Arcane takes place in the world of League of Legendsbut whether or not the Netflix series is a direct adaptation of its lore is a little more up for debate. Since all the broad outlines are the same and all the crossover characters are perfectly recognizable, it’s easy to assume that the series is building to a finale that will be Competition characters the ending we expect. But there is nothing to say that Arcane should end in a familiar place.
Throughout its two-season run, Arcane apparently dealt with League of Legends lore with a very careful balance between reverence and contempt. The show ties into the game’s existing story and has a deep respect for – and conversation with – its world. But the company is also concerned with making good TV, and that has not succeeded Competition Lore still stands in the way of that. So I see no reason to start with that in the final act.
With that in mind, I expect that where the show leaves, the characters will make some gesture toward their condition League of Legendsbut won’t worry too much about keeping their details accurate. For example, I don’t think Vi will somehow turn into the video game version of her character, a champion whose in-game lines are almost all devoted to her love of police brutality and over-the-top violence. But I do think she will end up as some kind of bailiff in Piltover with Caitlyn. Jayce has long since gotten over his state League of Legends towards the end of Season 2, Act 2, but I suppose he could return to somewhat normal. The simplest proof of this is Fortiche and Riot’s approach ArcaneWarwick’s story is likely Warwick, who is apparently already dead in the canon of the series.
However, the most interesting example in this case is Viktor, a character seemingly miles away from him League of Legends indicate when we last saw him in Act 2. In League of LegendsViktor looks much more like a machine than a human, an almost completely robotic cyborg with no visible skin and a ruthless worldview that prioritizes machine life over human life. He tries to lead all of humanity towards an evolution that also turns them into machines. In other words, it’s a rather baffling departure from the Zen-like calm and post-human enlightenment that Viktor seems to have in the show before Jayce blows a hole through his chest.
As for the rest of the characters, they’ll probably end up somewhere along the same line of continuity, pointing to the Competition characters we know, without the cheesiness of having to say their literal catchphrases on the show. Of course, another possibility for many of these characters is that Arcane won’t be the last time Fortiche and Riot discuss their stories. So if we leave Viktor before he can complete his glorious evolution, perhaps it’s only because a Machine spin-off is in the works.
The last episodes of Arcane season 2 will be released on November 23.