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The character sheet for TRON: Uprising, currently an ongoing project that could always use some more work.

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The Uprising

    Beck 

Beck/The Renegade

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Beck_Uprising_1607.jpg
Voiced by: Elijah Wood

The main character, a young but amazingly versatile engineering program recruited by Tron to serve as his surrogate in the resistance.


  • Badass Biker: Shown to be skilled with a lightcycle as well as other vehicles.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Beck has a somewhat bad habit of standing up to — and sometimes even threatening — the Black Guards. "The Reward" and "Rendezvous" are a couple examples. While this would be reasonable when he's in disguise as the Renegade, he does this in his civilian identity, and in the latter instance did so in front of Pavel when outnumbered at least four to one. Thankfully, others are usually around to keep him from taking things too far.
  • Collapsible Helmet: To hide his identity.
  • The Cowl: A bit distinct from Tron, who had a bit of the Action Hero or Knight in Shining Armor in him. Ironically, this trope comes as a result of Tron's training.
  • Dating Catwoman: With Paige in "Rendezvous". Sadly, it does not last.
  • Deadpan Snarker: The defiance and snide in his speech radiates.
  • Doomed Moral Victor: Judging from Crapsack World that is TRON: Legacy, Beck's revolt didn't do much good at all.
  • The Dreaded: Interestingly, whilst he himself isn't truly this, and doesn't carry himself as such either, Tesler apparently views his Renegade persona in this way, as he once had nightmares of him.
  • Fragile Speedster: In comparison to more well-trained programs like Tesler and Paige, he's this, faster and more agile than both, but far less resilient. In comparison to the normal Programs, he's a Lightning Bruiser. Acknowledged by Pavel in "Price of Power". He boasts that he was always smarter than the Renegade, but with the Upgrade Artifact he is faster and stronger, too.
  • Good Old Fisticuffs: Seems to be his preference in tight quarters. When he does use his disc to fight, he tends to need room to jump around a lot.
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: Early on, Tesler blames the Renegade for a series of blackouts caused by an energy drill used by the Occupation, but it isn't that successful. In "No Bounds", Cyrus uses Beck's Renegade disguise to murder innocent programs, turning the public against him, but that gets turned around by the next episode.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja: He can apparently sneak into Tesler's floating fortress while wearing his blindingly white Tron suit. As noted below, he does have a knack for getting into places he's not supposed to be.
  • Leitmotif: Lightbike Battle also known as Beck's theme. It also serves as a Leitmotif for the entire show.
  • Le Parkour: His way of getting around the patrols and escaping capture involves avoiding the roads when possible. It's harder to follow someone crossing town using the rooftops, passing trains, and ledges.
  • Legacy Character: He's "the next Tron". Also, the second program chosen by Tron to bear his name.
  • Loves My Alter Ego: His relationship with Paige turns into this eventually. Beck himself even notes that Paige wants to kill "The Renegade", whilst he personally prepares to go on a date with her.
  • Made of Iron: Beck takes a heck of a beating during his fight with Tesler. This is notable because most programs in TRON: Legacy seem to be Made of Plasticine.
  • Magic Tool: Beck's repair tool, given to him by Bodhi. Simply jabbing it into any device allows him to modify or repair it as he sees fit. It also lets him change his outfit. Most other mechanics are later shown to have it, or a similar device. It's possible that Bodhi's might have been specially modified, given that Beck is shown to be able to do repairs a lot faster with it than his fellow mechanics can. He's also demonstrated the ability to create multiple vehicle types out of the same baton.
    • Said tool ends up being broken by Tron in "No Bounds", as it was attached to a bomb he used to kill Cyrus.
  • Marionette Motion: Only in Tesler's nightmares though, where his nightmare self taunts Tesler from just out of reach while dodging every blow.
  • Nerves of Steel: Beck is usually pretty cool under fire.
  • Pretender Diss: There probably isn't a character in the series who hasn't sneered at him that he's no Tron.
  • Red Baron: The Renegade, since no one really believes he's Tron.
  • Right Under Their Noses: His mask and the highlights on his head are the same, regardless whether he wears his or Tron's outfit. It is a miracle that Paige didn't identify him as the Renegade while they were skydiving on their first date.
  • Save the Villain: Beck does so whenever possible.
  • Scars are Forever: Beck's encounter with the first Renegade left him with scars on his wrists that he either can't or won't repair, though they are only visible when he touches his wrists.
  • Secret Secret-Keeper: Two examples:
    • He knows Tron trained another Renegade, but instead of admitting it, he keeps trying to lead Tron into doing so first. Both are forced to come clean in "No Bounds".
    • He learns of Mara's involvement in a gang of graffiti artists, and even tries to recruit her into the resistance. He ultimately decides against it, and she's still in the dark where he's concerned.
  • She-Fu: Beck is the most frequent offender.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: He claims that taking up Paige on her offer of a date is merely an attempt to get to know the enemy better for the benefit of the uprising. Tron doesn't buy it for a second.
  • Shoot the Dog: The one instance of Beck being forced to kill, albeit somewhat indirectly. Cutler has been repurposed, the "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight has failed, he's hanging over a railing with a bomb in one hand and Beck desperately holding onto the other, while Tron begs him to let go. Beck really doesn't want to, but he's forced to accept that this cackling nutjob is no longer the friend he knew.
  • The Sneaky Guy: He really can't afford to start fights, most of the time. Also, he tries to avoid derezzing his enemies whenever possible.
  • Stealth Expert: "Stealth—I can do that."
  • The Stoic: Beck is very much so. Even when he's with his friends and relaxing, he always has a soft-spoken, steady voice. Extreme danger or high-speed chases don't do much to ruffle his feathers, either. (People being in danger, however, will get him to act more harried.) That said, Tron is even more stoic.
  • Something Only They Would Say: Beck very nearly exposes himself to Paige in the pilot when he uses his repair tool in front of her while at the garage. Lucky for him, his boss points out that it's standard issue, convincing her to ignore it. In "Isolated", he nearly does it again when he suggests they make a functional boat out of spare parts. Paige catches on to the training that he would need to do that, but Beck passes it off as something he thinks should be easy rather than a skill he possesses.
  • Super Hero Origin: Played with and subverted, Beck is saving lives and kicking ass on his own, just switching his clothes to look like Tron to screw with Clu's regime. It isn't until after he already makes a name for himself, quite incidentally and merely in the process of helping friends and trying to do the right thing, that Tron approaches him and essentially asks him to be a superhero rebel leader.
  • Taking Up the Mantle: Beck does with with the identity of Tron. Boy is he surprised when the actual Tron approves.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: Beck tries hard to make sure no one gets killed around him, civilian and villain alike. This actually becomes a plot point in "No Bounds", where Cyrus ruins his reputation by killing people, civilian and military alike.
  • Took a Level in Badass: It's subtle, but his training with Tron is helping. In "Isolated", he casually deflects most of Paige's attacks, and isn't fighting back because he needs her help to get them both off of the disintegrating island. Arguably, she wouldn't have been able to get the better of him if he were fighting seriously. He hadn't fared nearly so well in their earlier fights. Later, in "State of Mind", he is clearly superior to Pavel in combat.
  • Weak, but Skilled: Beck has spent a lifetime roof-hopping, dueling, and racing bikes. As a result, he is exceptionally agile and fast enough to hold his own in protracted battles with Paige and Tesler, who are trained combatants with a lot more power to throw around. Beck rarely wins any battles, but he always gets away. And this all before he officially begins his uprising or gets any form of training.

    Tron 

Tron

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tron_Tron_Uprising_637.jpg
Voiced by: Bruce Boxleitner

An advanced security program and former protector of the Grid, he was badly injured by Clu and Dyson during the latter's coup. No longer fit to lead the resistance himself, he finds a replacement in Beck.


