In Arcane Season 2 Episode 3, Hextech takes on a life of its own, sending Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger free-falling through other dimensions. It’s so trippy, you may have missed a shot that supports a fan theory from Arcane’s first chapter.
Viktor and Jayce have been at odds about the potential dangers of Hextech technology, which reached new heights in Arcane Season 2 Part 1 when Jayce uses the Hexcore to save Viktor against his will.
After Viktor departs the project for good, Jayce ends up helping Ekko and Heimerdinger figure out what’s damaging the Firelights’ sacred tree, taking them to the underground Hexgate failsafe system.
Before they can investigate further, a wild rune – an unpredictable manifestation of magic seemingly resulting from Jayce and Viktor’s attempts to harness the arcane – transports the trio into another realm.
When Jayce touches the anomaly, it appears to create a rift between the material and spirit worlds, resulting in by far the trippiest scene of Arcane as they’re plunged into magical chaos.
But the bit we’re here to focus on are the blink-and-you’ll-miss clips of the flashback we first saw in Arcane Season 1 Episode 2, when a young Jayce and his mother were saved from a snowstorm by a mysterious mage who used magic to transport them to a sunny meadow.
This is ultimately what kickstarted his interest in harnessing Hextech power after the stranger, whose face is never shown, gifted Jayce a rune.
Although it’s widely believed that the savior is League of Legends sorcerer Ryze, there’s an increasing amount of evidence suggesting it could be a time-traveling Viktor.
After all, in Arcane Season 2 Episode 1, Viktor becomes fused with the Hexcore, and now wields all sorts of power at his fingertips. Plus, when he emerges from his magical cocoon, Viktor gives him a hooded cape to wear – a bit like the one the sorcerer had on.
He also has a staff, which he takes with him when he embarks on a new path in Arcane, becoming a healer in the Shimmer-affected undercity. Much like the mysterious sorcerer, Viktor is using his powers to help others.
And given the arcane’s ability to manipulate space and time, could it be that Viktor traveled back in time to save child Jayce and his mom?
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The theory has been put forward by a number of viewers, with one going into detail on why they think this could be the case. Taking to Reddit, they wrote, “The hooded figure who saved Jayce as a kid is not who we think.
“Theory: Kid Jayce was not saved by Ryze, but by time-traveling Viktor. Hear me out here, I promise it’ll make sense in a sec.”
Firstly, they shared a number of reasons the stranger might not be Ryze, including “he doesn’t have the scroll”; “Ryze would never give a stranger an artifact like a Hextech gem”; and “he is VERY SUSPICIOUSLY hooded”.
As for why it might be Viktor, they explained that he “very much supports researching dangerous artifacts for progress, unlike Ryze! He would want kid Jayce to discover Hextech.”
Although Viktor’s not a fan of the Hexcore due to the dangers it poses, now he’s become fused with the technology, its creation might be essential for his survival down the line.
There’s another piece of evidence, too: Jayce is with Ekko and Heimerdinger at the time of the discovery. Given League of Legends’ Ekko creates Z-Drive, a device that lets him rewind his own timeline, could this be the key to Viktor heading backwards?
“Ekko will develop the Z-drive in Season 2,” the Redditor added. “And would it be that much of a stretch to assume that Viktor either gets his hands on it, or builds his own version?”
Of course, this is all just speculation at this stage. But in the world of Arcane, nothing’s beyond the realms of possibility, with Season 2 only strengthening the idea.
Arcane Season 2 Part 1 is streaming on Netflix now, with Part 2 dropping on November 16. If you’ve seen it already or don’t mind spoilers, check out our breakdown of the ending. You can also read about the ‘Vander is Warwick’ theory and who “Baby Jinx” is.
