Summary:
- Tron: Ares is back to revive the long-dormant Tron franchise.
- But is this really a fresh start for the franchise? Will the Tron: Ares ending ever lead up to something?
- Keep reading because there is a lot to unpack in the Tron: Ares post-credits scene.
Tron: Ares is the latest Tron movie in the long-running franchise. The movie features a cutting-edge soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails and beautiful visuals brought to life by cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth. The movie follows its predecessor, Tron: Legacy, which was released 15 years ago. While Ares doesn’t address the events in Legacy, it is a sequel, and the ending does hint at a future for the franchise. So, here’s what you need to know about how Tron: Ares sets up Tron 4.
Warning: Spoilers for Tron: Ares.
What Does the Ending of Tron: Ares Mean
Tron: Ares ends with Jared Leto’s Ares finally finding his place in the real world. We see him in regular clothing sitting at a cafe as we see him looks at a picture of Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy. As he gazes at the picture, he says, “I feel like I might not be alone with these questions.”
The shot then transitions to the coordinates of Quorra. We then see Ares ride a motorcycle as the movie ends, signalling that our new hero is out to look out for the old heroes. Tron: Legacy ended with Sam and Quorra leaving the Grid to live a life in the real world, a rare feat up until the events of Tron: Ares.
This means that if a Tron 4 does happen, we could see the three characters meet, with probably an appearance by the character Tron himself. But wait, this is not where the movie ends. We have our heroes, and the mid-credits scene gives us our new villain.
Does Tron: Ares Have a Post-Credits Scene
Yes, Tron: Ares has one very important mid-credits scene. The movie ended with Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) escaping into the Grid. As we see him looking at the world around him, something appears behind him. It’s a red identity disc but not the ones from Tron: Legacy or Ares, but the older ones from Tron (1982).
Julian walks towards it and as he is about to touch it, a voice shouts, “Sark.” He then touches the disc, upon which he dons the suit worn by one of the villains of the original Tron, Sark. The movie cuts to credits as we see Julian screaming, signaling the emergence of a new villain.
Will There Ever Be a Tron 4
Well, the sad answer to that is most likely no. In a report by The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed that owing to the poor reception of the film, both commercially and critically, Tron as a franchise might “retire from the big screen.” An industry insider revealed more details about this, stating how a Tron sequel was never going to work.
You could have had Ryan Gosling, it wasn’t going to work. No one asked for this reboot. If you say, “Tron: Ares is good, we just needed a different actor,” you’re deluding yourself.
This means that Tron: Ares’ ending might have been for nothing unless, of course, the series continues the story in another medium. Tron has had multiple video games and even a cutting-edge animated series called Tron: Uprising, which was cancelled just after one season. If Disney plays their cards right, Tron might just survive to see the live of the light of day.
