Tron: Ares hits screens today, so here’s a spoiler-filled explanation of how the movie connects to its predecessors, plus where the franchise could be heading next.
The first Tron movie released in 1982, and the tale of a man being transported into a machine was way ahead of its time. Tron: Legacy followed in 2010, and while its plot was less interesting, the film’s Daft Punk soundtrack remains one of cinema’s greatest scores.
The third film in the series is out today, and we wrote in our Tron: Ares review that it “starts strong, while the tunes and visuals are superb. But when the novelty of those bells and whistles wear off, both story and characters aren’t strong enough to engage for two hours, making it feel less like a movie, and more akin to an overlong car ad or music video.”
Tron 3 ends in open-ended fashion, so here’s how it links to both the past, and Tron’s potential future. Meaning major SPOILERS ahead…
How Tron: Ares connects to Tron: Legacy
The Tron movies feature the same central conflict, with the Flynns on one side, and the Dillingers on the other. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is the first film’s hero, with Ed Dillinger (David Warner) stealing his intellectual property via a spot of corporate espionage, which results in Flynn entering the Grid.
In Tron: Legacy, Kevin’s son Sam Flynn becomes the protagonist, searching for his father in the digital realm, while Ed Dillinger Jr. (Cillian Murphy) makes corporate moves of his own.
That movie ended with Sam leaving the Grid with computer program Quorra, who asks what’s next for them. He responds with “I guess we’re supposed to change the world,” and Legacy ends with her experiencing our realm for the first time by riding on the back of his motorcycle.
Meaning the table was set for Part 3 to be their story. But Tron: Ares ditches that thread entirely, instead focussing on a new Dillinger – Ed’s grandson Julian (Evan Peters) – and his boardroom battle with new ENCOM boss Eve Kim (Grace Lee).
As with the first and second films, Kevin Flynn is the connective tissue, with the character dishing out wisdom and advice from within the Grid. But Sam and Quorra are nowhere to be seen, until the final scene.
As like Quorra, Ares (Jared Leto) is a computer program who makes it to the real world during the movie. In one of the final scenes, we see him writing a postcard to Eve from Mexico, while looking at photos of Sam and Quorra.
Ares explains that he has lots of questions, and clearly believes that the duo have answers, meaning Tron 4 would likely combine the Tron: Legacy and Tron: Ares characters.
Is Cillian Murphy in Tron 3?
No, Cillian Murphy is not in Tron: Ares, with his character Ed Dillinger Jr. conspicuous by his absence.
Which is strange, as Murphy was clearly set up as Tron 3’s antagonist during Legacy.
The character appeared around 10 minutes into proceedings, during an ENCOM meeting where he’s introduced as head of the company’s software design team, before Sam sabotages their big OS 12 launch. Thereby creating animosity between the pair that was ripe for exploration in Tron 3.
But that wasn’t to be, with Murphy making Netflix movie Steve and Peaky Blinders sequel The Immortal Man while Tron: Ares was shooting, and Evan Peters effectively taking his place as the villainous Julian Dillinger…
Does Tron: Ares have a post-credits scene?
Yes, Tron 3 does have a post-credits scene, though it’s one that appears midway through rather than at the very end of the credits.
It pays off something that’s set up during the finale, when Julian uses a ‘Particle Laser’ to digitise himself before the authorities can arrest him.
In the climactic tag, we see Julian getting to his feet inside the Grid, with wind blowing in his face as he surveys the digital world.
He then spies an Identity Disc and moves to grab it, but as soon as his hand makes contact with the frisbee, Julian’s body becomes painfully electrified.
A helmet materialises on his head, that harks back to the digital version of his grandfather Ed Dillinger, bringing the story full circle, and paving the way for Julian to wreak havoc in the Grid should Tron 4 happen.
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