Fans Fume as Cameron Monaghan Is All But Missing From Tron: Ares — What Happened to His Role?

So, after 15 years, Tron: Ares finally shows up... and the opening credits make it look like Cameron Monaghan is one of the stars. His name pops up right next to Jared Leto and Gillian Anderson. If you went in thinking he was a key player, you are not alone. The reality? Not that.

The billing vs. the reality

Monaghan has exactly one brief moment in the movie and delivers one line. That cameo is chopped up by him wearing a helmet, so it is easy to miss that it is even him. Naturally, people came out of the theater wondering what happened.

"He is barely in the movie. I saw his name in the opening credits and was curious how he would be used."

"Uhhhhh the weird part is that he is in the movie at all."

What likely happened (and why fans are side-eyeing the edit)

• Monaghan does pop up for a blink-and-you-miss-it shot in one of the trailers.
• Fans also noticed the official TikTok used an image of him that seems to be from a scene that is not in the final cut, implying something got axed late in the game.
• Old footage resurfaced of a young Monaghan at the Tron: Legacy premiere back in 2010. He has been a Tron guy for a long time, which makes this sting a little more.
• The general read from viewers: reshoots and rewrites shrank the part, and most of Caius (his character) ended up on the cutting-room floor.
• Meanwhile, the opening credits still put his name front and center with Jared Leto and Gillian Anderson, which sets expectations the movie does not meet.

The reaction

Fans are disappointed, and a little baffled. A couple of posts making the rounds:

"I am not mentally prepared to only see him for five seconds; I need to know how much was left on the cutting room floor."

"I hate that we lost him but somehow kept Jared Leto."

Not subtle, but the frustration makes sense when the billing suggests one thing and the movie delivers another.

Why this matters for Monaghan

He is best known for Gotham and leading the Star Wars Jedi games, and this had the makings of one of his biggest film roles to date. Instead, it is basically a trivia question. Maybe we get deleted scenes or a director's cut down the line, but as released, Caius is more rumor than character.

If you want to stay in the Grid after the credits roll, I have a full Tron: Ares ending breakdown. Or, if lightcycles are not your thing, I also pulled together the best Star Wars games to scratch that other Monaghan itch.