Tron

The idea of programs having distinct personalities and a form of agency within the digital world, even if not fully sentient, builds on the concept of AI as a character.

The concept of a digital environment that becomes dangerously real and traps its inhabitants, even if not fully digital, shares thematic echoes with Tron's digital world.

The concept of an advanced, controlling AI (MCP) that develops its own agenda within a system echoes the themes of HAL 9000 and the dangers of unchecked machine intelligence.

While distinct in execution, Tron's depiction of an artificial, interactive environment can be seen as building upon earlier literary explorations of manipulated or simulated realities, such as those found in Ubik, within the context of questioning reality.

While Gibson's 'cyberspace' is more abstract, 'Tron' pioneered the visual and conceptual idea of entering a digital world, which Neuromancer then codified into a literary genre.

Tron established the concept of physically interacting within a digital world, which influenced Ender's Game's use of virtual reality simulations as a primary tool for military training and strategic warfare against alien species.

While not a digital world in the same sense, Tron's depiction of characters entering and interacting within a fully realized computer-generated environment paved the way for the visual and narrative possibilities of the Holodeck.

Snow Crash's vivid depiction of a physically inhabitable virtual world, the Metaverse, visually and conceptually builds upon the pioneering cinematic exploration of digital immersion seen in Tron.

The Matrix's groundbreaking visual representation of entering and interacting within a digital world builds upon the pioneering cinematic concepts established by Tron.

Avatar's central concept of a human consciousness inhabiting a digital avatar in a virtual environment directly builds upon the pioneering cinematic exploration of digital embodiment introduced in Tron.

Ready Player One's depiction of an immersive, interactive digital world where users embody avatars directly builds upon the pioneering cinematic vision of physically entering a virtual space established by Tron.

Sword Art Online directly builds upon Tron's concept of being physically trapped within a digital game world, expanding on the implications for survival, identity, and social structure.