  • Anti-Hero: Moreso now since the takeover of the Grid. Mostly this translates into being more pragmatic or jaded than we're familiar with, but good LORD help you if Tron has reason to be angry with you.
    • He gets cured in "Terminal", just in time for Clu to bring an entire army to Argon.
  • Being Tortured Makes You Evil: His treatment at the hands of Dyson hasn't pushed him all the way down the Karma Meter yet, but they sure as heck came very close. He's certainly not the guy we used to know anymore.
  • Big Good: Though he's planning to hand the whole operation over to Beck at some point. It's Beck who's the rebel leader; Tron is there for support. A lot of support.
  • Catchphrase: Actually averted. His catch phrase has been previously established as "I fight for the Users!" Nevertheless, he has yet to say it on screen once in the series. There may be good reason - check the Fridge page.
  • Cool Old Guy: Though Tron looks middle-aged, he is probably the oldest program on the Grid, having been transferred there from the Encom servers and predating the Grid itself.
  • Covered in Scars: And how! As he shows Beck, his shell is covered in dead pixels, most of it untreated wounds from the coup or from Dyson's sadism.
  • Deadpan Snarker: From time to time he'll showcase his dry wit. note 
  • Depending on the Artist: The animators sometimes forgot that the character (and the actor that played him) is left-handed.
  • Evil Stole My Faith: Downplayed. As seen by the aversion of Catchphrase, he never mentions the Users, even the one he considered a close friend.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Tron's training and demeanor is a little harsh at times.
    • Fridge Brilliance when you realize that Beck is his third (maybe fourth) apprentice at least. Consider what happened to Anon and Jalen, and if he had, in any way, tried to train Ram. Then there's Dyson... and Cyrus...
    • The "Scars" storyline takes it to new heights—he attacks Beck multiple times to get him off his back, and never once shows regret or hesitation throughout the two-parter. That's not even mentioning how unrepentantly homicidal he is. There are good reasons he feels this way, but it just proves that he lacks the strict moral code that Beck has.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a small scar along the left side of his face. It grows larger if he neglects to keep it in check with the healing chamber.
  • Handicapped Badass: He's every bit as skilled as he was prior to his injuries, he just no longer has the stamina to go with it.
    • Though even that is called into question—he defeats CLU's greatest soldier after a long and intense fight, even taking a couple of heavy hits, without being fazed or affected by any of his injuries in the slightest. It probably helped that he was running on pure rage at the time.
    • His biggest handicap is presumably the fact that he'll undergo Critical Existence Failure if he ever gets tired, which is the best explanation for why he doesn't just always take care of things himself.
  • Hermit Guru: He's staying out of sight because he's very high on Clu's hit list, and suffering from the effects of malware, so he has to stay hidden while mentoring Beck.
  • Heroic Spirit: Tron not only doesn't break under torture, he remains completely silent.
    Guard 1: Everyone else screams, why doesn't he?
    Guard 2: He's Tron.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold: He acts like a cold, distant cynic mentor most of the times, but he has shown more than once that he actually cares deeply for Beck.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: His justification for many of his questionable acts.
  • Knight in Sour Armor: Tron is very grim, a far cry from other depictions.
  • The Mentor: Since he himself is disabled, he mentors Beck to become the new rebel leader.
  • My Greatest Failure: He blames himself for not seeing Clu's betrayal in advance and training Cyrus only for him to become a psycho.
  • Not So Stoic: He breaks down and admits that Beck is his friend when the latter begins to permanently lose his memory and later goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Dyson.
  • Passing the Torch: To Beck.
  • Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: He's not only covered in obvious physical scars, but he's angry, distrustful, distant, and (when it comes to Dyson) murderous. The sweet fellow from the first film and Kingdom Hearts II is long gone.
  • Out-of-Character Alert: His uncharacteristic aggression toward Dyson does not go unnoticed by Beck, and the revelation that Dyson saw Tron supposedly die seals the deal.
  • Restraining Bolt: Of a sort. Dyson reveals that he modified Tron in such a way that he will die from a lack of energy, while normal programs just get tired.
  • Revenge: He seriously wants Dyson derezzed.
  • Scars are Forever: The scars from the torture he endured cannot be removed unless via full reformatting and he has to periodically heal them so they don't deteriorate. Cyrus manages to worsen his condition, rendering the corruption unstoppable.
  • Sink or Swim Mentor: He becomes more of one as the series goes on. Unusually, though, this is out of a growing respect for Beck's judgment and competence. It's pretty clear he does this to prepare Beck for the rigor's of leadership and cultivate independence. It mostly comes up as Tron expressing distrust in Beck's risky ideas, but standing aside to let him carry them out and deal with any possible consequences.
  • Strapped to an Operating Table: By Dyson. It's how he got that facial scar.
  • Took a Level in Cynic: And how! Keep in mind that the cynical, hard-edged mentor figure we see in the show used to be the utterly idealistic dork in shiny blue armor sincerely arguing that he could make the Encom system free again.
  • Tough Love: In "Tagged", Tron explains that he used this approach with Beck because it proves he's dedicated to the cause. A normal person will respond to encouragement, but a dedicated person will persist in the face of criticism.
  • Training from Hell: This is what he subjects Beck to. Pay special attention to when they spar—Tron typically hits Beck hard enough that his blows echo.
  • We Used to Be Friends: Regarding Clu and Dyson. And Cyrus.
  • Worf Had the Flu: Subverted. It's established early on that his injuries and inability to fully heal himself prevent him from being as active as he wants, and while he can fight, his stamina isn't what it used to be and he tires much quicker. In spite all of this, Tron powers through all of his opponents, injuries or no, defeating Cyrus and Dyson at different points. By the end of the series he's cured and returns to full strength.
  • Wounded Hero, Weaker Helper: Zig-Zagged in-series. Tron's injuries are severe, and Dyson's malware ensure that the best he can do is stave off de-rez with the Healing Vat, which is why he needed to train Beck to take over. That doesn't mean Tron's entirely out of the fighting business, though. Even if he can only fight for a short time before the injuries slow him down, he's still the biggest badass to cross Cyberspace.

Able's Garage

    Able 

Able

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Able_Uprising_2235.jpg

Beck's boss and the owner of the namesake garage. He reluctantly aids Tesler's army in the absence of any better option, but believes in the Renegade.


  • Cool Old Guy: It's implied that he's as old as Tron, especially given his collection of old Encom-system stuff.
  • The Collector: Fond of collecting old and/or rare items.
  • His Name Is...: Comes close to revealing the identities of Beck and Cyrus to Mara and Zed, only to be stopped by the electric shock from a device he was holding, then killed by the subsequent explosion of several energy canisters.
  • Parental Substitute: Seems to be one to Beck, and possibly to the other programs in his employ.
    • In "Grounded", he literally tries to ground Beck into staying at the garage.
  • Papa Wolf: As shown in "We Both Know How This Ends", he's willing to stand up to Tron to keep Beck safe, fearing that Beck's gonna get derezzed.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: No boss should ever allow Beck so many breaks. This is because he knows Beck is the Renegade, a fact he finally reveals in "Grounded".
    • He defends his employees whenever they're being harassed by the occupation, like when he bluntly tells Paige that Beck's repair tool (which he carries as the Renegade) is standard issue for his employees and thus the Renegade probably stole one.
  • Secret-Keeper: As of "Grounded", he's a straight example of this.
  • Secret Secret-Keeper:
    Able: What I have to say, I hoped I'd never have to say. So here goes. How did you become the Renegade?
    • On top of that, he knows Tron is alive and has been aiding him longer than Beck has.

    Zed 

Zed

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Zed_5981.jpg
'Voiced by:" Nate Corddry

A fellow employee of Beck. He has a grim view of the Renegade's exploits, believing his rebellion will ultimately cause more harm than good.


  • Butt-Monkey: Tricked by a thief at the club, constantly harassed by villains, and had his bike jacked by the Renegade. And that's just the first four episodes.
  • Cannot Tell a Joke: Highlighted in "We Both Know How This Ends", where nobody even understands the joke he keeps trying to tell. We only hear the punchline: "I'm sorry, but that's not energy you've been drinking.
  • Character Development: At first Zed resents if not outright hates the Renegade, however in the final episode he defends him in front of Mara (who was enamored by "Tron"). Also, at the end of the episode Zed is second only to Mara in his decision to stand up for the Renegade, disc in hand.
  • Commander Contrarian: Whenever the topic is on the Renegade, Zed is the first to say something negative about him. Given Mara's pro-Renegade stance, however, he's been trying to dial it back as of late. Inverted in "Terminal", where he is actually supportive of the Renegade while Mara has turned against him, thanks to Able's death.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: Initially, he's very much against the Renegade. After "State of Mind", however, he begins to respect the Renegade after he helps him save Mara. During the finale, he is the only other program who refuses to believe that the Renegade is responsible for Able's death.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: He's capable of building a blisteringly fast lightcycle from scratch.
  • Heel Realization: Zed goes through this when Mara calls him out on making a weapon that could potentially kill the Renegade. He sabotages it during the test so Paige will think he's incompetent and won't come back looking for more.
  • Hero Stole My Bike: Gets his bike jacked by the Renegade during a lightcycle race. Beck finally returns it in "State of Mind".
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Zed's insecurities get the better of him, causing him to act petty, ungrateful or boastful at times, but his goodness shines through when the situation calls for it, such as when he had to save Hopper from being crushed by debris, or when he went to investigate Mara's brainwashing all alone.
  • Just Friends: With Mara, much to his annoyance.
  • The Resenter: He hates the Renegade due mostly to a string of unintended negative consequences Beck's actions have on him.
  • Save the Villain: In "Price of Power", he takes the time to help Hopper save Bartik. Later, in "The Reward", he and Mara try to save Hopper from being wrongly executed as the Renegade.
  • Skewed Priorities: In "The Reward", when Mara gets cut off during her apparent Dying Declaration of Love, Zed keeps trying to coax her into finishing. He does this even though more than half the time spent doing so is while they're being shot at by a missile launcher. He only gives up well after things have calmed down and Mara has a chance to act like it never happened.
  • Took a Level in Badass: He does at least try in "State of Mind". The fact that he's willing to mouth off to the Renegade is a plus, but he still spends most of the episode being a klutz. He does contribute his technical skill, since Beck can't reveal his own training in that area.

