Tron: Ares revives the 43-year-old franchise by taking the denizens of the virtual space known as the Grid into the real world. And while that sounds like a direct continuation of where 2010’s Tron: Legacy left off, Ares tells a very different story about programs becoming people.
But Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning and writer Jesse Wigutow clearly haven’t forgotten about the past. They bring in direct ties to the original Tron, including an appearance from Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, and ultimately nod to Legacy in the film’s final moments.
[Ed. note: Broad spoilers ahead for the end of Tron: Ares.]
Tron: Ares ends with the promise of more Tron, as AI soldier Ares (Jared Leto) has successfully integrated into human society, and seemingly plans to connect with another former resident of the Grid: Tron: Legacy character Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who we last saw riding through the Pacific Northwest with her partner, Kevin Flynn’s son Sam (Garrett Hedlund).
But the hint of future Tron adventures with Ares and Quorra isn’t the only tease Tron: Ares’ filmmakers leave us with. There’s a credits scene that offers additional context about the fate of one of the film’s antagonists.
Does Tron: Ares have a mid-credits sequence?
Tron: Ares has a mid-credits sequence that expands on one of the film’s cliffhangers: We learn the fate of Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) after he escapes justice by digitizing himself and sending his consciousness to the Grid. Julian wakes up in Dillinger Enterprise’s server, where the Grid was all but annihilated by ENCOM’s security team. Julian appears destined to spend his future days in the Tron equivalent of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, seemingly alone in the new virtual world he’s fled to.
Then Julian notices an identity disc set inside the console that Ares received his triangular disc from. Fans of the original 1982 Tron will instantly recognize the red-and-grey disc as identical to the one used by Sark (David Warner), the evil program created by Julian’s grandfather, Edward Dillinger (also David Warner). As Julian grabs the identity disc, he screams as outlines of armor begin to form around his body. The design of that armor evokes Sark’s armor from the original Tron, and echoes a specific shot of him reacting with similar agonies when Edward punishes him. All of which implies that Julian may follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
That could open the door for a Tron 4, depending on how well Tron: Ares does at the box office. And Julian Dillinger’s new digital existence in the Grid could mean the return of his mother, Elisabeth (Gillian Anderson), who dies in Ares, but could always be artificially revived for a sequel.
Speaking with Polygon, Peters and Anderson said they “have a pitch” for their mother-and-son Dillinger duo to return in a new Tron. “We’ve discussed [bringing her back],” Anderson said. Peters said his character could theoretically write a program-based version of Elisabeth Dillinger, noting that “anything is possible” in the digital realm.
“I could come alive in the Grid,” Anderson said, expressing some regret that she didn’t get to wear a cool Tron-world suit of armor in Tron: Ares.
With Ares also having unfinished business in the real world and the Dillingers having a path to resurrection, don’t write off the Tron franchise yet.
Does Tron: Ares have a post-credits sequence?
No. You don’t need to stick around for the full credits for any kind of post-credits payoff. The only Quorra you’re going to see in Tron: Ares is in a briefly glimpsed photo.
