By If you haven’t snagged a spot at Comic-Con International: San Diego, then you’ve already skipped the first look at some teaser-only footage from Disney‘s soon-to-arrive sci-fi spectacle Tron: Ares. Those watching from the couch may have to wait a while for an official release. Good thing GamesRadar+ was actually there, because we can walk you through the entire sequence.
The opening excerpt places digitised combatants Ares (Jared Leto) and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) on a mission to pull Greta Lee’s Eve Kim out of the Grid and into our world. They tear down a freeway on their trademark lightcycles, razor-thin energy wakes carving up anything in their path. The pursuit barrels into a multistorey car park where Eve swipes Athena’s ride, vaulting over the ledge moments before the Program’s strike can connect.
The next segment is also chase-heavy – which makes sense, considering both the 1982 original and 2010 follow-up treated neon racing and gleaming Identity Discs as essential ingredients. This round diverts back inside the Grid. Athena dispatches a heavy-class drone to corner Eve (director Joachim Rønning called it “one of our largest drones on screen”). Standing between them is Ares, who’s abandoned his prime directive to terminate Eve and instead fights to escort her to safety.
This sequence drives home the reversal that trailers have nudged for months: Leto’s digital hit-man will switch sides after an unexpected fascination with humanity takes hold.
Tron: Ares is the third entry in the series, after 1982 introduced the world to the original Tron and the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy expanded the universe.
The movie cruises into theatres 10 October. While the countdown continues, check our always-updated live blog for every announcement from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and browse our rundown of the most anticipated films on the horizon in 2025.