    Mara 

Mara

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mara_Uprising_33.jpg
Voiced by: Mandy Moore

Zed's best friend. She's always there to keep him from getting in over his head or to bail him out when he already has.


  • Beware the Nice Ones: After Bartik and Hopper get the entire garage arrested as prisoners of war out of spite, she threatens to derez them when she gets the chance.
  • Broken Pedestal: After spending the entire show looking up to the Renegade, she angrily blames him for Able's death in the penultimate episode and decides that the city of Argon doesn't need him. Thankfully, Zed calls her out on it.
  • Dying Declaration of Love: She sounds like she was about to do this with Zed during their public execution. Beck saves them before she can finish, much to Zed's disappointment.
  • Evil Costume Switch: A minor example. When Brainwashed and Crazy in "State of Mind", she changes her hair color to orange.
  • Genki Girl: She's noticeably more upbeat than Zed or Beck.
  • Heroic BSoD: Goes through a particularly devastating one following Able's death. While she eventually recovers, the event was painful enough to sour her opinion of the Renegade.
  • Jumped at the Call: After Beck's battle with Tesler in "Grounded", she forms a team of graffiti artists to paint "Tron Lives" everywhere. When Beck decides to recruit them, her accomplices fold after a near-death experience, but she continues her work even after Beck decides to reject her.
  • Loves My Alter Ego: Her discussion with Beck on "Tron's" attractiveness. "Tagged" kicks it up a notch.
  • Morality Chain: To Zed. Whenever he starts to slide over to the bad guys' way of thinking, she's there to pull him back.
  • Nice Girl: She's incredibly friendly, caring, and loyal to her friends. Just don't piss her off.
  • The Reliable One: Unsurprisingly, she's the only one of the main trio Able will trust to run the garage while he's away.
  • Save the Villain: Tries to save Hopper with Zed in "The Reward".
  • Survivor Guilt: In "Terminal" following Able's death, which is redirected toward blaming the Renegade.
  • Took a Level in Badass: In "Tagged". And again in "Terminal".

    Bodhi 

Bodhi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bodhi_1138.png
Voiced by: Unknown

Beck's best friend. He gave Beck his modified repair tool.


  • Death by Origin Story: Dies in the very first episode of the show, motivating Beck to resist the Occupation.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The tool he gives to Beck in the premiere ends up saving Tron from Cyrus' bomb.
  • Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Mouthing off to a Black Guard wasn't the brightest idea.
  • Friendly Rivalry: He's introduced trying to get Beck to finish fixing a bike so they can have a disc rematch.
  • Hot-Blooded: If his eagerness to spar with Beck and his anger when standing up to the guards is anything to go off of.
  • The Generic Guy: Not that his limited screentime before being killed gives him much of a chance to shine.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: It's his death that drives Beck to rebel against Tesler's occupation.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: Killed off within a few minutes of his introduction.
  • Sacrificial Lamb: He gets derezzed by a guard in the pilot episode for the crime of trying to use the playground. His murder gives Beck the impetus to become The Renegade.

    Bit 

Bit

Able's classic ENCOM-Style bit.


  • Alien Geometries: It has the shape of a greater icosahedron.
  • Companion Cube: It serves as this to Able and also follows Mara and Zed around.
  • Pokémon Speak: It can only say "YES" and "NO". That's accompanied by a change in its shape into a golden octahedron and a pointier than usual, red greater icosahedron.
  • Rapid-Fire "No!": When Pavel walks into Able's office after the latter's death, Bit lets out a series of panicked "NO" cries. That gets it derezzed.
  • Snarky Non-Human Sidekick: By Programs As People standards. Bit can express opinions and seems to be amused when programs don't like what it has to say.
  • Spikes of Doom: Not evil, but it "NO" configuration makes its spikes pointier and it turns red.

    Link 

Link

Voiced by: David Arquette

A program who works at the Garage.

  • Genius Ditz: Kind of slow and scatterbrained, but it has paid off. When the garage had to fix some malfunctioning tanks, he accidentally got through the corrupted programing, having it fire and blow through a wall. Mara uses this accident to find out how to fix them.
  • Heroic Bystander: He stands behind Mara with the rest of the garage when she goes against Pavel.
  • The Guards Must Be Crazy: Subverted. When Able charges him with keeping Beck at the garage, he anticipates Beck's attempt to leave. However, Link then admits he can't really stop Beck, and knows that this might be the last chance Beck has to see the Renegade.
  • Hero Stole My Bike: Beck jacked the Roadster he won in "The Reward".
  • Mauve Shirt: One of the few workers named outside of the main cast, and he's even given secondary roles sometimes.

    Dash 

Dash

Voiced by: Chris Klein

A Program who works at the garage.

  • Heroic Bystander: He and Copper stand with Mara and the rest of the garage against Pavel.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: When Mara is in charge, he tries to wiggle out of work, and undermines her authority when Pavel gives them the deadline to fix the sabotaged tanks. However, he was only trying to get everyone out alive, and when Mara figures out a plan, he swiftly falls into line behind her.
    • In an earlier episode, when he and Copper found Able, they immediately got him inside to treat his injuries.
  • Mauve Shirt: Not as prominent as Link, but he's fairly commonplace in the garage.
  • The Slacker: Tries to get off work with Copper when Mara's in charge.

Allies

    Cutler 

Cutler

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cutler_8518.jpg
Voiced by: Lance Reddick

A veteran of the ISO wars and close ally of Beck. He left Argon to spread the word of Tron's survival, but was captured and repurposed at some point.


    Moog 

Moog

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Moog_2540.png
Voiced by: Jamie Hector

  • Distressed Dude: Along with Rasket, is captured and subjected to Cold-Blooded Torture aboard Tesler's ship, requiring Beck and Mara to come save them.
  • Gang of Hats: One member of the 'Jolly Tricksters' along with Rasket and Mara. They paint their "TRON LIVES" 'free code' (AKA, graffiti) all over Argon, and disguise themselves via helmets decorated with pointy-toothed slasher smiles.
  • In Harm's Way: At first. He says straight out that he and Rasket are defying the occupation primarily for the thrill of it.
  • Meaningful Name: The Moog was one of the first music synthesyzers ever to hit commercial distribution. Wendy Carlos, composer for the first TRON film used it extensively.
  • Opt Out: After their capture and near deresolution aboard Tesler's ship, he and Rasket decide that they're really not hero material.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Lampshaded by Mara when Beck (as the Renegade) asks her what Moog and Rasket were thinking sneaking onto Tesler's ship to tag it with their 'free code'. Answer? "They weren't. I usually handle that part."

    Rasket 

Rasket

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rasket_7857.png
Voiced by: Jack Huston

Argon Occupation

    Tesler 

General Tesler

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tesler_2504.jpg
Voiced by: Lance Henriksen

A general in Clu's army, spearheading the occupation of Argon City.


