The actor behind Ekko in Arcane season 2 says he “never saw” his character’s role in the finale coming – even though it’s been hinted at since season 1.
This article contains spoilers for Arcane season 2.
In the final episode of the Arcane’s Afterglow series, Ekko actor Reed Shannon was asked about his response to his character’s pivotal role in the final act of season 2. Unlocking his League of Legends time-travel abilities in episode 7, Ekko goes on to essentially save the day, disrupting Viktor as he attempts to pull off his glorious evolution. It’s a moment that’s been hinted at since the first season, even if everyone – including Shannon himself – missed that particular teaser.
In Ekko’s fight with Jinx on the bridge in season 1, she refers to him as ‘The Boy Saviour’. At the time, it seemed that was simply a throwaway reference to Ekko’s position as some kind of vigilante and community pillar, but it eventually ended up pointing to his role in those climactic moments. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t pick up on that clue until now, however, because neither did Shannon.
“I never saw it coming, actually,” he explains to Vi’s Hailee Steinfeld, Jinx’s Ella Purnell, and showrunners Alex Yee and Christian Linke. “I just thought ‘the boy savior’ was kind of, like, a cute little gag between Ekko and Jinx.”
Even if he didn’t see it coming himself, Shannon explains that the arc does fit the character well: “It makes sense. Ekko has such redeemable qualities about himself and about his own personal mission. He could possibly be the only person to build his will up enough, like we saw in that last moment when he had to make the decision to turn the time up, even though he knew [there] could be adverse consequences. That’s just the heart of Ekko; whether or not it ends up well, he means well, and that’s all he cares about. Never saw it coming but I was happy to see it. Somebody had to do it.”
For more, check out our breakdown of the Arcane season 2 ending and why there won’t be an Arcane season 3. Then dive into our picks for the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies.