Tron: Ares is the latest attempt at a soft reboot of the cult classic Tron franchise. The original Disney film was released in 1982, followed by a sequel, Tron: Legacy, in 2010. The original cast consisted of Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn/Clu, Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley/Tron, Cindy Morgan Lora Baines/Yori, and David Warner as Ed Dillinger/Master Control Program/Commander Sark, with Legacy adding Olivia Wilde as Quorra and Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn.

Featuring a new cast aside from Bridges, Ares built upon the existing lore while moving the Tron series in a different direction. A key new player in Ares was Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the grandson of Dillinger, who seeks to use the Grid to create artificial intelligence-based weapons and soldiers for profit.

This goal puts him in direct opposition with Eve Kim (Greta Lee), the current CEO of ENCOM and successor of the Flynns, who wants to use the Grid for altruistic purposes. Both parties are searching for Kevin’s permanence code, which would enable programs from the Grid to exist in the real world without limitations.

Julian’s quest for power and money is ultimately fruitless when his AI soldier, Ares (Jared Leto), betrays him, leaving him with no option but to be arrested. That is, until a mysterious program begins communicating with Julian, and he digitizes himself into the Grid. In a mid-credit scene, Julian obtains the idenтιтy disc belonging to Sark in the first film and seemingly fuses with the program, donning the character’s suit.

In an interview with ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley, Peters addressed this “cool” twist, stating, “it felt good to be in the Grid.” As for the reveal that Sark’s program still existed after the events of Tron and has now fused with Julian, Peters expressed enthusiasm about being connected with such a pivotal character in the franchise.

“There’s a lot of history in that character, and I was very excited to get in there,” said Peters, before elaborating on his excitement for Julian being in the Grid: “Also, just to peek out at the whole world—that wasn’t really there, but it was cool to imagine it and feel the wind. It was cool.”

Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted this twist before its reveal in the mid-credits scene, as Julian’s monitor clearly read Sark when the program reached out to him. For those needing a refresher, Sark was a program created by the elder Dillinger to serve as the Master Control Program’s lieutenant. He was believed to be derezzed along with the original MCP thanks to the actions of Kevin and Tron in the first film.

How or why Sark has returned was left unexplained, but Peters is “definitely” excited to see where this arc is headed. In addition to the Sark tease, Ares also set up a potential return for Sam and Quorra, as the тιтular character ends the film resolving to find others like him.

No sequel has been announced at this time, but all signs point to Disney hoping to continue the franchise. Likewise, following Tron: Ares, Peters is ready to explore the Grid, stating that “it’s really an honor to be in this franchise because the visual effects and the world-building” have been “cool” to “witness.”