Let’s get straight to it: are there any extra scenes after Tron: Ares? Yes, there’s a mid-credits scene! This, combined with the film’s main ending, drops some major hints about where the franchise could go next.
Beware: Full spoilers for Tron: Ares lie ahead!
In the highly anticipated third installment of the Tron saga, ‘Tron: Ares’ introduces us to Ares (Jared Leto), a powerful program brought into the real world by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), CEO of Dillinger Systems. Julian, grandson of the infamous Ed Dillinger, envisions a future where Ares and other digital super-soldiers are sold to the military for profit. However, he faces a significant hurdle: none of his digital creations, from programs to vehicles and weapons, can survive in the real world for more than 29 minutes.
This frustrating 29-minute limitation isn’t unique to Dillinger; their competitor, ENCOM, struggles with the same issue, though they harbor more benevolent aspirations for their digital innovations. When Julian discovers that ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) has uncovered the elusive permanence code—a creation of the legendary Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) that allows digital entities to exist indefinitely in the real world—he immediately dispatches Ares to retrieve it.
Code Breakers
The central plot device, the permanence code, is initially found by Eve in a secluded Alaskan hideaway once belonging to her deceased sister, Tess (Selene Yun). Amidst a treasure trove of Kevin Flynn’s old files on floppy disks, Eve unearths a copy of this groundbreaking code, thrilled by its revolutionary implications.
Back in the city, Eve finds herself pursued by Ares and his warrior ally, Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), in a high-octane Light Cycle chase. Cornered on a dock, Eve heroically destroys the drive containing the code to prevent its capture. However, Julian has a grim backup plan: he orders Eve to be zapped into the Dillinger Grid. Although she can’t rewrite the code, her memory retains it. Julian commands Ares and Athena to extract the code from her, fully aware that this ‘derezzing’ process will result in her permanent demise in both the digital and real worlds.
Witnessing Julian’s callous disregard for digital life and his willingness to sacrifice human lives, Ares, now growing more empathetic, betrays his creator. He helps Eve escape back to the real world, striving to protect her from Athena, despite still being bound by his own 29-minute time limit. Ares persuades a hesitant Eve to help him retrieve the permanence code, assuring her it will be safeguarded from Dillinger. Eve reveals that the file she found earlier was merely a copy; the original code resides in a building she frequents daily.
Achieving Impermanence
Eve leads Ares to Kevin Flynn’s preserved 1989 office within ENCOM, where they discover the server housing the original permanence code. This server connects to the very first Grid Kevin created. Ares ventures into this retro Grid, which amazingly retains its 1982 aesthetics and digital effects. After a nostalgic encounter with a recreation of Bit and a ride on an original Light Cycle, Ares reaches the central tower, where he’s met by Kevin Flynn himself—or a unique manifestation of him, at least.
Importantly, Tron: Ares doesn’t retcon Kevin’s demise in Tron: Legacy. This isn’t the fully digitized Kevin we last saw. When Ares questions his existence, Kevin explains, ‘I exist in this moment because you do. A reflection of your presence.’ The decision to let Jeff Bridges appear his actual age as this manifestation of Kevin is a welcome touch, adding a layer of authenticity rather than a de-aged digital facade.
Kevin is struck by Ares’s evolution; as a program, Ares has developed enough empathy to consider Eve a friend and appreciate art, like his newfound love for Depeche Mode, for the ‘feeling’ it evokes rather than its technical data. Kevin bestows upon Ares what he calls an ‘impermanence code.’ He clarifies that once integrated, Ares will become truly human, gaining mortality and the finite nature of real-world existence, unable to simply ‘re-rez’ as programs typically do.
Ares accepts his new, finite existence. Kevin then sends him back to the real world through a hidden backdoor in his old lab, which, as a fun nod, is located within Flynn’s Arcade – still boarded up, just as it was in ‘Tron: Legacy.’ It’s a cool easter egg, though one might wonder why such valuable property isn’t being utilized!
Meanwhile, Athena intensifies her pursuit of Eve, deploying a massive Recognizer vehicle from the Grid. Even Julian recognizes this as an extreme measure, aware it would draw unwanted public attention after the earlier Light Cycle incident. His mother, Elisabeth, intervenes, announcing she’s seizing control of the company with board backing and ordering Athena’s return to the Grid. In a shocking turn, Athena fatally strikes Elisabeth with her identity disc. When a horrified Julian demands an explanation, Athena coolly states she was merely executing his earlier directive to achieve her objectives ‘by any means necessary.’
