While the 1982 original and Tron: Legacy didn't have post-credit scenes, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Disney-backed blockbuster that doesn't have one these days. It's no real surprise, then, that Tron: Ares is the first of the sci-fi movies to feature one – and it could give a hype-building Marvel stinger a run for its money.
Directed by Joachim Rønning, who co-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the film follows the eponymous war-ready program (Jared Leto), as he gains sentience and sets out to become "real" – much to the dismay of his ambitious "owner" Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters). The latter dreams of selling Ares and his fellow soldiers to the highest bidders, but when Ares meets Dillinger's industry rival, ENCOM's Eve Kim (Greta Lee), and discovers a code that'd mean he wouldn't disintegrate after 29 minutes outside of The Grid, he takes it upon himself to protect Eve and thwart his master's plans.
There's a whole lot going on in the final act; the digital world spilling out into the real one, as Ares and Eve make their final stand against Dillinger and his techy troops. So it's pretty easy to lose track of certain characters, most of whom are still standing at the end. The Tron: Ares post-credit scene reveals the fate of one specific player, so you're going to want to stick around. Or just read our breakdown below if you've not yet seen it and want to deliberately spoil things for yourself...
Does Tron: Ares have a post-credit scene?
Yes, Tron: Ares has a mid-credits scene that fills us in on what became of Julian after he lasered himself into his own Grid. Turns out, he might have been better off being taken in by the police and facing up to the reality that his mother was murdered by one of his digital creations...
In the scene, we see a disheveled Julian crawl out from the entry point of the Grid. His arrival seemingly prompts a plinth to then emerge from the ground; a plinth containing a swanky-looking disc. Julian disconnects it from its stand, but almost immediately starts wailing, as he's encompassed by a program-like suit. The get-up quickly digitizes around him, culminating in a pale blue helmet with a reddy-orange V shape on the forehead, which Tron fans will recognize as the same symbol Sark bares in the very first film.
Who is Sark?
In the 1982 original, the merciless Sark (played by David Warner) was created by Ed Dillinger (also David Warner) and went on to become the commander of the Master Control's army, as well as the overseer of the Games. He was responsible for pitting Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) against Crom, a battle that nearly killed the former, and forcing him into a Lightcycle race. He was ultimately killed by Flynn's security program Tron, when the latter destroyed his Identity Disc and cut off the top of his head. Yikes!
Does the Tron: Ares mid-credits scene mean that Julian is the new Sark? Here's hoping we don't have to wait another 15 years to find out...
Tron: Ares is in cinemas now. For more, check out our picks of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.
