While fans ravenously contemplate what could be in store in the second part of Arcane Season 2, there’s no better time to reflect on where the characters seem to be going by the end of the first three episodes. One of the most compelling story lines introduced this season, by far, has been Viktor and his strenuous, ongoing relationship with the Hexcore. By the end of Season 1, Viktor has decided to move on from studying the Hexcore after a horrific lab incident that led to Sky Young, Viktor’s former assistant, being consumed by the device; but in the opening moments of Season 2, Jayce uses the Hexcore to save Viktor’s life following the explosion in the council room.
While unwilling, the device does save Viktor – but not without consequence. When he emerges from a Hexcore-cocoon, Viktor’s body has been heavily altered into a strange, magic-fueled, almost machine-like state. Initially, while he seems dazed from having just awoken from a comma, upon further inspection, it seems as though Viktor has lost a piece of himself after merging with the Hexcore. Additionally, he and Jayce finally cut ties with one another, with Viktor telling his longtime partner and friend that, “It was affection that kept us together.” The sequence is absolutely heartbreaking, and, despite deviating from Viktor’s old origin story in League of Legends, is perfectly setting up for him to walk a similar path to his in-game counterpart.
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While Arcane‘s Viktor Is Different From His League of Legends Counterpart, He’s Walking the Same Path
At the end of Act 1, Viktor travels back to the Undercity and finds himself surrounded by those ravaged by Shimmer. One of them lunges to attack him, and instead of fighting back, Viktor instead uses the ravenous, Arcane powers of his augmented body to not only restore the assailants body to its original state, but to make them look far younger and healthier than they were before becoming dependent on Shimmer. It’s a powerful moment, and shows the other witnesses of the event looking up to Viktor in awe. This moment, coupled with Viktor’s defiance of Jayce’s goals for Hextech, are making it glaringly obvious that Arcane fans will likely see Viktor’s descent into further body augments sooner than later.
While Arcane‘s Viktor, so far, has been shown to be far more empathetic compared to how he behaves in League of Legends, if the assumption that interacting with the Hexcore has made him less empathetic or feeling is true, it’s entirely possible that his personality will shift to that of a cold, calculating scientist whose only concern is progressing mankind past their innate human weaknesses. In his original lore, Viktor was driven by a massive chemical spill that devastated the streets of Zaun, assisting those afflicted by the toxins left behind alongside his trusty golem assistant, Blitzcrank. Additionally, while Viktor was still connected to Jayce in his original backstory, the two were never truly friends, but worked closely with one another to clean up much of the pollution in Zaun. One important detail that’s remained the same across both Arcane and League of Legends‘s timelines is that a horrific incident causes Viktor to undergo a massive physical change, ultimately leading him to the idea of “Glorius Evolution”.
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Arcane Made Viktor Sympathetic, Which Makes Him the Perfect Villain
While Viktor is far different in Arcane, his new origin story has successfully made him far more sympathetic, and even makes his goals and ideals understandable – which also makes him a far more terrifying threat as a villain. Much like the other inhabitants of the Undercity, Viktor has been forced to fight his entire life for just a fraction of what Piltover’s residents are given. While he had an opportunity to live and study among them, he never quite fit in, which is something that the series made clear in Season 1 when he’s seemingly abandoned by Jayce after his partner-in-crime begins pursuing a spot on the council alongside Mel. To add insult to injury, despite all his hard work to finally be recognized for his intellectual talents, Viktor’s human body had been gradually deteriorating, holding him back from ever rising to the same level of notoriety as Jayce.
It’s understandable, then, that when his “friend” saved him by forcing him to become conjoined with the one thing he had finally decided to move on from that he would decide to turn his back on Piltover’s fractured society and forge his own path, even if his efforts to improve the lives of the people in Zaun is misguided at best. While it’s still unknown how much more of Viktor’s descent into Glorious Evolution fans will get to see before Arcane comes to an end, it seems as though Viktor has finally reached the point of no return.