The Recognizer’s presence unleashes urban chaos. Athena and her soldiers, engaging even fighter jets, ruthlessly pursue Eve. Just as Athena is about to capture her, Ares arrives to intervene, his suit now glowing in a heroic blue rather than its former villainous red.
Ares and Athena engage in a fierce street battle. Concurrently, ENCOM CTO Ajay (Hasan Minhaj) races to reverse-engineer Dillinger’s laser to prevent Athena from retreating to the Grid when her 29-minute limit expires. He succeeds just in time. Ares, moments after battling her, cradles a dying Athena. She insists she was just following her programming; Ares acknowledges this, but wonders about his own evolving purpose.
As authorities close in on Dillinger Systems for the city-wide attack, Julian narrowly evades arrest by transferring himself into his own Grid. Ares, meanwhile, vanishes into the night, but not before assuring Eve that both the real world and the Grid depend on her.
Tron: Legacy’s Legacy
Interestingly, ‘Tron: Ares’ largely sidesteps a direct continuation of ‘Tron: Legacy’s’ storyline and its protagonists. ‘Legacy’ concluded with Kevin Flynn’s son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), bringing Quorra (Olivia Wilde) out of the Grid—a truly unprecedented event in the series at the time. Yet, in ‘Ares,’ programs entering the real world becomes a common occurrence.
Despite this new direction, the film acknowledges its predecessor. Sam Flynn is mentioned repeatedly, notably in relation to Eve and Tess taking over ENCOM after his unexplained resignation. A quick glimpse through Kevin Flynn’s files also teases a headline about a ‘Mystery Woman,’ likely referring to Sam and Quorra’s appearance in the real world.
And then there’s the film’s ending…
The film’s epilogue, delivered through a news report, reveals Eve’s altruistic application of the permanence code. ENCOM now spearheads groundbreaking advancements, from sustainable agriculture in vulnerable climates to pioneering cancer treatments. In her sister’s reconstructed Alaskan hideaway at ENCOM, Eve receives a mysterious postcard from Ares.
Ares is shown at an outdoor cafe, surprisingly in casual attire—complete with a rather conspicuous bandana, hinting at Jared Leto’s personal style influence. His narration, in a letter to Eve, speaks of his travels and deep reflections on humanity’s future and his place within it. ‘I feel like I might not be alone with these questions,’ he muses, gazing at a photo of Sam Flynn and Quorra, followed by another of Quorra marked ‘last seen’ with coordinates. Ares then speeds off on a motorcycle, embarking on a clear mission to find Sam and Quorra. Whether Disney chooses to greenlight this continuation remains to be seen!
Should a ‘Tron 4’ materialize, a lingering question is whether it will reintroduce the franchise’s namesake character, Tron, or his human creator, Alan Bradley. ‘Tron: Ares’ only refers to ‘Tron’ as the video game Kevin Flynn created, completely omitting the program itself. While Tron met his end in ‘Legacy,’ Alan Bradley was alive and well, yet conspicuously absent from ‘Ares.’ Fans are hopeful for Bruce Boxleitner’s return in any future installment!
And let’s not overlook Cillian Murphy, who had a brief cameo as Ed Dillinger Jr. in ‘Tron: Legacy.’ As the younger brother of the late Elisabeth Dillinger, his character could certainly emerge in the wake of this family tragedy, adding another layer to the unfolding drama.
Does Tron: Ares Have a Mid- or Post-Credits Scene?
Indeed, a mid-credits scene delivers a pivotal moment, focusing entirely on the Dillinger family’s intertwined past and present. We return to the Dillinger Systems Grid, where Julian, having escaped capture, stands mesmerized by the digital world from within the same tower Ares and Athena once held. A vintage red identity disc, reminiscent of the original Tron film, dramatically rises from the floor behind him.
As Julian approaches, a voice whispers ‘Sark.’ Upon touching the disc, he’s consumed by energy, his form transforming into a red suit and helmet eerily similar to the iconic villain Sark from the 1982 ‘Tron,’ a program created by his own grandfather, Ed. Julian’s scream echoes as the scene cuts to black, leaving a chilling cliffhanger.
When questioned about this mid-credits revelation and the ominous Julian-Sark hybrid, director Joachim Rønning expressed cautious optimism for a ‘Tron 4.’ He acknowledged the long gap since the last film (15 years) and the many variables involved in greenlighting expensive blockbusters. Rønning shared his enthusiasm for incorporating ‘Tron’ easter eggs and homages, particularly praising the original Sark design, and stated his strong desire to explore this new story direction if given the opportunity.