Clu (an acronym for Codified Likeness Utility) had originally been a search program written by Kevin Flynn to hack the Encom mainframe for evidence that Ed Dillinger had stolen his video game designs. He was captured, tortured, and ultimately derezzed by the Master Control Program's henchmen.Flynn resurrected Clu to oversee his new Grid program while he was in the real world. However, since Flynn told Clu to create the perfect system, Clu saw this as carte blanche to overthrow Flynn, brainwash Tron into becoming his henchman, and reengage in the MCP's old habits of forcing other programs to play the gladiatorial video games of old. Clu also ordered the genocide of the isomorphic programs that had spontaneously coalesced into existence. Clu's new goal was to escape into the real world and conquer Earth itself, but was forcibly reintegrated into Flynn, destroying them both.