet replies he's happy making games, and an exasperated Alan grumbles that "You sound like Flynn." It's implied via emails that this is not the first time Alan's tried to manage Jet's career, or disapproved of his kid's choices in life.

Alan Bradley

Voiced by: Bruce Boxleitner

• Ambiguous Situation: A running theme for him. How much does he know about what (or who) Ma3a is? Did he have a hand in Lora's fatal accident? The comic proposed the idea, but it was in the context of a Mind Rape attempt. How much did Flynn tell him about those cyberspace misadventures?
• Awesome by Analysis: Figures out how to crash Fcon's server from the inside just by having a look at the schematics.
• Beard of Sorrow: As compared with the clean-shaven appearance in the films, Alan has a noticeable and scruffy beard in this continuity.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He doesn't have any qualms about crashing that server full of Wraiths, nor does he have any problems with Trapping the Terrible Trio on a hard disc and letting them rot, being in no hurry to free them from their corrupted state.
• Distressed Dude: Kidnapped by Fcon's mooks in broad daylight while on the phone with Jet. Jet's goal is to rescue his dad as much as it is to stop Thorne (and the Wraith invasion later).
• Gentleman Snarker: He's very genteel, even when insulting Crown and Popoff's intelligence in an attempt to stall them. He also snarks about his son's talent for hacking when they reunite inside the system.
• The Mourning After: Lora's death hit him hard, and he apparently has neither recovered from his grief or gotten remarried. Could be justified if he knows who Ma3a is, and considers her to still be his wife.
• Non-Action Guy: He is a late middle-aged man with absolutely no talent for combat, and laughably low hit points when uploaded, meaning Jet has to run an Escort Mission.
• Parents as People: He threw himself into work as a way to deal with his grief, and tries to control Jet's career and future. Unfortunately, Jet resents his father's attempts at control, and acted out as a teenager. It takes the game's events to reconcile their strained relationship.
• Robosexual: A possible, Downplayed case. It's very possible he knows exactly who Ma3a really is, and considers her to still be Lora.
• The Smart Guy: Kidnapped specifically for this reason. The rival company can't make the laser run without Alan's knowledge.

Math Assistant 3 Audio AKA Dr. Lora Baines-Bradley

Voiced by: Cindy Morgan

(Ma3a for short). Holder of the digitization correction algorithms. In-game lore and the spin-off comic reveals that she is what's left of Lora Baines-Bradley, who was killed by an accident with her Shiva Laser.

• Ambiguous Situation: How much does she remember about being Lora?
• Benevolent A.I.: Despite kidnapping Jet out of desperation, she turns out to be a loyal mentor figure and ally. This probably has much to do with the fact that Lora Baines-Bradley was a very kind person. It's not her fault she goes insane for a while due to bad code.
• Brain Uploading: She is in part the remains of Lora's brain patterns that were digitised right after Lora's death.'
• Deus est Machina: She was designed as being a powerful AI like Master Control, but trading sheer power for safeguards. But once you uncover that she's at least part User, and therefore a deity as far as the Programs are concerned, the trope starts bouncing around like a pinball.
• Digitized Hacker: Part of why she is so powerful, given the universe setting.
• Expy: Some elements of her seem to have carried over into Radia, especially the shape of the headpiece.
• Gold-Colored Superiority: She appears as a gold colored, floating ball and is shown to be a full-blown AI on par with Master Control (or even Clu), but is very weak outside her dock. When she goes bonkers from the bad code, she appears as a black-robed giantess with a gold mask
• Face–Heel Turn: Alan never did get all the glitches out of that legacy code...
• Freak Lab Accident: What apparently happened to create her. Lora was shot with her own laser and killed by being digitized without the corrective programming in place. The exact circumstances of what happened are never revealed, and at least one scenario of how it happened is teased in the comic book. See entry under Nightmare Fuel.
• Kill All Humans: Again, that legacy code.
• Interface with a Familiar Face: And familiar voice.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: Ma3a is all but outright stated to be what remains of Jet's mother.
• Living MacGuffin: Alan stored the necessary correction algorithms for the digitizer in Ma3a. F-Con wants the codes in order to put their Datawraiths into cyberspace, while Jet (and later, Alan) just want to get home safely.
• Mysterious Backer: She does make sure Jet has the tools he needs to defend himself, but says little about herself. Of course, there are reasons why she wouldn't openly state who she is under the circumstances.
• So Proud of You: In the final cutscene, Lora's personality takes over Ma3a, smiles, calls Jet by his real name (not "Alan 2"), and gives him a final farewell.
• Squishy Wizard: She can't take any damage, so there are at least a couple times where you have to defend her while she's vulnerable. However, given sufficient time or bad code she can wipe out an entire battalion of ICP forces in an eyeblink. Justified if you think about it - she is part User.
• Summon Everyman Hero: She was looking for a User to fight the corruption. Jet just happened to rush into the lab at the right moment for her to turn on the laser.
• Virtual Ghost: It's implied that her resemblance to Lora Baines-Bradley is more than just the "normal" doppelganger issue with Users and their Programs. An email explains that When Lora was killed by the digitizing laser, part of her was left behind in the system. the grieving Alan compiled what was left of her with the Math Assitant AI to create Ma3a.
• Walking Spoiler

Mercury

Voiced by: Rebecca Romijn

A formidable warrior program on the Game Grid, she was written by Alan to find Jet and help him out.