  • A Father to His Men: Subverted with Paige. He's forgiven her for failures he doesn't let his mooks get away with, perhaps because he appreciates her talents. He didn't really need to rescue her when she was stranded at sea, but he personally flew out to get her. And actually smiled at her over his shoulder after she'd been successfully found. That being said, Tesler views Paige more of an asset than an ally he cares for, and he frequently brainwashes and manipulates Paige with kindness. And despite the fact Paige showed nothing but loyalty to Tesler, he comes very close to executing her in "Rendezvous" after he believes that Paige turned rogue and started working alongside the Renegade.
  • Ambition Is Evil: Judging by his behavior around his superiors, and Lance Henriksen's comments, he really wishes he were higher up in the pecking order, and despises bending the knee to someone like Dyson or even CLU.
  • An Arm and a Leg: If the show had been renewed, there is a leaked scene where Clu punishes Tesler by shattering his hands
  • An Odd Place to Sleep: He sleeps standing up in the middle of a large room, kept upright by cables attached to his back. Other programs have been depicted as sleeping normally (by human standards), further emphasizing how unusual it is.
  • Arm Cannon: Gets one installed in "Grounded". He can swap it for his lower arm when he needs it.
  • Badass Boast: He's got plenty up his sleeve.
    Tesler: You trust too easily. You think those programs up there will fight by your side? Their loyalty is to the state! I rule the state!
  • Badass Cape: A very short, The Generalissimo-esque one.
  • Bad Boss: To his mooks.
  • Beard of Evil: Possesses a beard that almost resemble a goatee.
  • Berserk Button: Failure. Referring to the Renegade as "Tron" also gets on his nerves pretty easily.
  • Big Bad: The main villain of the series whose actions drive Beck to rebellion.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: He comfortably occupies the Big Bad throne alone for the first half of the series, but his job security begins to creep when Dyson shows up and Cyrus starts wreaking his own havoc.
  • The Coats Are Off: This is the primary function of his cape: to be taken off when the fight kicks in.
  • Classic Villain: Wrath.
  • Combat Pragmatist: When Beck is being augmented by an upgrade disc and is thus far stronger than Tesler, Tesler compensates by using bombs, turrets, and any other tricks to level the playing field. In "Grounded", as preparation for his fight, he had Pavel give him some upgrades to make himself stronger and he brought a BFG to fight the Renegade in single combat.
  • Extendable Arms: His arm-stretching abilities.
  • Foil: To Beck. Both are right-hand-men to two idealistic programs who seek the best for the Grid, Tron and Clu, but Beck is a noble program who fights for freedom and the common program, while Tesler is a tyrant enforcing order at all costs.
  • Forehead of Doom: He has an almost comically oversized forehead.
  • Four-Star Badass: He's a general and more than lives up the skill expected of the rank.
  • General Failure: Gradually turning into one, but most especially with his Witch Hunt Red Scare debacle.
  • General Ripper: He's borderline obsessed with defeating the Renegade.
  • Genius Bruiser: The physically strongest character of the cast, but also a very cunning strategist.
  • Genre Blind: He's fallen for the fake memory gambit three times, two in the same episode. You'd think he'd acquire some skepticism.
  • Hates Being Touched: One gets this impression of him in "The Reward", when he completely loses his temper after Mara dares to lightly touch him while pleading for Hopper's life. However, given that Beck has punched him in the face and elicited no such reaction, it's likely that Mara's tiny slight was enough to set him off in his current state of mind.
  • Hannibal Lecture: Gives one every time he meets the Renegade.
  • The Heavy: While lower on the totem pole compared to Dyson or Clu, Tesler is the main villain Beck goes up against.
  • Hero Killer: He has quite a high bodycount. Also fits the character archetype.
  • Implacable Man: Nothing short of throwing him off a building or cutting off a limb will make him stop.
  • Kick the Dog:
    • Manipulating Paige into believing that Quorra killed her friends, when he in fact had the entire hospital liquidated.
    • Ordering Mara and Zed arrested purely because Mara happened to touch his chest, and having their subsequent execution performed by using light-cycles to rip them limb from limb.
    • Murdering Keller just after accepting her back under his wing, and after Paige had assured her that Tesler would give her a chance.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: After his fight with the Renegade is interrupted in "Grounded", costing him an arm, Tesler abandons the fight rather than face two combatants with only one arm.
  • Leitmotif: Tesler Throwdown.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: He and Paige had no idea that Clu's "super recognizer" existed, and he barks orders at his men after it crashes in Argon to figure out what it is and why it was there.
  • Manipulative Bastard: To Paige.
  • Megaton Punch: Every time he punches someone, that person is Punched Across the Room.
  • Menacing Stroll: One of his trademarks in battle.
  • Mighty Glacier: His style is much less acrobatic and far slower than Beck's or Paige's, but he can punch people through walls with ease. His laser arms require him to stay still while they bounce all over the place.
  • Misplaced Retribution: When he decides to have Mara torn limb from limb just because she touched him, Tesler included Zed on it... because he happened to be there. Oy.
  • No-Sell: No matter how hard the Renegade kicks him, he'll barely move.
  • Nigh-Invulnerability: Or rather, his arms are. When in "Power Fist" form (instead of Extendable Arms form, in which they can be destroyed fairly easily), his arms are pretty much indestructible (for instance, he can punch discs with those arms). His body itself is no slouch either.
  • Not So Stoic: He's prone to lose his cool whenever The Renegade claims he's Tron. Also, he freaks out if he gets wounded (which is no easy feat), or if CLU sends Dyson or comes himself to supervise.
  • Oh, Crap!: Gets a spectacular one once his arm gets severed by Able pretending to be Tron right before he can kill the Renegade in Grounded, enough so that he opts to flee rather than continue the fight. Has another nice one when he finds out that Clu is personally heading to Argon.
  • Power Fist: His Extendable Arms also let him hit a lot harder.
  • Rank Scales with Asskicking: Beck has beaten Pavel and held his own against Paige, but Tesler has been consistently out of his league (except when he had the upgrade disc). It probably helps that Tesler's fighting style is an almost perfect counter to Beck's.
  • Revenge Before Reason: He isn't exactly the most sound of individuals when the matter is the Renegade.
  • Sanity Slippage: Shows shades of it in "The Reward", where he goes increasingly paranoid and delusional regarding the Renegade.
  • Spell My Name With An S: Some sources spell his name as "Tessler", while others say "Tesler."
  • The Stoic: The most stone-faced of all the villains, Clu included.
  • Super-Strength: he crunches a one meter-long metal (?) pipe into a 2x2x2 cm cube. With his bare hands.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: It wasn't until the episode before "Scars" that he's really starting to give Pavel a run for his money in regards to sheer savagery.
  • Touch of Death: Merely holding programs long enough with his Power Fist active can derez them.
  • Facepalm of Doom: How the Touch of Death is primarily used, though it doesn't have to be.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Played with. A few people like him, a few people hate him, but most of the city seems unsure if they should trust him.
  • Worthy Opponent: For all his hatred, he regards the Renegade as this. This is shown when he's falsely convinced that Hopper is the Renegade. As Hopper is innocent and thus pleads for his life, Tesler snaps, "I expected a far more worthy adversary! You're nothing but a coward!"
  • You Have Failed Me: Unless you're Paige or Pavel, failure is a one-way street with him.
  • You Rebel Scum!: The term "Renegade" is actually his variation of that.

    Paige 

Paige

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Paige_7626.jpg
Voiced by: Emmanuelle Chriqui

Tesler's lieutenant, a former medic turned soldier after the murder of her friends.


