Considering my brain was never capable of absorbing basic math, it’s alarming how much space there is for Arcane season 2 theories in that mushy sponge. As a die-hard League of Legends fan of 12 years, I’ve flown through both seasons with all manner of ‘what ifs’ – some disproven (I really thought Deckard would turn into Dr. Mundo), others still flying high. But there’s one conspiracy in particular that I’ve been peddling since the show’s debut in 2021 – and as we gear up for Arcane’s finale, evidence for it being correct has only piled up.
Warning: This feature contains spoilers for both seasons of Arcane.
What if I told you that Silco wasn’t the real bad guy of Arcane? Nor Ambessa (who can do no wrong), or even Piltover’s warmongering council? No: I think there are much bigger stakes to Arcane, and suspect that League’s most interesting villain – or supposed villain – has been sticking his beak in matters for longer than we realize. With the future of League’s animations set to move beyond Vi and Jinx, all signs currently point toward a trip to the hometown of Jericho Swain.
Birds of a feather
If you go back and rewatch the first season of Arcane, you’ll notice that the city has a crow problem. The series makes a point of showing that dark birds are keeping a keen eye on Piltover and Zaun’s events – from the funeral of enforcer Marcus, to Jinx and Vi’s gutwrenching reunion. In particular, they have a heavy presence around Jinx. A crow watches the tragic villain as she revisits the arcade she spent her childhood – only for Jinx to blast the bird – and flock around the building where she ultimately kills Silco. Just moments later, when she lets go of Powder and fully assumes the title of Jinx, her makeshift throne is adorned with black feathers. But the parallel is most obvious during Jinx’s battle with Ekko, where she’s stylistically represented as a crow (or raven, it’s up for debate) against Ekko’s firelight.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: crows are often mythological omens of death, and there’s plenty of it to go around in Piltover and the undercity. They also tie into Jinx’s own journey, their presence hinting at a darkness that’s mostly buried before being whisked away by Silco. That’s all true, and you could very easily make a case that there’s nothing to these cawing cameos beyond that. But scratch beneath the surface, and it all seems to fit the modus operandi of monologuer-in-chief Swain.
For those who haven’t played League of Legends, Swain is the current ruler of Noxus – the warlike nation where Ambessa hails from. As a noble, Swain uncovered plots by the Black Rose – the mysterious cabal gunning for Mel and her family in Arcane – to overthrow the nation’s then-ruler Boram Darkwill, and personally executed many of them. But after a pivotal defeat during Noxus’ invasion of distant island Ionia (in which Swain lost his arm and was left for dead) the disgraced general was visited by a crow that showed the Black Rose were still alive and using Darkwill as a puppet emperor.
Fast-forward several years, and Swain has harnessed the power of a secret-eating demon to become ruler of Noxus. Now, he uses birds to snoop on everyone’s private affairs – including Jinx’s. “Faces, fading in the flames,” he tells her if they’re together in a League match, referencing the explosion that appeared to kill Vander and her childhood friends. “It was all her fault.”
Nevermore
Given Swain’s entire personality revolves around knowing everything, it makes sense for the Grand General of Noxus to be keeping tabs on Piltover’s most important individuals as the city shudders toward all-out revolution. But it’s also fitting that Arcane is ramping up to far bigger story beats, as season two’s second act sidesteps Jinx and Vi’s rivalry in favor of larger stakes – namely Noxus’ growing influence in the city and the Black Rose’s kidnapping of Mel, along with the hexcore’s increasing instability. That last point is particularly interesting – it’s alluded to that Swain is taking brutal methods to prevent a catastrophe he’s foreseen, the same motive that fans think is behind Jayce’s darkest arc yet.
The fly in this ointment is that we don’t know exactly when Arcane is set, and there’s a chance this is all taking place before Swain gets his demonic powers. In fact, I’d wager that with Singed yet to become a Noxian war criminal in the war Swain lost his arm, the crows we’ve seen could even be Swain’s demon still acting independently (after all, one of its manifestations visited ol’ Jericho on an Ionian battlefield far from the Bastion). But one thing that’s undeniable: as future League of Legends adaptations will move beyond Vi and Jinx, Noxus’ massive role in Arcane sets it up as the likeliest destination we’ll be visiting next.
That’s exciting for a few reasons. Besides Swain, there are all sorts of competing forces in the nation, which values strength and power above all else. In much the same way that Arcane has juggled the stories of a few core characters – think Jayce and Viktor, Heimer and Ekko, Caitlyn and Vi – Noxus has so many narratives that can be unspooled in a similar manner. We still know very little about the Black Rose or its leader, powerful sorcerer LeBlanc, and have no clue what Swain is planning. That’s to say nothing of the unimaginably powerful lich beneath Noxus, whose return has been teased for years, or the Noxian invasion of Ionia where Swain lost his arm. Noxus is also the center of boiling tensions with Demacia, its longstanding rival nation, and its fragile peace could very easily be shattered.
With some luck, Arcane’s imminent finale will hopefully tee up what’s next for the world of Runeterra. Riot has already said it’s up for telling more stories in the universe, but what form that takes remains to be seen – who knows, maybe we’ll go full Lovecraftian if the Hexcore backfires? But if all roads do indeed lead to Noxus, I’ll be here to caw “I told you so”.