League of Legends’ Arcane Ending Explained: What’s Next for Arcane?

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It’s been 20 days since Arcane was released: and League of Legends fans have been hooked to what many say is a masterpiece of animation. The Netflix show has wrapped up significant developments in the first season to give characters Vi and Jinx enough backstory while setting the stage for current game events.

The season ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Jinx launching a missile towards the city of Piltover, just as the Council comes to a decision towards peace. The irony isn’t lost on the viewers, as we being to understand the complicated history between the twin cities Piltover and Zaun. 

Who Dies in the Arcane Ending?

Image via Riot Games

While the season closed curtains on Jinx launching a robot using a launcher she built with arcane crystal energy: we don’t exactly get to see the fatalities. However, there are plenty of theories regarding who died from Jinx’s terrorist attack. It’s likely that the entire council takes a significant hit, but we’re hoping not all members are wiped out. 

Since Jayce is one of the main Arcane characters, fan theories suppose that he will likely make an appearance in Season 2, injured but alive. In the last few seconds of the series, the camera pans to Mel Medarda, who also seems to be closest to the window in the council room. 

It’s likely that Mel may not make it to Season 2 — a theory only strengthened by the fact that she is a new character who doesn’t appear in the original game. 

This also signals an end to the Jayce and Mel budding romance, which is a big blow to many viewers of the show. 

We also see a few shots of Mel’s mother in the ending: possibly foreshadowing that she will be the Miss Medarda to watch out for in Season 2. We know that Mel’s mother is Noxian royalty with strong militant views who wants to use Hextech’s power to save her family, and it’s likely that she will have a strong role to play in the future of Hextech. 

What happens to Zaun?

Image via Riot Games

While Piltover may struggle with leadership, all’s not well with the underground city of Zaun. With Silco out of the picture, we may see multiple struggles of power and dominance over the underground. A significant clue lies in the fact that while Jinx discovers her identity and chooses to abandon ‘Powder’, she does not take Silco’s seat. We can see that Jinx’s volatile actions and terrorist attacks stem from her own inner chaos rather than a grasp at power. 

Season 2 will likely shed light on a replacement for Silco, and whether Zaun is able to free itself and gain autonomy from the looming control of Piltover. 

What happens to Vi and Jinx?

Image via Riot Games

Any attempt at reconciliation for the two sisters seems to be a lost cause now. Silco whispers his last words to Jinx before he dies, essentially martyring him as Jinx’s father figure and solidifying her choice to wreak havoc.

She decides to choose her current family (Silco and Zaun) over her blood sister (Vi) and sits in a chair marked Jinx, symbolically asserting her new identity despite pleas from her sister. We get an insight into Jinx’s troubled mind as she launches the final rocket. 

Foreshadowing of Warwick

Image via Riot Games

One of the primary characters that we’re guaranteed to see in Arcane Season 2 is Warwick, the werewolf-inspired deathly monster from Zaun. The Season 2 announcement trailer briefly displays shots of a large furred hand with claws and we hear an accompanying howl. 

Judging from the vial of green/yellow fluid, this is another creation of Singed. Warwick is possibly created with another version of the deadly transmutation substance ‘Shimmer’ that we saw so much of in Season 1. 

It’s going to be a while before we see Arcane Season 2 on Netflix. It might be time to brush up on your League of Legend skills, so check out whether you should buy a Prebuilt or Custom PC this holiday season.