  • Anti-Villain: While she is a ruthless combatant, she does have a conscience and cares about the safety of other programs, unlike Tesler and Pavel, who are willing to allow programs to get derezzed in order to advance the Occupation's goals. Despite all the dirty business she involves herself in, she still believes her actions act for the good of all the Grid compared to the freedom of the ISO which she believes will only lead to even more suffering after being lied to by Tesler. Lampshaded by Paige's voice actor.
    Emmanuelle Chriqui: She's categorized as a villain, though I don't play her as a villain. I think she's just deeply misguided...She's very passionate about what she does and she's very driven. It's just that she's working for the wrong side.
  • The Baroness: Of the "sexpot" type.
  • Broken Bird: Courtesy of her friends having been murdered by Tesler.
  • Broken-System Dogmatist: She's an adamant proponent of Clu's regime, but has suffered and been abused regularly by her superiors and peers like Pavel and even admits she despises how brutal Clu's regime is to programs. She also downplays the cruelty of her bosses, despite witnessing their brutality firsthand with evident fear. In a case of Evil Versus Oblivion, she believes that, despite all the dirty business she involves herself in, her actions act for the good of all the Grid compared to the freedom of the ISO which she believes will only lead to even more suffering and the destruction of the entire Grid.
  • Captain Crash: Paige may be able to block a tank just by driving her light cycle, but every single time she pilots a chopperm it crashes.
  • Characterization Marches On: Initially, she comes off more like Tesler's mistress, dropping his name without the title, openly questioning him and behaving rather rudely in his presence (showing her irritation after she failed to catch the Renegade and later sneering at Tesler's own failure to do so). As of "Isolated" this changes and she always acts respectfully and submissively toward him, even when objecting and looks up to him in the manner of a a daughter who seeks to prove herself.
  • Co-Dragons: With Pavel, though she's the more competent of the pair.
  • Combat Medic: She doesn't seem to have left her vocation behind.
  • Combat Stilettos: She fights in high heels. This is particularly notable because flashbacks depict her wearing flat-soled boots as a medic, which would suggest a deliberate style choice somewhere down the line.
  • Daddy's Little Villain: Tesler is not her father, but he tends to act this way toward her. Also mirroring her is Pavel's Overlord Jr.-like behavior.
  • Dark Action Girl: She might be a lot more reasonable then most of the Occupation, but she's still using her fighting skills to serve evil masters.
  • Dating Catwoman: She flirts with Beck in his Renegade persona from their first meeting, whilst also making capturing/killing him her top priority. As the series progresses, they end up working together at times, and Paige even unknowingly comes close to being in a romantic relationship with the same person she's trying to hunt down after she becomes more familiar with Beck in his civilian persona.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Toward Beck. In the beginning, she sees him as a simple mechanic and is annoyed when she had to deal with him repeatedly. Then they work together to save the passengers from a runaway train and she goes from being extremely aggravated by his advances to asking him out.
  • Determinator: She's extremely persistent in her pursuit of Beck, no matter the odds.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: She doesn't approve of public executions, even if it's The Renegade that's being executed. Even less so if it's done with a devastating weapon.
  • Evil Costume Switch: As a medic, Paige is shown wearing the standard, full-body Sensual Spandex. Once she joins the military, she gets Combat Stilettos and her shoulders are exposed.
  • Evil Counterpart: She and Beck are both in mid-income (by real world standards) careers by trade who are natural fighters. With training, they surpass the bounds of their programming and become (essentially) elite soldiers.
  • Eye Scream: Lomox alters her memories by sending a bug through a holographic projection of her head, entering in through her eye. Judging from Paige's reaction, she can feel it as if it was happening to her.
  • Fembot: All the female characters by definition, but Paige best matches the trope.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: With Beck (not in his Renegade guise) in "Welcome Home", starting from him trying to hit on her as a distraction to helping her keep the passengers on the train safe and nearly sacrificing himself to stop it from hurtling over a cliff. At beginning of the episode she's completely put-off by his smarminess and at the end she tells him to look her up when he gets back to the city so they could hang out.
  • Glacier Waif: To contrast Beck, she's tall and willowy but her fighting style is direct and emphasizes brute force. She's a lot stronger than Beck, too, demonstrated nicely when she makes a huge leap up to the top of a Recognizer when Beck had to use a staff and a lot of acrobatics to do the same.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: She truly believes Tesler is kind and merciful, when she should know him better than most people. Mind you, she's seen him flip out and have people executed for miniscule slights.
  • Ignorant Minion: To Tesler, because she believes he saved her life. She also believes Clu and Tesler represent stability and a better life for the Programs instead of the chaos Flynn left the system in.
  • Impossible Hourglass Figure: Combined with the show's general long, lean character design, you could practically flip her over and tell time with her.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Tesler and Pavel apparently don't involve her in some of their more insidious plans because of her stronger moral compass. And then there's the slaughter of her friends on Tesler's orders.
    • She also didn't know about the existence of Clu's "super recognizer," but then again, neither did her boss.
  • Loves My Alter Ego: She hates The Renegade, but has a mutual attraction with Beck upon getting to know him.
  • The Medic: Paige was originally a doctor before joining up.
  • Nice to the Waiter: Averted. Paige isn't outright sociopathic to citizens like Pavel is, but she does act haughty and rude to those she perceives as incompetent or useless. Notable examples are Zed (feigning incompetence), a sapper Black Guard who was too slow to defuse a grenade, and Beck trying to romance her and being pushy while she's on a mission (he did it to keep her from completing her mission). Justified since she sincerely believes she's working for a better Grid and sees anyone not cooperating as either a saboteur or a slacker.
  • Noble Top Enforcer: To Tesler. She's loyal to Tesler since he saved her life (or so she thinks), but she's also disgusted at some of his decisions.
  • Order vs. Chaos: Her guiding philosophy, if her conversations with Beck/the Renegade are to be taken at face value. She sees the Renegade and the ISOs as the chaos disrupting the Grid and Clu's reign (with her part in it) as the order. This may be why she tolerates Tesler's actions, seeing it as better than the alternative.
  • Pet the Dog: In "Welcome Home", she offers Keller a genuine second chance if she returns to Argon and to Tesler willingly, despite Keller being nothing but a thorn in her side. She also tries to be compassionate and understanding towards Keller throughout the episode.
  • Shadow Archetype: One of two to Beck (the other being Cyrus). Paige is unquestioningly loyal to a mentor who hasn't been entirely truthful to her, and is using her for his own ends as an enforcer, believing she is doing what is best to save the people on The Grid. If Beck had been recruited by anyone other than Tron (or if Tron became corrupt), he might have become something similar.
  • Start of Darkness: She had hers when "Quorra" (actually Tesler) slaughtered all of her friends.
  • Statuesque Stunner: Her aforementioned long legs help her meet Beck at eye-level.
  • Stupid Evil: What do you do when your sworn enemy is selflessly saving your life by riding you out of the path of an explosion on his lightcycle? Repeatedly try to kill him, of course! She does have the good sense to stop when the fireball starts to catch up again, but really, it wasn't the brightest of decisions.
  • Supermodel Strut: Fitting for her role as The Baroness, her hips have a noticeably wide sway when she walks. Her long legs only further emphasize it.
  • Undying Loyalty: To Tesler for saving her life. Except he didn't.
  • Villainesses Want Heroes: You wouldn't be blamed for thinking Paige's dialogue when fighting Beck to be somewhat flirtatious.
    • The introductory narration in "Isolated" outright states that she's infatuated with him, but then the narrator tends to snark about such matters.
    • In "Welcome Home", Beck's heroism and skill (as in his normal life, not as the Renegade) lead her to offer him a date. Then things go horribly wrong in "Rendezvous".
  • Villainous Friendship: She has this with Tesler.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Paige honestly believes she's doing the right thing for the Grid.

    Pavel 

Pavel

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pavel_5595.jpg
Voiced by: Paul Reubens

Tesler's other lieutenant. Seems like a complete suck-up, but privately wants to remove Tesler from power for his own ambitions.


