This story contains spoilers for “Tron: Ares.”
Get ready to enter the Grid: “Tron: Ares” has finally hit theaters.
Directed by Joachim Rønning, “Tron: Ares” is the third installment in the classic sci-fi franchise that began with the 1982 film “Tron.” And like many modern films that are part of a sprawling Hollywood franchise, “Tron: Ares” makes sure to leave the door open for future narratives.
“Tron: Ares” does this in the final moments of the film's main story, as well as in a stinger that plays after the credits begin to roll.
The film, which begins some time after the events of “Tron: Legacy” (2010), stars Jared Leto as an advanced artificial intelligence program called Ares created by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), a programmer and rising CEO of a technology corporation. Greta Lee plays Eve Kim, also a programmer and CEO of the tech company once run by original “Tron” hero Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges).
While extensive knowledge of the previous films isn't necessarily required to understand “Tron: Ares,” fans of “Tron” and “Legacy” will be the first to recognize the importance of the doors the film leaves open. (Come back now if you want to avoid spoilers.)
Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger in “Tron: Ares.”
(Leah Gallo/Disney)
Mid-credits scene is a callback to 'Tron'
“Tron: Ares” ends with Julian, the grandson of Flynn's original “Tron” rival Edward Dillinger, escaping to the Dillinger Corp. Grid.
The mid-credits scene shows Julian observing the remains of his digital world before noticing and activating his identity disk. After grabbing the glowing circular object, his digital suit begins to form a familiar silhouette.
Those who have seen “Tron” will recognize that Julian's suit resembles that of Sark, the villain program written by Ed Dillinger, who led the Master Control Program army from the original film. In “Tron,” Sark was played by David Warner, who also played Ed.
The scene further cements Julian as the successor to his grandfather's legacy and leaves open the possibility of his return as a villain in a future “Tron” installment.
Jared Leto as Ares in “Tron: Ares.”
(Leah Gallo/Disney)
'Tron: Ares' ends up teasing a future connection to 'Tron: Legacy'
The new “Tron” movie ends by hinting that Ares's story isn't over either. In the final moments of the film, Ares is shown looking at images of Quorra, a character played by Olivia Wilde in “Tron: Legacy.”
Quorra, like Ares, began her existence on the Grid and eventually emerged into the real world. But Quorra is not a man-made program; She is an “isomorphic algorithm,” or a digital being that emerged spontaneously on the Internet. She was introduced in “Legacy” as Flynn's handler who was learning from him about humanity.
Could a meeting between Ares and Quorra be in the future of the “Tron” franchise? Only time (and the likely box office returns of “Tron: Ares”) will tell.
