Updated on April 20, 11:43 a.m. (GMT+8): Improved relevancy and title.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
League of Legends’ animated series “Arcane” is airing on Netflix. Released on November 7, 2021, the show marked Riot Games’ first foray into animation.
The series’ first three episodes introduced some colorful new characters and re-introduced us to some of our favorite League of Legends champions such as Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, and Viktor.
The League of Legends community has already formed some theories based on Arcane Act 1’s episodes. Some fans are suggesting that Arcane’s Vander is actually League of Legends’ Warwick.
Who is Vander in League of Legends Arcane?
Vander is Vi and Powder’s (young Jinx) foster father. The League of Legends siblings became orphans at a young age, and he raised them as his own.
Diving in a bit deeper into his story, he was responsible for launching an uprising against Piltover’s elite community. He strongly believed that violence could bring change to the wealthy city. However, the revolution ended in a tragedy and has taken the lives of several Zaun residents, including Vi and Powder’s parents.
Because of this incident, the man felt guilty and began to change his outlook on life. His peaceful days did not last long, however, especially after Vi and her friends caused a ruckus that angered Piltover’s enforcers.
Amidst the chaos, another Arcane character, Silco, was determined to take his revenge on Vander. Silco kidnapped him, turning him into a test subject in violent experiments. However, Vi and Powder arrived on time to try and set him free from Silco.
Things quickly went awry, and Silco managed to stab Vander. He was forced to swallow Silco’s experimental serum, which turns humans into monsters. The end of Arcane episode three showed him dying, telling Vi to take good care of her sister.
- From Hogwarts to Piltover: How Harry Potter’s Katie Leung became Caitlyn
- Full list of League of Legends champions in Arcane and the episode they appear
Is Vander actually Warwick?
Vander may be a totally new character in the League of Legends universe, but fans are already linking him to the beast Warwick. Here are some clues that link the two League of Legends characters.
His post-serum appearance might not be identical to Warwick, but bore many similarities to the Zaun monster. Warwick’s lore has previously recorded that he underwent a lot of tests, so it’s likely that he isn’t completely dead and he’ll be tested over and over again.
Another clue lies in League of Legends lore, which reads:
Though many think of Warwick as no more than a beast, buried beneath the fury lies the mind of a man—a gangster who put down his blade and took up a new name to live a better life. But no matter how hard he tried to move on, he could never escape the sins of his past.
This paragraph sounds very similar to his story in Arcane, where his failed revolution continued to haunt him even after turning over a new leaf.
The League of Legends community also pointed out another hint hidden in his biography:
Warwick struggled to recall a single memory from his past… All he could see was blood. But then he heard a little girl screaming. Screaming something he couldn’t understand. It sounded like a name.
This perfectly describes the ending of Arcane Act 1 Episode 3. He may have heard Powder crying out loud and shouting “Violet!’ as he bled to death. It’s possible that Vander heard the sobbing of his foster daughter as he lay dying on the ground, with blood dripping from his injuries.
When you combine all these theories together, it’s possible that he will eventually turn into Warwick. Will we see this inhumane transformation in future episodes of Arcane?
Watch the animated series on Netflix now.
READ MORE: First-ever Hextech Expo lets you view and interact with Piltover technology