  • Ax-Crazy: His sycophantic facade and Large Ham tendencies belie just how vicious he is. Exaggerated when he gets the upgrade disc.
  • BFG: Apparently has a fondness for these - in "The Reward" he uses a rocket launcher, and in "Grounded" designs an equally big and powerful Arm Cannon for Tesler.
  • Co-Dragons: With Paige.
  • Creepy Blue Eyes: To contrast Beck and Paige's brown eyes, and also Mara's Innocent Blue Eyes.
  • The Danza: Pavel is the Slavic variation of Paul, which is the name of his voice actor.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: An agenda that involves removing Tesler from power, much unlike Paige.
  • Classic Villain: Pride, Ambition, Wrath, and Greed.
  • Cool Mask: The one he wears resembles a gas mask, and he looks quite menacing when the visor is black.
  • Deadpan Snarker: At times. His theatrics make it hard to notice at first.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. It seemed like he was disturbed that Tesler murdered his own troops for even slight failures, until Pavel himself later executes a soldier just so he could use his disc to fight Beck. If anything, he was more worried about Tesler giving him the You Have Failed Me treatment.
  • Evil Genius: Though not the most tactically savvy of the villains, he does see to have the most technical expertise. Designing an Arm Cannon for Tesler that can blast a man-sized hole in a wall definitely proves it, as well as having fake memories installed to various programs.
  • Evil Laugh: A big fan of it.
  • Evil Is Hammy: Holy crap is he ever.
  • Evil Is Petty: He hates Able's garage, taking any opportunity to make their lives miserable and possibly get them derezzed if he has a good excuse. This culminates in him taking it over as a military installation following Able's death, nicknaming it his new "House of Pain".
  • Jerkass: He's easily one of the most unpleasant guys to have ever graced the television screen.
    • In "We Both Know How This Ends", he delivers a batch of tanks sabotaged by the Renegade to Able's Garage and gives them an unreasonable time frame for the repairs. When he comes back and they're fixed, he's actually unhappy that he didn't get to send someone to the games for failing his task.
  • Kick the Dog: His forte. One of note would be how he gives Mara an unreasonable time frame for repairs to sabotaged tanks - the kicker comes from how he's actually disappointed that he didn't get to send someone to the games for failing the task.
    • In "Rendezvous", he killed a bunch of prisoners just to test out his upgrade disc. The kicker this time is his maniacal laugh and his Slasher Smile.
    • After spending an entire episode working alongside Gorn, he somehow transforms her into a perpetually smiling, mumbling servant, most likely through the use of those code-disrupting bugs.
    • In "Terminal", he destroys Able's Bit after it continually flashes "No!" at him for taking over the garage after Able's death.
  • Lack of Empathy: In "Welcome Home", he thinks nothing of letting an entire train full of people crash just to take out one program. He didn't come there with that in mind, but it was a happy accident for him.
  • Large Ham: He's voiced by Paul fricking Reubens. You'd not expect anything less. Still, Pavel rather enjoys theatrics and the intimidating effect those theatrics have on others.
  • Mouthscreen: Often shown like that when he's talking about something sinister, be it a plot or Evil Gloating.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: Pavel initially comes off as a smug incompetent lackey especially when compared to the more dangerous Tessler and more skilled Paige. As the series goes on, however, the audience is shown what a monster Pavel really is under the surface being petty, cruel, and possessing a well hidden violent streak. A character who was introduced as more comic relief than threat ends the series having tortured an unknown amount of programs to death, casually murdered a trio of programs to test a weapon, and endangered dozens of lives because of his own recklessness and sadism.
  • Overlord Jr.: Being Tesler's Dragon, he quite enjoys following his leader in sowing terror and oppressing the citizens, at times being even more cruel, having no restraint and going to Stupid Evil Ax-Crazy levels. Tesler always supports this and doesn't hesitate to compliment or reward him, but is less forgiving of Pavel's failures than of Paige's.
  • Psycho for Hire: While he seems to be solely driven by ambition and a desire to stay alive, he's gradually revealed to quite enjoy other's pain, from threatening to drag the garage staff to the games, to torturing and murdering people, to beating up Paige in the games.
  • Pyrrhic Victory: In "Rendezvous", he goes through a series of Frameups to earn himself a promotion. As his reward, he is indeed promoted... to the overseer of a Wretched Hive he is expected to clean up, and in the process has to give up the upgrade disc and makes an enemy of Paige.
  • Professional Butt-Kisser: Seems to be an Invoked Trope, though, given his true intentions.
  • Properly Paranoid: He knows damn-well that his life is hanging by a thread if the Renegade keeps eluding Tesler. It's worth noting that Tesler himself seems to think favorably of Pavel, but when you look at Dyson, it appears Pavel's not far off regarding his paranoia.
  • Rank Scales with Asskicking: He is capable of fighting, but not on the same level as Beck or Paige. That changes when he uses the upgrade disc of course.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: When using the upgrade disc.
  • Sissy Villain: Compared to his comrades, at least, though he's certainly not afraid to get his hands dirty.
  • Slasher Smile: To downright disturbing levels in "Rendezvous", where he gleefully murders a bunch of prisoners just to test the upgrade disc.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: He fancies himself an Evil Genius, but he's far less competent than Paige. He even boasts that he's smarter than the Renegade while fighting him, even though for all his power he can't actually do the job.
  • Smug Snake: He's a fairly skilled fighter but nowhere near as good as he thinks he is, and is one of the few villains Beck can actually beat in a straight fight.
  • The Starscream: Gradually revealed as one. He had no problem leaving Paige to die (which would be something of a promotion); hides the upgrade disc from Tesler; actively attempts to make Tesler look inept at handling the Renegade; and frequently offers Paige a Villain Team-Up by reasoning how Tesler's turning out as a General Failure.
  • State Sec: Between his appearance (greasy hair and hunched posture), position and mannerisms (a servile, nerdy-looking Sissy Villain), modus operandi even more ruthless than that of his superior (frame-ups, spying, torture, covert power plots and happily arresting programs allegedly in the name of a government symbolized by red colors) and his Slavic name, he is quite reminiscent of the sycophantic Komsomol (communist youth league) villains in Eastern Bloc drama movies.
  • Telescoping Staff: often employs one in addition to his identity disk during combat.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Becomes a worthy match for Beck very briefly, due the effects of the upgrade disc.
    • "The Reward" shows that Pavel really can live up to his Evil Genius credentials.
  • Torture Technician: He has a grand old time torturing a pair of programs for information in "Tagged", and judging from the state of the room (covered in the voxels of numerous derezzed programs) he's done so quite a few times before.
  • Tyrant Takes the Helm: He takes over Able's garage in "Terminal" following Able's death, but is driven away by the end of the episode.
  • Villain Team-Up: Offers one to Paige. Several times. She turns him down. Every time.
  • You Have Failed Me: Inverted. He's worried that Tesler might throw this treatment on him for once. He's also convinced that Tesler's inability to stop the Renegade will cost everyone their jobs, from Tesler to Paige and Pavel himself. He hopes that ousting Tesler beforehand would spare his own career (and life), along with that of Paige.

Other Major Villains

    C.L.U. 

C.L.U.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/15d9e8ee_1251_48f2_af77_1429c248877a.png

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

Tesler's superior, an evil virtual copy of Kevin Flynn who currently rules the entire Grid.


    Dyson 

Dyson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/83fa5018_54c3_4758_933d_977231fd2294.png
Voiced by: John Glover

Clu's highest-ranking officer, sent to spearhead the apprehension of the Renegade.


  • Arc Villain: Of the "Scars" two-parter. As CLU's top lieutenant, he's of higher rank than Tesler and his history with Tron makes him a more personal enemy, as well as a major turning point in the series.
  • Boss in Mook Clothing: In style if nothing else. Dyson wears a custom version of the Black Guards' attire, a holdover from the days when he and the entire force operated as Tron's security team.
  • Broken Pedestal: Mutually with Tron and Flynn.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Seems to enjoy cultivating this image amongst the troops, if his odd behavior in Argon Plaza is any indication.
  • Chair Reveal: Dyson does this to Tesler, with his own chair, no less.
  • Character Tics: Extremely fond of the Reverse Arm-Fold.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Mocking the pomposity of the Argon occupation's high command seems to be the only thing he really enjoys.
  • The Dragon: Zigzagged. He's one to Clu, the Greater-Scope Villain, but he doesn't answer to Tesler, the actual Big Bad of the series, and he's enough of a threat on his own. Tron refers to Dyson as Clu's highest ranking soldier and the deadliest, until Rinzler takes this role.
  • Establishing Character Moment: His debut involves him cruising on his high-tech ship, smugly overriding the clearance directives at Argon's screening gate.
  • Evil Former Friend: To Tron.
  • Face–Heel Turn: In his backstory.
  • Facial Horror: That horrendous scar in his backstory. Later does the same to Tron out of sheer spite.
  • Fantastic Racism: Against ISOs in flashbacks, particularly because they're just there, not serving some kind of function like every other program on the Grid. It's also hard not to see some of his talk about "perfection" being program-supremacist even without relation to ISOs.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He's usually lighthearted and playful, but he's also baiting other characters constantly.
  • Fluorescent Footprints: In the same manner as Rinzler in TRON: Legacy, Dyson can literally make this happen to find out where programs have been in an area.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: In his backstory, once he suffers such an injury, he turns much more antagonistic and anti-ISO. Clu eventually fixed him, though, so it doesn't apply in the present day.
  • He Knows Too Much: When Dyson reports to Clu on Tron's survival, CLU asks if anyone else knows. Dyson turns to CLU's guard and swiftly derezzes him, confirming that the two of them are now the only ones who do.
  • Jerkass: Whether you're dealing with his snide patronization or the genuine bile beneath, it's unlikely any experiences with the man will be pleasant. Even someone as bad as Tesler despises Dyson, referring to him as "a vile two-faced phony".
  • Knight of Cerebus: He came in after Tesler's failure, the two episodes he figured in were easily the darkest in the series yet (involving torture and deliberate, revenge-driven murder), and it seems that he's also brought CLU into the plot at last. His introduction also paves the way for Cyrus, an even bigger Knight of Cerebus, to enter the story.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: In "The Stranger", he retreats when a disguised Tron jumps in to help Able. Being one of the few privy to the fact that Tron is alive, he probably put two and two together.
  • Kubrick Stare: he's introduced doing this, and assumes the look quite often throughout the series.
  • Large and in Charge: Inverted. While not to the point of being The Napoleon, he's only about average height amongst a mostly taller cast.
  • Lean and Mean: Especially noticeable given how he's shorter than almost anyone he shares a scene with.
  • Lightning Lash: Fights with a length of energy cord attached to his Disc.
  • Nice to the Waiter: Albeit subtly. We see in "The Stranger" that his fellow Black Guard members are the only other programs besides CLU to whom he's affable.
  • Noble Bigot with a Badge: Initially willing to shelve his prejudices against the ISOs, but it all changed when he was injured.
  • Offscreen Teleportation: In "The Stranger", Able is listening in on a conversation between Dyson and a Black Guard. He turns his head for a moment, only to find Dyson is gone when he turns back. Just as quickly, Dyson somehow ends up in front of him.
  • Oh, Crap!: Using his detection ability, he confidently follows Tron's footprints toward a familiar insignia obscured by steam in the distance... only to have this reaction upon realizing that the "symbol" is in fact four bombs set in a 'T' formation. To say nothing of his reaction when Tron undoes his helmet...
  • The Perfectionist: Shows something of an obsession not just with racial purity, but with physical health as well, mostly as a response to his old injury.
  • Pretty Boy: Helps that he has one of the more realistic faces in the show.
  • A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Was once Tron's right-hand man.
  • The Quisling: Unlike many other programs, Dyson was not re-purposed by Clu. He joined willingly, upon receiving proper treatment for his scar.
  • Rank Scales with Asskicking: The most powerful figure under CLU, and the only program other than Cyrus who seems to have any real chance of beating Tron one-on-one.
  • Reverse Arm-Fold: As noted above, his preferred state of repose.
  • Slouch of Villainy: Pulls this off on Tesler's throne, to cow him into obedience.
  • Smug Snake: He is an extremely competent soldier and leader, but he has a tendency to overestimate his abilities and underestimate his foes.
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: When he tortured Tron in the past, he was usually very calm and collected, even as he started escalating things.
  • Start of Darkness: He is shown as originally being an honorable soldier, fiercely loyal to Tron, who still has significant suspicion of ISOs, but still tries to defend them. This changes when, right after Tron managed to calm things down between the ISOs and some protesters, an ISO apparently throws a disc at the programs (it's more likely this was a deliberate attempt to spark hostilities, but no one except Tron noticed). His face is horribly scarred in the ensuing melee. After the incident, he started to sympathize with Clu's ideals. Flynn's nonchalant attitude toward his accident doesn't help, as well as Tron never even trying to show him the memory of the provoker.
  • Stepford Snarker: When no one else is in the room, Dyson's sarcasm is immediately replaced by sour, introspective silence.
  • Torture Technician: After Tron's defeat by CLU, he cripples Tron via code modification while Tron is strapped to a table and wide awake. And then needlessly scars Tron's face in the process.
  • Troll: Pretended to relieve Tesler of command for no other reason than to mess with him.
  • Villainous Breakdown: When he first discovers Tron is still alive, all he can do is yammer in disbelief and fear whilst he backs away from him. After Tron lets him live, he immediately leaves Argon to report to Clu of his newfound knowledge, and Tesler actually noticed he was scared as he left, which is a stark contrast to how he arrived.
  • Zeroth Law Rebellion: His directive is to keep the system operational and stable. He believed that the Isos were destabilizing the system and consuming resources without contributing a valid function. Therefore, to keep the system operational, the Isos had to be eliminated.