• Action Girl: Champion of the Lightcycle arena, and well-versed in using a Rod Primitive as a crude, but nasty, melee weapon. In the game Boy advance Killer App sequel, she was explicitly depicted as being equal to Tron in terms of combat ability.
• Blue Is Heroic: Bright cyan Tron Lines, hair to match.
• Amnesiac Dissonance: After she's been restored from backup she acts in a disturbingly robotic manner, and doesn't recognize Jet other than someone she's been instructed to contact.
• Badass Biker: Her primary function is that of a lightcycle combatant. She's Encom's Champion of the lightcycle arena and hasn't any trouble going up against Users. Killer App amps it up by having her drive a tank and a Recognizer through enemy territory.
• Badass Minds Think Alike: The plot of Killer App in a nutshell. Mysterious virus controlled by malevolent User? Mercury, you take the virus while Tron cuts off the naughty User's access.
• Big Damn Heroes: At the Datawraith Training Arena.

• Divine Date: Downplayed, since she and Jet don't actually date. Remember, Programs think of human Users the way humans think of Gods.
• Dual Wielding: Favors the Rod Primitive, which is handled like a cross of escrima sticks and a cattle prod, over other weaponry
• Gender-Blender Name: A sultry female Program named after a Greek god.
• Heroic Sacrifice: At the re-format wall.
• Love Father, Love Son: In a way at the end of the comics - when Jet.exe (a Program compiled by Jet) rejects Jet's offer to ascend to the User world, Jet.exe is recompiled as an ordinary Program on Encom system and walks off into the system with her.
• Samus Is a Girl: Jet was a little surprised when he realized that "Mercury" was female.
• You Shall Not Pass!: At the reformat wall, she fends off a half-dozen Z-lots to buy Jet enough time to escape with Ma3a and Byte.

Byte

Voiced by: Ken Boynton

An upgraded version of the Bit from the movie. Byte is sent by Ma3a to assist Jet.

• Casual Danger Dialogue: Z-lots tossing fireballs, ICP forces trying to gun him and Jet down, reformat wall closing in? Byte still takes the opportunity to indulge in pointless philosophical conversation while unlocking the necessary door.
• Deadpan Snarker: Bits from the first film are snarky enough with just "yes" and "no". Byte has a full vocabulary available to insult Jet and anyone else in range.
• Exposition Fairy: Byte explains a lot of things about cyberspace such as movement, weapons, various groups and so on.
• Killed Off for Real: Ma3a smashes him into a wall in a fit of rage when under influence of the Tron Legacy Code.
• Living Polyhedron: Looks like a floating, glow in the dark blue paperweight and pulses when he speaks.
• Machine Monotone: But still manages an amazing degree of sarcasm.
• Master of Unlocking: He can insert himself in certain sockets to open doors Jet would otherwise not be able to open.
• Mauve Shirt: While not as important as Jet, Alan, Mercury or Ma3a, Byte still plays a crucial role in the story, as without him, Jet would not know what to do. Then he gets offed with no prior warning.
• Robot Buddy: He and Jet become good friends. Jet isn't even given any time to grieve when Byte gets killed.
• Superior Successor: Byte has nothing good to say about Bits; when asked if he's a bit, he scoffs he's not as primitive as those fossils.

J. D. Thorne

Voiced by: David Scully

A former Encom security director, he turned against his employers to work for the rival F-Con, and was digitized as part of their experiments. He became a living virus in the process with ambitions to rule all of cyberspace

