Is there a possibility of another trip to the Grid in our future?
Tron: Ares, the third live-action film in the long-running sci-fi franchise, arrived in theaters on Friday. This time, the story brings digital beings from the Grid into our world. A program named Ares (played by Jared Leto) leads this invasion, tasked with retrieving a prized collection of zeros and ones, referred to in the film as the code of persistence. This hunt becomes a race for survival on multiple fronts.
Leto may be the big name headlining the film, but he’s supported by a strong roster of talent: Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Arturo Castro and Jeff Bridges.
If you’ve read my review of the film, you’ll know that I enjoyed Tron: Ares. Like previous entries in this franchise, this new film, directed by Joachim Rønning, is packed with tantalizing special effects and thrilling action sequences. The Nine Inch Nails soundtrack lends another layer of narrative and cinematic quality to the work, immersing you deeper into this universe.
Similar to 1982’s Tron and 2010’s Tron: Legacy, narrative structure and writing were the weakest links in the Tron: Ares package. However, plenty of details kept my attention — particularly the film’s ending and the post-credit sequences that followed.
Needless to say, if you haven’t seen Tron: Ares yet, stop here.
**Spoilers ahead.**
**Read more:** 11 best sci-fi movies to watch on Prime Video
Gillian Anderson and Evan Peters star in Tron: Ares.
### Tron: Ares ending explained
It’s all about the code of persistence. Dillinger Systems CEO, Julian Dillinger (Peters) wants it for money, power and influence. Dillinger has been able to bring programs from the Grid into the real world, but they only survive in our reality for 29 minutes before they disintegrate.
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With this code, Dillinger can keep Ares here indefinitely, which would be ideal, considering how much he wants to sell the program to the military as the next generation of weaponry. ENCOM head, Eve Kim (Lee), wants the code for good reasons: scientific discovery and fostering a positive future for humanity.
Needless to say, Dillinger never expected Ares to go off script. Like Quorra (Olivia Wilde) from Tron: Legacy before him, Ares reveals himself to be a digital being with bigger aspirations to become human. This need makes him an additional target for Dillinger, who sends Ares’ second-in-command, Athena (Turner-Smith), after him and Lee to retrieve the code by any means necessary.
Jodie Turner-Smith stars in Tron: Ares.
She takes the “by any means necessary” part of Dillinger’s instructions to heart, killing his mother, Elizabeth, in the process and manufacturing a Recognizer from the Space Paranoids video game, using Dillinger’s gigantic 3D printer lasers, and bringing it into the real world.
A final boss battle ensued between Athena and Ares, which took a side quest into Kevin Flynn’s (Bridges) Grid, acquired the code of persistence (or impermanence, according to Flynn) and came back out as a full-fledged human. After a flashy street showdown, Ares prevailed with the help of Kim’s ENCOM friends, who planted a virus in Dillinger’s network, bringing an end to all the digital mayhem.
Cut to months later, Kim has achieved the technical advancements I referenced earlier — thanks to that code. In the backdrop of her success, she receives a postcard from Ares. We see him at a European cafe, living “off the Grid,” with super styled hair and tailored clothing. Here he alludes to a new mission to find others like himself.
### What the Tron: Ares pre-credit sequence meant
After Ares rides off into the sunset on his motorcycle — and after a brief musical snippet of the Nine Inch Nails song, As Alive as You Need Me to Be — things shift over to Ed Dillinger.
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All of the damages done to the streets were pinned on him and a large party of law enforcement officers eventually breached his facility. With nowhere left to go and lacking any accountability for his actions, Dillinger activated his large red lasers. As the cops rush in with their guns drawn, Dillinger is forcibly pulled into his computer systems’ Grid.
The film’s final moments show Dillinger in a building previously inhabited by Ares and Athena. He soon finds a Dillinger Systems disc and as he activates it, he digitally electrifies. The luminous ghost of Sark, the master control program built by Julian’s grandfather, Ed Dillinger (David Warner), the former head of ENCOM in 1982’s Tron, is superimposed onto his frame.
What could this mean? Well, this sequence, coupled with Ares’ curiosity about Quorra, hints that another Tron film is in the cards. Maybe. It all depends on how successful Tron: Ares is at the box office. However, the idea of Tron 4, with Ares and Quorra teaming up against Dillinger and a rejuvenated MCP Dillinger, sounds pretty cool. Fingers crossed it happens.