    Cyrus 

Cyrus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cyrus_5263.png
Click here to see pre-tattoo Cyrus 
Voiced by: Aaron Paul

A common guard working under Dyson, who expresses awe at Tron's incredible strength at Dyson torturing him. Cyrus rescued Tron and faked his death, sparking the revolution against Clu's tyranny. After that, he was trained by Tron to become the first Renegade, but turned out far too extreme in his methods and was locked away as a result.


  • Accidental Misnaming: He doesn't like being called "Cy."
  • A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: He was Tron's first attempt to make a "Renegade", but it backfired horribly because he's far too extreme.
  • Badass Longcoat: He starts wearing one in the same episode.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: Cyrus is the only villain unaffiliated with the Occupation, but his past as the first Renegade makes him into Beck's most personal and dangerous enemy who causes just as much damage as the Argon Occupation.
  • Blood Knight: Clearly unhinged and enjoys a good fight. When Beck finally had enough and threatened to destroy Cyrus for kidnapping his friends, Cyrus only responded with joy that Beck was finally showing some hostility and punched him in the gut to start their fight.
  • Cold Ham: His voice is very quiet, almost monotone. And yet, he still manages to out-ham Clu as far as evil grandstanding.
  • Combat Sadomasochist: Loves to dish out pain and apparently take some as well. He responded with blissful calm when electrocuted by his EMP bomb that caused Beck to reel in pain and gleefully egged on Beck to headbutt him when given the chance.
  • Death Faked for You: He does this for Tron.
  • Evil Former Friend: To Tron.
  • Fallen Hero: He was heroic enough to rescue Tron from Dyson's torture chamber and for his words to prevent Tron from falling completely to anger and revenge, but somewhere along the way, he went a wee bit glitched.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: Once another rank and file mook of CLU, now an Omnicidal Maniac and the biggest Knight of Cerebus in the series.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Beneath the condescending speeches, it's implied that Cyrus resents Beck replacing him as Tron's protégé. When Beck subtly taunts him with this, Cyrus is notably silent and responds with a chilling Death Glare.
  • Guyliner: When we finally see the guy without the helmet in present day.
  • Hero-Worshipper: Possibly. He seems to be in awe when he is told the person Dyson is torturing is Tron.
  • Hidden in Plain Sight: His Tron symbol is always visible, but unless he crosses his arms, it just looks like nondescript squares on his forearms.
  • Hit Me, Dammit!: His confrontations with Beck often consist of Cyrus provoking Beck into attacking first. At one point, he and Beck have a struggle over Beck's disc, with Cyrus telling Beck to hit him.
  • It Is Beyond Saving: His opinion of the Grid under Clu.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Secured the title of single biggest one in the series in two episodes. Whether he's plotting to annihilate the Grid or ruin the Renegade, when he shows up you know things have gotten bad.
  • Manipulative Bastard: His primary method is playing on his enemies' insecurities. He tricks Beck into bringing a bomb to Able's garage with only an empty threat.
  • Mirror Monster: How he appeared while locked into his prison and dragged Beck inside.
  • Mook–Face Turn: In the backstory, though he unfortunately becomes his own kind of evil again soon after.
  • Never Found the Body: Tron electrocutes him with his own bomb and throws him over the side of a ledge, when he looks down, the bomb is on the ground, and Cyrus is gone.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: Yes, that electromagnetic pulse will destroy everyone and everything, him included. But he really doesn't care.
  • The Paragon: Technically, the Uprising that Tron is trying to bring about was Cyrus' idea, at least initially. When Tron falls dangerously close to giving in to revenge, the memories of Cyrus' words and actions (mirrored by Beck in the present) are what bring him back.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: He was sealed in his pocket dimension by Tron, since he posed too great a risk to the Grid to be left alone. He escapes at the end of "The Stranger".
  • Shadow Archetype: To Beck. At one time, a very similar, idealistic script who is just as eager for Tron's approval and took the job of Renegade well before Beck, the contrast is that Cyrus is what Beck would be if Beck didn't make such an effort to save lives, even those of enemies.
  • Slasher Smile: The first hint that he's not as good as he would have Beck believe.
  • Sliding Scale of Free Will vs. Fate: He doesn't believe free will really exists, in contrast with Beck.
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: He has this trope down to an art form, only raising his voice when he suffers a Villainous Breakdown.
  • The Tape Knew You Would Say That: "How's that? Even my pre-recorded hologram finds you predictable."
  • There Are No Coincidences: He firmly believes that everything happens for a reason, including meeting Beck.
  • The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Leaves a pre-recorderd holo-message for Beck at Tron''s base.
  • Tron Lines: He's absolutely covered in them, even on his skin. Beck actually mistakes him for an ISO at first glance. He didn't have them in flashbacks, which suggests something happened down the line.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When he arrives in Argon in "No Bounds", nobody questions or seems to take notice of his weird, line-covered appearance. As noted above, his appearance was the first thing Beck took note of.
  • Villain-by-Proxy Fallacy: He's willing to annihilate the entirety of the Grid, based on the belief that It Is Beyond Saving under Clu. Including all of the programs that have no involvement with Clu.
  • Villainous Breakdown: It's rare for him to have one, but when he does, it's frightening. His first one comes from when Beck breaks free of his bindings, thus sending his EMP tumbling back into his prison. The second is when he's taunting Beck has failed Tron, only for him to remark, "You're my only failure!" That remark appears to be the only one that legit pisses him off, because he notably stops smiling.
  • Walking Spoiler: It's hard to really talk about him without referencing the fact that he's the first Renegade who rescued Tron and is an Omnicidal Maniac to boot.
  • Wall Crawl: He's able to walk on the walls and ceilings of his pocket dimension (and anything built within) as easily as the floor. He can't do it in the Grid proper, but still shows an uncanny amount of balance on thin surfaces.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Comes off as this toward Tron. He wants to be recognized as Tron's true successor by Tron himself.

Minor and One-Shot Villains

    Gage's Gang 

Perl

Voiced by: Kate Mara

Gage

Voiced by: Unknown

    Hopper 

Voiced by: Paul Scheer

  • Heel–Face Turn: In the finale, Hopper can be seen exchanging a look with Bartik before standing alongside Mara and the rest of the Garage programs against Pavel and his squad, protecting the Tron/the Renegade.
  • Mugging the Monster: He tries to start a fight with Beck and gets taken down in seconds. Even if Beck weren't under the effects of an Upgrade Artifact at the time, it's a fight Hopper really had no chance of winning.
  • The Quisling: As a visual cue to go along with the obvious, his highlight color is red, contrasting with the dominant white.
  • Ungrateful Bastard: Played for laughs. After being captured, mistaken for the Renegade, and almost killed along with Mara and Zed, they're rescued by the Renegade. Hopper is glad to be alive, then remembers that it's his job to capture the Renegade and tries to. Zed kicks him out of the getaway vehicle.
  • Villainous Friendship: Despite bickering and blaming their failures on each other, Hopper stays behind to free Bartik from a piece of rubble as the building they're in collapses, later receiving help from Zed.

