In the 1982 film Tron, Kevin Flynn’s digital alter ego is named Clu.
Flynn is a computer programmer and arcade owner who is digitized into the computer system by the Master Control Program, or MCP. Inside the digital world, the system creates a program resembling Flynn: Clu, whose name is an acronym for Codified Likeness Utility. Clu is designed to search for evidence that Flynn’s stolen video games were originally created by Flynn.
Clu is not the same character as Tron. Tron is a security program created by Alan Bradley, Flynn’s friend and former co-worker. Flynn also encounters Bit, a small program that communicates using yes-or-no responses. These distinct digital characters are sometimes confused because all operate within the same computer-generated environment.
Jeff Bridges plays both Flynn in the real world and Clu inside the computer system. The film was released by Walt Disney Productions in 1982 and became influential for its depiction of computer graphics and virtual reality imagery.