How Tron: Ares connects to Tron: Legacy and sets up Tron 4

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Tron: Ares is now in theaters! Here’s a breakdown of how the new film ties into the previous Tron movies, and what the future might hold for the series.

The original *Tron* film came out in 1982 and was remarkably innovative for its time, telling the story of a person entering a digital world. The 2010 sequel, *Tron: Legacy*, didn’t have as compelling a story, but it’s famous for having one of the best movie soundtracks ever created by Daft Punk.

The latest Tron film, *Tron: Ares*, has just been released. Our review highlights a promising start with excellent music and visuals. However, once the initial excitement fades, the story and characters aren’t compelling enough to hold your attention for the full two hours. It ends up feeling more like an extended commercial or music video than a fully developed movie.

The third Tron movie leaves things deliberately unresolved, connecting back to previous films and hinting at what could happen next. Be warned: major spoilers follow…

How Tron: Ares connects to Tron: Legacy

Both Tron movies revolve around a core conflict between the Flynn and Dillinger families. The first film centers on Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), whose ideas are stolen by Ed Dillinger (David Warner) through dishonest business practices. This theft leads Flynn to become trapped inside the digital world known as the Grid.

Tron: Legacy follows Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin Flynn, as he ventures into the digital world to find his missing father. Meanwhile, Ed Dillinger Jr. (played by Cillian Murphy) is focused on his own business ambitions.

The movie concludes with Sam and the program Quorra leaving the digital world, and Quorra wondering about their future. Sam replies that they’re meant to make a difference, and the film ends with Quorra experiencing the real world for the first time while riding on the back of Sam’s motorcycle.

This meant the stage was set for a third installment continuing the original characters’ journeys. However, *Tron: Ares* abandons that storyline, choosing instead to center on a new protagonist – Julian, the grandson of the original Dillinger (played by Evan Peters) – and his power struggle with Eve Kim, the new head of ENCOM (played by Grace Lee).

Like the previous two movies, Kevin Flynn returns as a guiding force, offering advice from inside the digital world. However, Sam and Quorra don’t appear until the very end.

Similar to Quorra, Ares (Jared Leto) is a program that escapes into the real world during the film. In a closing scene, he’s shown writing a postcard to Eve from Mexico, as he looks at pictures of Sam and Quorra.

Ares says he has many questions, suggesting he thinks the filmmakers know more about the story. This likely means the next Tron movie will connect the characters and storylines from both *Tron: Legacy* and *Tron: Ares*.

Is Cillian Murphy in Tron 3?

Cillian Murphy doesn’t appear in Tron: Ares, and his character, Ed Dillinger Jr., is missing from the film.

Which is strange, as Murphy was clearly set up as Tron 3’s antagonist during Legacy.

The character showed up about ten minutes into the scene, during an ENCOM meeting. He was presented as the leader of the software design team just before Sam interfered with the launch of their new OS 12. This act created a strong rivalry between them, which could have been a central conflict in a potential Tron 3 movie.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way. While *Tron: Ares* was being filmed, Murphy was busy making a Netflix movie called *Steve* and a new *Peaky Blinders* film, *The Immortal Man*. This meant Evan Peters ended up playing the villain, Julian Dillinger, instead.

Does Tron: Ares have a post-credits scene?

Tron: Legacy Sequel does include a post-credits scene, but it plays during the credits instead of after they finish.

The story cleverly foreshadows a key event in the finale: Julian uses a ‘Particle Laser’ to transform himself into digital data just before the authorities can capture him.

As the story reaches its peak, Julian rises within the digital world of the Grid, wind whipping around him as he takes in the landscape.

He spots the glowing Identity Disc and reaches for it, but the moment he touches it, Julian is jolted with a painful electric shock.

A helmet appears on his head, reminiscent of the digital design worn by his grandfather, Ed Dillinger, completing a narrative loop and suggesting Julian could cause trouble in the Grid if a fourth Tron movie is made.

Tron: Ares is out now, while you can head here for our list of best sci-fi movies ever.

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2025-10-10 03:19