    Bartik 

Bartik

Voiced by: Donald Faison

  • Ascended Extra: He appeared at the Bar in one scene in TRON: Legacy asking for Zeus's help with organizing the resistance, before getting Derrezzed by the Black Guard. Here, he's a recurring character.
  • Evil Is Petty: Gets the staff of Able's garage arrested as prisoners of war to get back at them for Beck making a fool out of Hopper.
  • Heel–Face Turn: In the finale, Bartik exchanges a look with Hopper before standing alongside Mara and the rest of the Garage programs against Pavel and his squad, protecting the Tron/the Renegade. Presumably, this accounts for his status as a member of a rebel program faction in Legacy.
  • The Quisling: Like Hopper, he has red highlights to mark this.
  • Saved by Canon: He appears as a minor character in TRON: Legacy (with a large scar on his face and apparently no longer fighting on Clu's side), ensuring that he will not die in the series.
  • Scary Black Man: Downplayed; despite being something of a villain, he's more of a comic relief than anything.
  • Villainous Friendship: With Hopper. When Hopper is accused of being the Renegade (and there actually seems to be proof), Bartik complains that if he knew he would have gotten the prize for turning him in first. Later, however, he's seen drowning his sorrows and runs off crying when Paige asks what's wrong.

    Kobol's Gang 

Kobol's Gang

A group of disc thieves operating out of Argon's original settlement. Making the most of Argon's occupation, they steal programs' identity discs and sell the resulting amnesiacs, called "strays," to Tesler's army.

Lux

Voiced by: Lake Bell

  • Anti-Villain: Type 4. She's involved with bad people, but not evil herself.
  • The Dragon: To Kobol.
  • Heel–Face Turn: When she realizes she's being used by Kobol, Tron is alive, and that Tron (and Beck) need to survive if The Grid has a chance against Clu.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: She holds off a battalion of system guards to cover Tron and Beck's escape, de-rezzing in the process.
  • Last Stand: Holds off the occupation long enough for Beck and Tron to escape.

Kobol

Voiced by: Mark Boone Junior

  • Evil Old Folks: His hairline is visibly greying and he's a self-serving collaborator with Clu's regime.
  • He Knows Too Much: Posthumous example; Lux insists that Tron and Beck destroy his Identity Disk to keep their existence a secret.
  • It's All About Me: Even after discovering Tron is alive, Kobol only thinks on how to use that to his benefit.
  • Meaningful Name: Named after the COBOL programming language, one of the oldest in existence.

Galt

Voiced by: Adam DeVine

    Shaw 

Shaw

Voiced by: Zach Rosencrantz

  • Disney Villain Death: Falls into the engine of his dirigible and is utterly derezzed.
  • Mad Scientist: Perhaps played even straighter than Pavel.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: He only shows up at the beginning of "Price of Power", and manages to die with only around 5 minutes of screentime. However, the upgrade disk he created goes on to be the main focus of the episode, and afterwards serves as Pavel's Level in Badass.

    Gorn's Shop 

Gorn

Voiced by: Kathryn Hunter

An amoral technician that presumably researches and designs unscrupulous gadgets that even the Occupation wouldn't use.


  • And I Must Scream: Via Pavel. It's incredibly unsettling, even jarring, given her usual demeanor beforehand.
  • Bad "Bad Acting": Played with. She puts up quite the act when Paige confronts her in front of Tesler, but it seemed genuine. It's unsure if she was already under Pavels control by then, since Paige has proven that memories can be rewritten without tampering with the personality or the facial expressions.
  • Body Horror: See Eye Scream below and And I Must Scream above. No one should be able to smile that wide, much less have it forced upon them. It's hammered home in that she actually had a small mouth and an unlined face relative to other programs before-hand.
  • Eyepatch of Power: Wears a device over her left eye to hide the hole, which may also function as a replacement given that she uses it in her work.
  • Eye Scream: She's got a hole where her left eye should be, going all the way through her head. She attributes it to mishandling of her own code worms.
  • Fake Memories: Gorn specializes in erasing or fabricating memories. Curiously, even though this modifies the data on a program's disc, the program retains their original memory, or at least knows the memory is fake.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Her calm demeanor doesn't mask her rather obvious shady background.
  • Foil: Somewhat to Paige. Gorn is also a medic (judging by her uniform). Unlike Paige, who is an Occupation commander but often questions morally ambiguous actions, Gorn is not formally part of Clu's forces but is always happy to assist Pavel by rewriting the memories of innocent programs.
  • Kick the Dog: Her complicity in framing Paige aside, there was really no reason to threaten that one program at the beginning of the episode.
  • Meaningful Name: Oh, Users, is it ever.
  • Slasher Smile: Gets one forced upon her by Pavel.
  • Slave Mook: Her final fate at the end of "Rendezvous".
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: Her scene with that hapless program cements her as one.
  • To the Pain: While explaining to a program what those bugs are for. Doesn't get to use 'em on the guy, though, which is a rarity.
  • Wretched Hive: She's the only semblance of authority in one, at least.

Lomox

A tall, perpetually grinning servant to Gorn, who handles all of the heavy-lifting in her place.

  • And I Must Scream: It's implied that his perpetual smile is a result of someone (possibly Gorn) messing with his programming, by the episode end, he can only desperately shake his head and make grunts when desperately trying to communicate him not working with the renegade.
  • Establishing Character Moment: All he needed to do was appear out of shadows, brandishing that Slasher Smile, while sauntering towards a panicking, desperate program, for you to know what he's about.
  • Evil Versus Evil: When he's first shown meeting Pavel, he scowls at him menacingly and makes Puppy-Dog Eyes at Gorn when she orders him to leave. This and Pavel's cold comment about him imply that Pavel had a hand in his initial crippling.
  • Genius Bruiser: He seems to know his way around operating a disc and a code-disrupting memory bug.
  • Kick the Dog: Restraining Paige so he can implant a bug into her memory disc, which inflicts quite a bit of pain.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: He gets framed by Pavel and arrested by Tesler. The best part is how it turns out that Gorn - his boss - actually rewired his disc to allow for the frame-up.
  • Slasher Smile: Enforced on him, allegedly to silence him. It doesn't change with the rest of his expression, either.
  • Top-Heavy Guy: Compared to everyone else.
  • The Voiceless: He never says a single word, and only growls.

    Keller 

Keller

Voiced by: Marcia Gay Harden

A technician that developed a pathogen designed for something akin to mind control. Doesn't enjoy that part of her job at all.


  • Anti-Villain: She is forced to make a mind control gas for the Occupation, and turns on them when she has the chance. It is later subverted for that specific type when she returns to the Occupation of her own free will out of fear.
  • Deadpan Snarker: When Pavel makes a pass at her she remarks that she may need the gas.
  • Gender Bender: Changes her gender, or at the very least her appearance, to male to escape detection when she reneges.
  • Glamour Failure: The disguise she takes up at the end of "State of Mind" needs to be regularly maintained, lest she revert back to her original form.
  • Mauve Shirt: She is one of the few associated with the occupation to get extended screen time; compare to Shaw, the last Mad Scientist, who barely lasted five minutes.
  • No Plans No Prototype No Back Up: Invoked with her being the only one who knows how to make the gaseous pathogen.
  • Not So Stoic: At the end of "State of Mind", she's clearly panicking when she becomes a fugitive, and spends most of "Welcome Home" desperate to escape no matter how suicidal the attempt might be.
  • Pet the Dog: Despite rejoining the Occupation in "Welcome Home", she doesn't expose Beck as a Renegade sympathizer.
  • Reluctant Mad Scientist: Develops a pathogen which she intended to use to free programs, but has been used to repurpose them into slaves.
  • The Stoic: Keeps a fairly subdued demeanor.
  • Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Beck comes close to persuading her to join the resistance, but all that comes undone when Paige convinces her that Tesler would forgive her. When she returns, Tesler kills her.
  • You Have Failed Me: Tesler kills her in "Welcome Home" for her earlier betrayal.

Other Characters

    Rilo 

Rilo

Voiced by: Ben Schwartz

  • Sacrificial Lamb: The youngest program within the group of tributes sent to the Games in "The Renegade". Killed off to remind viewers how brutal circumstances can be in the Games, to the point where no Program is safe if they don't have what it takes to survive.
    • Also, the reason he was sent to the Games? Because he accidentally broke the curfew established by Clu, to further demonstrate just how extremist his methods are.
  • Too Dumb to Live: It's not wise to let your guard down in an arena where it's a fight to the death.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: Swiftly derezzed five minutes after being introduced.

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