Tron: Ares Just Blew the Grid Wide Open (Again) – What’s Next for Flynn and Friends?
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Jeff dives into the ending and mid-credits scene of *Tron: Ares*, dissecting how the film introduces an evolving program hero, revives an iconic villain, and sets the stage for a potential *Tron 4* while making some clever nods to its legacy.
Right, so we've had a new Tron flick drop, *Tron: Ares*. And let's be honest, after *Legacy* left us hanging for *ages*, there was always that nagging thought: 'Are they actually going to do something with this, or just reboot the whole server and forget it?' Well, I've been diving into the digital tea leaves of its ending and that juicy mid-credits scene, and bloody hell, it's wilder than you might expect for a film that feels both fresh and steeped in nostalgia.
Now, if you're here, you probably know the deal: this isn't just a simple action flick. *Tron: Ares* plunges us back into the neon-drenched depths of the Grid, but this time, the traffic's spilling out into our world. We meet Ares (Jared Leto), a program designed as a super-soldier by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), grandson of the OG nefarious Ed Dillinger. Julian’s grand plan? Boost profits by selling these digital warriors to the military. Sounds pretty corporate, eh? But there’s a massive glitch in his matrix: none of his Grid-born creations – not the humanoid programs, nor their snazzy Light Cycles or weapons – can last more than 29 minutes in our reality. A bit of a bug, that.
Turns out, Dillinger’s rival, ENCOM, has the same problem, though their intentions are, supposedly, a tad more altruistic. But here’s the kicker: ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) has stumbled upon the legendary Kevin Flynn’s 'permanence code.' This is the digital holy grail, the bit of script that could let Grid beings stay in the real world indefinitely. Naturally, Julian wants it. And Ares is dispatched to acquire it, by any means necessary.
**The MacGuffin & The Maverick Program**
The permanence code becomes the film's glittering MacGuffin, found by Eve in a remote Alaskan hideaway left by her late sister, Tess. Imagine finding a stack of old floppy disks with reality-bending code on them – that’s pretty much the vibe. When Ares and his partner Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) corner Eve, she heroically destroys the drive holding the code. Fair dinkum! But Julian, being the meticulous (and ruthless) sort, has a contingency: zap Eve into the Dillinger Grid. She’s seen the code, it's in her head, so Ares and Athena are ordered to extract it from her memory, even if it means derezzing her permanently. Talk about a brutal data recovery mission.
This is where things get interesting. Ares, who started as a 'super-soldier' program, begins to show some serious evolution. He sees Julian’s blatant disregard for life, digital or human, and it sparks something in him. Curiosity, empathy – traits you wouldn't expect from a combat program. He turns on Julian, helps Eve escape, and shields her from Athena. Now, still stuck with that pesky 29-minute timer, Ares convinces a wary Eve to help him find the *original* permanence code, promising to keep it from Dillinger. Turns out, the original isn't on a floppy disk; it's tucked away in a server in Kevin Flynn's old 1989 office, preserved like a digital museum exhibit inside ENCOM.
**A Trip Down Memory Lane (Literally)**
Inside that server, Ares finds the OG Grid – the one from the very first *Tron* movie in 1982, old-school digital effects and all. He rides an original Light Cycle, encounters a recreation of Bit (remember that iconic little dude?), and eventually reaches the central tower. Who's waiting there? None other than Kevin Flynn himself. Sort of. The film cleverly sidesteps undoing Kevin's death from *Tron: Legacy* by presenting this as a 'reflection' of Flynn, existing 'because you do.' It's a rather poetic take on digital consciousness, and a brilliant way to have Jeff Bridges back, looking his real age – a choice I reckon was spot on.
Flynn (or his reflection, anyway) is impressed by Ares's evolution, his capacity for friendship, and his appreciation for 'feeling' – like the joy he finds in Depeche Mode, his newly discovered favourite band. Flynn offers Ares the permanence code, but with a catch. He calls it an 'impermanence code.' Once inside Ares, it will make him human, mortal, destined to eventually die. No more popping back to the Grid. Ares accepts, a truly defining moment for a program seeking purpose. Flynn sends him back to the real world through a hidden lab in Flynn’s Arcade – a cool nod to the previous film, and seriously, someone needs to open that arcade up again, it's prime real estate!
