Does Tron: Ares have a post-credits scene? Tron 4 possibility explained

Tron: Ares, released on October 10, is the third film in Disney’s sci-fi franchise, following Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010). Directed by Joachim Rønning, it shifts from the earlier films’ focus on video games and family to artificial intelligence and its impact.

The story follows Ares, a program that enters the real world on a mission. Jared Leto plays Ares, bringing depth to a digital being learning human emotions. Evan Peters is Julian Dillinger, the ambitious CEO of Dillinger Systems and grandson of the original film’s villain. Greta Lee stars as Eve Kim, ENCOM’s new CEO, who uncovers a key code tied to her late sister’s work. Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn, a guiding figure from the past. The mid-credits scene steals the show: Julian, fleeing justice, enters his Grid and grabs a red disc as a voice says “Sark,” his grandfather’s 1982 villain. Energy wraps him in Sark’s suit, hinting at a Tron 4 villain reborn.

The cast includes Jodie Turner-Smith as Athena, a warrior program, Gillian Anderson as Julian’s mother Elisabeth and Hasan Minhaj as ENCOM’s CTO Ajay. Leto told Good Morning America, “This movie is coming out at a time where everyone is talking about AI and how that’s changing the world.” Tron: Ares explores AI’s role today, making it a timely addition to the series. 

Mid-credits scene in Tron: Ares - Sark’s return points to Tron 4

Tron: Ares features a mid-credits sequence instead of a post-credits sequence, allowing fans to see through the early credits. After Julian escapes being captured because he has entered his Grid, he sees a red disc resting on top of a placard. A voice then says "Sark," which had been his grandfather's nemesis from the 1982 version of Tron. When Julian retrieves the disc, energy reverberates off it. Literally, it turns into a suit and helmet similar to Sark's, suggesting Julian is becoming a new version of Sark or something along those lines. In the original movie, Sark (David Warner) was a malicious program killed by Tron.

This scene sets up Tron 4. Rønning told IGN that he loves Sark’s design and hopes to explore it if the film does well, although he noted the high costs associated with these movies. Writer Jesse Wigutow told SlashFilm there’s “an enormous amount left on the table” for stories, especially with Ares seeking Quorra, who’s different as a Grid-born ISO. A future film could explore AI conflicts or bring back Alan Bradley or Cillian Murphy’s Ed Dillinger Jr. Disney hasn’t confirmed Tron 4, but the setup hints at more.

In an interview with IGN, Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning was asked about this mid-credits scene and what kind of future threat this new Julian-Sark hybrid could represent. Rønning was careful not to suggest a Tron 4:

“Obviously, you never know. The last Tron was 15 years ago. So who knows where we are going to be allowed to go with this. I'm just so happy with every little Tron nugget that we can put into the movie. Little homages, here and there. And obviously this is a big one for potential to where the story can go. I just remember loving the Sark design and all of that from the first film, and seeing Sark, 2025 version, I don't know… Obviously, I never take anything for granted, like where we are going to be allowed to go. If enough people go and see this film and all of that stuff… There's so many variables, because these movies are so expensive to make, but I would love to go there.”

Tron: Ares - The ending hints at Tron: Legacy characters

The plot centers on the “permanence code,” created by Kevin Flynn, which allows digital beings like Ares to stay in the real world beyond the 29-minute limit. Julian wants the code to sell Ares and other programs as super-soldiers, but Eve finds it first in her sister Tess’s Alaskan files.

Ares, sent to steal it, turns against Julian after seeing his willingness to kill. With Eve, he enters the 1989 Grid, a retro world with old-school effects, a Bit cameo, and classic Light Cycles. There, a version of Flynn calls the code “impermanence,” as it makes Ares human and mortal. Ares gets the code and exits through Flynn’s old arcade.

In the final scenes, Eve uses the code at ENCOM to grow crops in harsh climates and develop cancer treatments, honouring Tess. Ares, now free, writes Eve from a café, holding photos of Tron: Legacy’s Sam Flynn and Quorra, with coordinates for Quorra’s last location. He rides off to find them, tying to Legacy’s ending where Sam and Quorra left the Grid.

The film mentions Sam’s sudden ENCOM exit and a “Mystery Woman” headline, likely Quorra, but skips mentions of Tron or Alan Bradley.

Tron: Ares is in theatres now. See it on the big screen to catch its visuals and mid-credits twist. 

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