How TRON: ARES’ Post-Credits Scene Sets Up a Sequel

Okay, let me tell you, *Tron: Ares* wasn’t just a revival of the series – it actually feels like a solid foundation for future installments. I walked in hoping for a fun ride, and I got that, but I also left feeling like this doesn’t *have* to be the end of the *Tron* story. Now, fair warning: if you haven’t seen it yet, and you want to go in completely fresh, be careful! I’m about to dive into some major spoilers as I explain how they could continue the franchise.

As a huge cinema fan, I was completely hooked by the end of *Tron: Ares*. After his mother passed away and with the police closing in on Dillinger Systems, Evan Peters’ character, Julian, a former tech CEO, decided to make a desperate escape. Instead of facing the consequences of his actions, he literally ran *into* the digital world he’d built. Using the digitizing technology from his company, he transported himself into the grid – and the final scene showed him arriving in that stunning, red-tinted virtual reality he created. It was a brilliant setup for what’s to come!

Okay, so the digital landscape was completely wrecked – ENCOM’s suits had gotten in and trashed Julian’s system, effectively deleting everything. That meant Athena, and all the programs chasing Eve Kim and Ares in the real world, were gone too. But here’s the thing: something *still* functioned within the system. I was following Julian as he surveyed the ruins of his digital world, utterly alone, when this structure rose up from the floor of Ares’ old headquarters. And it wasn’t what I expected – instead of the sleek, triangular identity discs Julian’s programs used, it was an older, more classic model. A really intriguing development, honestly.

I watched as the CEO was initially reluctant to even touch the disc, but it began to glow red, and he couldn’t help but reach for it. The moment he did, it completely overwhelmed him, and he started to change. His normal clothes disappeared, replaced by the outfit fans of the original *Tron* movie will instantly recognize from 1982. Right before my eyes, he transformed into Sark – the program created years ago by his grandfather, Ed Dillinger.

Sark resembled his creator, Ed, in appearance. He was also similar to Julian, sharing his willingness to do anything – even kill – to achieve his goals. As the Master Control Program’s chief enforcer on the Games Grid, Sark was a cruel and malicious digital being.

While Julian remained calm even when faced with Eve’s impending death, Sark initially resisted harming a User after Kevin Flynn entered the digital world. However, the Master Control Program used torture to force him to comply. After that, Sark attempted to track down both Flynn and the security program, Tron.

Tron thought he’d finally beaten Sark, but the Master Control Program intervened, transferring all of its power to Sark. This transformed Sark into a massive, incredibly strong giant. Ultimately, Tron defeated him by throwing his disc into the Master Control Program’s communication beam while it was distracted.

After disappearing completely, Sark reappeared during the end credits of *Tron: Ares* as what appeared to be Ed Dillinger’s grandson, now transformed into the old program. This moment hints at a potential fourth *Tron* film and leaves several major questions unanswered.

How did anything still work inside the destroyed Dillinger grid? Did Julian have a secret backup no one at ENCOM knew about?
Who or what put a copy of Sark into Julian’s system?
Was Julian’s system built from the framework of the original MCP?
Did Julian give Ares the title of Master Control as a simple homage? Or was Ares built from remnants of the powerful system his grandfather used?
How, if at all, was Julian’s grid connected to the one where Sark oversaw the Games?
Did Ed Dillinger hide a copy of Sark in the grid? Did he possibly put a copy of himself in that virtual world the way Kevin Flynn did with his own system?
Did the surviving remnants of the MCP power up when it recognized the presence of its User’s grandson?
Did Sark become Master Control when the MCP gave the program all its powers? If Sark did, does that mean Julian is now Master Control?
Did Tron: Ares foreshadow Julian becoming Master Control with his red, creepy User visage when speaking to Ares?
Just how powerful can a User with the abilities of Sark (and maybe also Master Control) become?
How will Julian use these abilities to rebuild his grid?
How can Julian use his new power to escape? To get revenge against his enemies? To clear his name?

In the first *Tron* movie, Dr. Walter Gibbs, the founder of ENCOM, explained how a connection exists between people and the computer programs they create. He told Ed Dillinger that a part of the programmer’s personality, or “spirit,” stays within every program they design.

Ed Dillinger was the creator of Sark and the one who turned Master Control into a dangerous, rogue program – a trait shared by his grandson. It’s unclear whether Sark or MCP was a direct digital copy of Ed himself, or something else entirely. However, it’s possible that the personalities of Ed, Sark, and MCP still exist within the vast digital world. If they do, they’ve found someone – a determined and resentful individual – eager to help rebuild the family’s reputation.

2025-10-10 05:04

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