Tron’s universe is expanding once again — but is the Grid ready for it?
The future of Disney’s Tron franchise has always felt uncertain — suspended somewhere between dazzling digital light and production limbo. With Tron: Ares, the saga reactivates its neon circuits, dazzling fans with a story that quite literally bridges the gap between man and machine. But here’s where it gets intriguing: the film’s credits don’t just wrap up the story — they might be quietly setting the stage for Tron 4.
In Tron: Ares, director Joachim Rønning and writer Jesse Wigutow embrace the franchise’s storied past while propelling it into surprising new territory. Rather than continuing Tron: Legacy’s ending beat-for-beat, this sequel explores what happens when artificial beings begin to merge with the human world. The result? A blend of science fiction and philosophical exploration that redefines what it means to be “real.”
Fans of the original Tron (1982) will spot deliberate nods to the past — including the return of Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn and subtle references to Legacy. These moments aren’t just fan service; they’re connective threads holding the digital tapestry together. And yet, by the movie’s conclusion, there’s a strong sense that Rønning and his team are just getting started.
Spoilers ahead: proceed at your own risk — or curiosity!
By the film’s end, Jared Leto’s Ares—a sentient AI soldier who successfully integrates into human life—seems poised to encounter Legacy’s Quorra (Olivia Wilde). The idea that these two might meet again is one of the film’s most exciting teases. Quorra, you’ll remember, was last seen escaping the Grid with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) and venturing into the real world. If the credits are any hint, Ares and Quorra’s destinies may yet collide, bridging storylines from three decades of Tron lore.
But Tron: Ares saves one of its most tantalizing clues for the mid-credits scene—a short but loaded sequence that could redefine the saga’s direction.
The Mid-Credits Scene
Yes, Tron: Ares includes a mid-credits moment that answers one of the film’s lingering mysteries. After seemingly escaping punishment, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) uploads his consciousness to the Grid, awakening inside the digital ruins of Dillinger Enterprises’ servers—a wasteland decimated by ENCOM’s security systems. Alone and adrift in this fragmented cyberspace, Julian stumbles upon a peculiar object: a red-and-grey identity disc eerily identical to the one used by Sark, the infamous villain of the 1982 original.
When Julian picks up the disc, something extraordinary — and sinister — happens. His body begins to morph, digital armor forming piece by piece, echoing Sark’s classic design. As he screams in agony, the visual callback becomes unmistakable: could Julian be transformed into the next-generation Sark? It’s a clever parallel to his grandfather, Edward Dillinger (also played by David Warner), who created Sark decades earlier. Could this mean the Dillingers are destined to perpetuate their own digital legacy — or curse?
If Disney gauges enough enthusiasm from Ares’ box office performance, that moment could serve as the perfect launchpad for Tron 4. The ending also opens another intriguing possibility: the return of Gillian Anderson’s character, Elisabeth Dillinger—Julian’s mother—who dies in the film but might be “reborn” inside the Grid. In the Tron universe, after all, death is only a delete key away.
Both Anderson and Peters have made it clear they’d love to explore that storyline. “We actually have a pitch,” Anderson revealed in an interview, noting their excitement at reviving the mother-and-son dynamic in a sequel. Peters added that his digital alter ego could easily recreate his mother as a sentient program — because, as he put it, “anything is possible” in cyberspace. Anderson even joked about her disappointment at missing the chance to wear a sleek Tron suit this time around, teasing that she’d don one “if the next chapter calls.”
No Post-Credits Extra — This Time
For those wondering whether to stick around after the mid-credits scene: you can safely exit once it ends. There’s no additional post-credits footage. The only glimpse you’ll get of Quorra appears in a brief photograph earlier in the movie — a quiet reminder of her impact on both worlds.
With Ares navigating unfinished business in the human realm and the Dillingers set for a potential comeback, Tron’s story is far from over. The digital frontier still hums with possibilities — and maybe a few old ghosts.
But here’s the real question: Should Tron 4 embrace its digital legacy and bring back familiar faces, or reboot the system entirely with a new generation of users and programs? Let me know where you stand — would you rather see the old circuit boards light up again, or is it time to upload a brand-new story?
