Warning: massive spoilers for Tron: Ares are in play.
If you think the Tron series isn’t a dense environment of lore, you’ve been playing the wrong game, Program. Now that Ares is loading up in theaters, some questions about Disney’s sci-fi legacy have been answered. As if that wasn’t enough, the end of Tron: Ares’ adventure lays out some specific tentpoles that could be the beginning of Tron 4’s story.
Which is where I have to warn Users and Programs alike that if you haven’t seen this Jared Leto/Greta Lee starring adventure, you may want to save this rundown for after you’ve been debriefed. So feel free to read our Tron: Ares review in the meantime, and return once you’re caught up. As for those of you still reading, let’s see how Ares and the real world are getting along…
The World Of The Grid Is No Longer A Secret
When massive ships and fighter jets that light up the sky fly into your airspace, people tend to notice. As you may have guessed, that massive invasion shown in the second Tron: Ares trailer is indeed the third act set piece, which results in Ares (Jared Leto) and ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) teaming up to stop Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) – an antagonistic Program who wants to conquer humanity. It also trashes whatever good name Dillinger Systems, and the family that runs it, currently have – which has led to a particularly nasty wrinkle we’ll discuss later.
The good news is that Ares, despite becoming a flesh and blood being thanks to the Permanence Code, survives battle with Athena. However, the bad news is that Tron: Ares saw some pretty massive property damage at the hands of her Recognizer and airborne shock troops. With the cat officially out of the bag, humanity is poised to finally learn about The Grid, and all of the other exploits from the legacy of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges.)
Ares Is Seeking Out Quorra
Clearly Ares’ first meeting with the Flynn family wasn’t enough. In the final sequence of Tron: Ares, we see the newly human being writing a postcard to his friend Eve, opining on humanity. We see that he isn’t merely taking a vacation though, as he has a photo of Quorra (Olivia Wilde) – complete with her last known coordinates. Those coordinates point to Mexico City, the same location we see Ares writing out that postcard from.
His actions could bridge Tron: Legacy’s narrative with the events of Ares, provided we see Tron 4 sooner than later. Which is good, because save for some vague remarks, we don’t have a solid answer to one gigantic question not even our own Tron: Ares Crash Course could answer: where are Sam and Quorra?
Sam Flynn And Quorra Appear To Be In Hiding
Sorry folks, Quorra and Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) don’t appear in Tron: Ares beyond mentions and file photos. The film’s prologue notes that Sam left ENCOM “for personal reasons,” and a newspaper showing the pair together asks the question of who this “mystery companion” happens to be. With those clues in play, it sounds like the son of Flynn left corporate life to protect Quorra, who may very well be alive as she clearly didn’t derez after 29 minutes like Ares and Athena were prone to doing.
Of course, we don’t know for sure; especially with some fans on Reddit debating whether that quickly shown photo of the last remaining ISO is one in bad health or bad lighting. As Tron: Ares has now spilled the beans on biodigital life, it could be somewhat safer for our old friends to return for the (hypothetical) battle ahead. Not to mention, if Quorra is really headed towards permadeath, she can seek out that solution in relative peace. That is, if the Dillinger empire’s next phase doesn’t get in the way – and it probably will.
Julian Dillinger Takes Up His Family’s Legacy As The New Sark
Oh those Dillingers – they never know when to quit. After news sources around the world have pegged Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) as the culprit for both Tron: Ares’ massive breach, as well as the death of his mother Elizabeth (Gillian Anderson), he disappears into the Dillinger Systems Grid – thanks to a helpful subroutine. You’ve definitely met them before, as they go by a name we haven’t heard in some time – Sark.
The original digital avatar for grandfather Edward Dillinger Sr. (David Warner), our Tron baddie appears to have found a new body to inhabit. Upon arriving in his proprietary Grid for the first time, Julian is presented with an ID disc that looks like something out of the 1982 original. Once it’s in his hands, we see him begin to transform, with a brief glimpse of Sark’s OG Grid armor forming around him. Nothing like giving a psychotic tech bro digital immortality and a digital army to shock audiences into wondering where Tron 4 could possibly go.
Tron 4 Would Probably See An Unlikely Ally Join The Fight
If we’re really going to see another chapter in the Tron series, I think it could be the last. At least, it’ll be the culmination of the Flynn/Dillinger feud – which could come after a gigantic battle forces both sides to fight on the same team. Julian Dillinger won’t have as much of a problem gaining the Permanence Code now, as Eve Kim is freely using it to better the world. With that key in hand, the dream of a sustainable invasion of the human world will be very possible.
While Tron: Ares doesn’t show us Sam Flynn, Quorra, or even Edward Dillinger Jr. (Cillian Murphy), those figures are well teed up to play major roles. Edward Jr. would especially be interesting, as we’re still not totally certain he’s an antagonist to Encom – despite what Tron: Legacy’s revealing special features may suggest. The ultimate endgame would be for Users and Programs alike to coexist, and the two feuding families of digital dominance could aid that cause by putting aside their differences. Seriously, Junior “earned his keep” according to Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), and since he’s not at Dillinger Systems, that could be a sign of differing ideas on the future.
Alan Bradley Is Overdue For A Central Narrative Thread
Speaking of Alan, his return to the battlefield could see him reunite with the Kevin Flynn, as Sam would probably want to use the Permanence Code to bring him back to the land of the living. Remember, Sam’s memory chip has a copy of the Flynn’s Arcade server on it; which was the home of the OG Space Paranoid for a couple decades. More importantly, it’s time that Alan got to meet the face turned Tron once and for all, as I don’t think he’s been allowed such an honor.
Naturally, the potential for a Tron 4 all depends on whether or not Ares does numbers at the box office. So if you’re ready to fight for the User, and another sequel, then you can revisit this new thrill ride currently in theaters. And if you want to read more about Disney’s legacy-quel, you can head over to our Tron: Ares archive and dig in!
Until next time… -End of Line-
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