• The Corrupter/The Corruption: Became a living virus once he was digitized, and proceeded to corrupt other Programs.
• Expy: Abraxas in TRON: Evolution has a lot of the same corrupted traits, and a similar appearance, but a much more tragic backstory.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: When he was passed over for promotion several times, he became bitter and started looking elsewhere, which got the attention of Crown.
• Drunk with Power/Drunk on the Dark Side: VERY much so. Enough in fact that he starts a Reign of Terror with his essentially-zombified virus programs and causes huge amounts of damage in his self-proclaimed role as "Master User Thorne".
• Dying as Yourself: Thorne is dying from his battle against the Kernel, but in his last moments he realizes what he has done, then helps Alan and Jet by telling them a way to infiltrate fCon's network. Just seconds later, it's over for him.
• Evil Overlord: "Master User Thorne", as he calls himself, is this trope to a terrifying degree, with a horde of essentially-zombies, looking out to conquer all of Cyber Space to make it his own and convert everyone into his loyal minions.
• A God Am I : The power of being "Master User Thorne" went right to his head.
  • A God I Am Not: Before dying, he says he's nothing.
• Gone Horribly Wrong: Digitizing someone without the safeties leads to horrible side effects.
• In the Hood: Most of the time he wears a big cloak with radioactive green Tron Lines, as do his Rector Scripts.
• Passed-Over Promotion: Why he sides with F-Con and is stupid enough to volunteer as a digitizer guinea pig.
• Plaguemaster: Just as corrupted and crazy as the Programs he infected, and out to spread his reign via infection.
• Redemption Equals Death: He manages a final good act in telling Alan and Jet how to infiltrate fCon's servers, then dies for real.
• Sickly Green Glow: His entire motif. The server where you finally hunt him down is covered in radioactive green and looks ready to fall apart.
• Touch of Death: His Z-lots do this to any uninfected Programs, turning them into another Z-lot.
• Unwitting Pawn: F-con played him like a kazoo to fork over company secrets and undermine Encom for their takeover. Then his invasion opens things up for F-con to perfect the process and send in the Datawraiths.

The F-Con Trio

Voiced by: David Scully (Crown), Kimberli Colbourne (Popoff), Scott Burns (Baza)

Seth Crown, Esomond Baza, and Eva Popoff are the three F-con executives in charge of day to day operations and the Datawraith project.

• Amoral Attorney: Seth Crown has a Harvard Law degree
• Body Horror: They become the three-headed Final Boss at the climax of the game.
• Bollywood Nerd: Baza is from Delhi, India and is in charge of the technical part of the scheme
• Evil Redhead: Eva Popoff, auburn hair and the most power-hungry of the three.
• Faux Affably Evil: All three of them. Crown is quiet, but menacing. Popoff attempts the Delores Umbridge method of barely-restrained condescension over a veneer of power-crazy, and Baza tries to pull this off, but is too much of a coward to actually be evil.
• Gratuitous French: Eva Popoff. She was born in Lyons and English is roughly her fifth language.
• Inhuman Resources: Eva Popoff specializes in HR. She's also the most enthusiastic about uploading the Datawraith mercenaries into the system and hang the safeties.
• Minion with an F in Evil: Baza more or less rates a "D." He's the most reasonable of the three, and raises some objections to some of the crazier parts of the plan, but he's easily bribed or intimidated into compliance by Crown and Popoff.
• Money, Dear Boy: invoked Baza refuses to be digitized until Crown offers to add another zero to the end of his paycheck. That changes Baza's mind.
• Powers That Be: They report only to F-Con's CEO. We never get a direct answer as to who that is. He's implied to be Ed Dillinger Sr., one of the villains from the first film. However, given that he communicates mostly through email, we only hear him over the PA system, he's addressed via a camera in the ceiling, and the trifecta that David Warner played in the film, it might not be Dillinger after all...
• Rags to Riches: Implied with Crown. He was born in Harlem, New York and ended up getting several degrees from Ivy League universities.
• Scary Black Man: Crown may not be physically imposing, but that does not make him any less threatening. He's actually the one who successfully "persuaded" Alan to give up the information on the digitizer.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist: Crown doesn't raise his voice, or a fist, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to stop with outright threats. He also is the one who has the idea of killing Alan by shooting him into the system as a test. He'll either die by digitization, be killed by Thorne's corrupted army, or be hunted down by the Wraiths..
• Terrible Trio: Crown (the leader, though he's The Dragon for F-con's CEO), Popoff (The Dragon for Crown), and Baza (a coward, but the guy with the technical know-how to pull off the scheme)

The Kernel

Voiced by: Dennis Bateman

The command program in charge of ENCOM's ICPs (Intrusion Countermeasure Programs), responsible for protecting the system from outside threats. That includes the Corruption and, unfortunately, you.

• Authority Sounds Deep: The Kernel's voice is the deepest in the game (with the possible exception of Thorne), supplemented with a grungy electronic distortion to make him even more intimidating.
• Hero Antagonist: Jet isn't authorized to be inside ENCOM's systems. Taking him down is the Kernel's job.
• Inspector Javert: The Kernel is by all appearances a competent leader who puts up a good fight against the Corruption, but he also has it out for Jet, refusing to entertain the thought that they might be on the same side, though a) Jet is still a foreign "program", and b) Jet wants to interrogate Thorne, which offends the Kernel, since his job is to eliminate the virus, not talk to it.
• Mirror Boss: The second phase of his fight with Jet is a traditional disc-on-disc duel. No fancy weapons or abilities.
• Punny Name: "Kernel" is a homophone of "Colonel". He is the leader of what is essentially the computer world's military.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's not the toughest boss in the game by any stretch, but he's definitely the toughest of the ICPs.
• Worthy Opponent: Respects Jet enough to offer a gentlemanly "discs only" Duel to the Death at their final confrontation.