**Chaos in the Real World & Legacy's Whisper**
Meanwhile, Athena isn't giving up. She brings a giant Recognizer into the city, causing absolute chaos. Even Julian knows this is too much, but his mother, Elisabeth (Gillian Anderson), arrives to shut him down and take back the company. Only, Athena, following Julian's earlier 'achieve goals by any means' directive, stabs Elisabeth with her identity disc, killing her. Brutal. A distraught Julian demands to know why, and Athena simply states she was following orders. This moment really hammers home the danger of unthinking obedience, doesn't it?
The Recognizer tears through the city, pursuing Eve. But just as she's cornered, Ares arrives, his suit now glowing Tron-good-guy blue! He battles Athena, while ENCOM CTO Ajay (Hasan Minhaj) scrambles to reverse-engineer Dillinger’s laser to prevent Athena from returning to the Grid as her 29 minutes expire. He succeeds, and Ares, in a surprisingly tender moment, holds Athena as she derezzes for good. Julian, ever the slippery one, escapes into the Dillinger Grid. Ares, now human, slips into the night, telling Eve the world – and the Grid – need her.
*Tron: Ares* doesn't directly pick up with Sam Flynn or Quorra from *Legacy*, which might disappoint some. However, it doesn't ignore them either. Sam is mentioned several times, Eve and Tess took over ENCOM after his abrupt resignation, and in the epilogue, we see Ares, now clad in normal clothes (and a rather distracting bandana, ahem, Mr. Leto), wondering about his place in the world. He's writing to Eve, travelling, and then we see him looking at photos of Sam Flynn and Quorra, seemingly on a quest to find them. Disney, if you're listening: *that's* a story we want to see!
And on that note, where the bloody hell are Tron (the program!) and Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner)? The movie names the *game* 'Tron,' but the program and his creator are nowhere to be seen. Given Tron's fate in *Legacy*, I get it, but Alan was alive and kicking! And Cillian Murphy's Ed Dillinger Jr. made a super-quick appearance in *Legacy* – wouldn't it be interesting to see him pop up after his sister's demise? So many digital threads, so little time.
**The Mid-Credits Stinger: A Blast from the Past, Remixed**
Ah, the mid-credits scene. This one's a proper wizard's trick. We're back in the Dillinger Systems Grid, where Julian has fled. He's standing in awe, gazing at this world he now inhabits, when suddenly, an old-school red identity disc rises from the floor behind him. A voice whispers, 'Sark.' Julian grabs the disc, and *poof* – he's engulfed in energy, forming a red suit and helmet in the unmistakable style of Sark, the villainous program from the original 1982 *Tron*! Julian, screaming, transforms into a 2025 version of Sark. Talk about a generational villain upgrade! This is the kind of 'what happens if...' scenario that makes a curious gamer rub their hands together with glee.
Director Joachim Rønning, when pressed about this Julian-Sark hybrid and the potential for a *Tron 4*, was cautiously optimistic. He highlighted the 15-year gap since *Legacy* and the high costs of these films, saying, 'you never know... If enough people go and see this film and all of that stuff… There's so many variables.' It's a frank assessment of Hollywood's realities, especially given *Tron: Ares*'s rather disappointing opening weekend box office numbers – a bit of a bummer, that. Still, Rønning's enthusiasm for the 'Tron nuggets' and the potential of a 'Sark, 2025 version' is palpable, and I'm right there with him.
So, what's the takeaway? *Tron: Ares* might not have stormed the box office like some digital god, but it's laid down some seriously intriguing groundwork. We've got programs becoming human, a new villain with a classic twist, and a compelling quest to unite the different eras of the Grid. Here's hoping Disney sees the creative potential and lets us dive back in for another round. The Grid awaits, mate.
*Original Source: IGN South Africa, 'Tron: Ares Ending and Post-Credits Scene Explained - How Is Tron 4 Set Up?' by Eric Goldman.*
Tags: Gaming Culture, Film Adaptation, Sci-Fi, Franchise Deep Dive, Future Gaming
Original article: IGN South Africa