Arcane Season 2 might be over but questions remain that could have major implications for the future of the League of Legends cinematic universe, and that includes whether Heimerdinger actually died.
Although the second chapter of the Netflix animated series was also the last, the creators have made it clear Arcane is only the beginning of a multitude of titles based on the games.
What’s more, showrunner Christian Linke told Dexerto that there “are more stories coming out of Arcane,” with certain characters set to spill over into whichever League of Legends story is tackled next.
The leading theory is that Mel Medarda will return in a Noxus-themed show, but what about everyone’s fave champ Heimerdinger? He appeared to die in Arcane Season 2 Act 3, but this might not be the case.
Did Heimerdinger die?
Technically, Heimerdinger died in Arcane Season 3 Episode 7, ‘Pretend Like It’s the First Time’, by sacrificing himself to allow Ekko to travel back to his timeline. However, his death is open to interpretation, with many believing he’s still alive (more on this shortly).
The entire episode was one of Arcane’s best, showing what happened to Heim, Ekko, and Jayce after they got sucked into the anomaly.
While Jayce was sent to a desolate Piltover, demonstrating the consequences of Hextech technology, Heimerdinger and Ekko ended up in a world where Hextech had never been invented and utilized.
It was nothing short of paradise: Zaun is free and prosperous; Vander’s still alive; and Jinx remained Powder, giving her and Ekko the opportunity to explore their love for each other. Even though Ekko wants to stay there, he knows he needs to go back to save everyone.
So, he extracts Hextech remnants from Jayce’s apartment and enlists the help of Heim and Powder to recreate the anomaly. Initially, it looks like Heim is set to join him, but he realizes that an extra pair of hands is needed to complete the process.
In spite of protests from Ekko, Heim jumps out of the anomaly forcefield and gets to work pulling levers before connecting two wires together. It works, but it means Heimerdinger disappears in the process, indicating he’s dead.
He clearly made peace with his sacrifice, as evidenced by his final words to Ekko: “I must say that since I’ve met you, lad, I’ve truly lived.”
This is a reference to what Ekko told him when he first entered the Firelights hideout: “It’s not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live.”
Why Heimerdinger might still be alive
There are a number of details that could indicate Heim’s still alive and kicking: he’s a yordle, a type of creature that’s immortal in the League of Legends games; he could exist in a different realm; and we don’t actually see him die on screen.
In Arcane Season 1, Heimerdinger tries to warn Jayce not to pursue Hextech technology, and during their conversation, he reveals his age: 307 years old.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“All my life, I’ve pursued the mysteries of science, only to discover some are better left unsolved,” he says. “This, I’m afraid, is one of them.”
While mortals in the physical realm have the same lifespan as regular humans, in League of Legends, yordles are a race of spirits who don’t age and never die naturally. That being said, they can be killed.
But there’s another reason Heim might not have died in Arcane Season 2: with the introduction of the multiverse, it may be that he’s alive but in a different realm.
According to the games, if yordles are “killed,” they reappear at their home, a mystical spiritual realm known as Bandle City. Since we don’t see his death on screen, there’s all the chance Heimerdinger is living it up with his yordle pals right now.
But, again, this is open to interpretation. As we know, Arcane has shifted LoL lore for a number of champions, meaning we can’t know for certain if this is what happened to Heim.
Still, many LoL fans are reassuring the viewers who don’t play the games and have been left devastated by Heim’s departure, with one writing on Reddit, “Yordles don’t die, they go back to Bandle City.”
“If they stay true to the lore, Heimerdinger didn’t die, Yordles ‘respawn’ in Bandle City. They are essentially immortal,” said another on X/Twitter.
Heimerdinger could return in new League of Legends TV show
Due to his potential immortality, there’s all the chance he could appear in the next League of Legends series, especially since he’s the Arcane co-creator’s favorite character to play.
“For the last few years for me it’s been Heimerdinger,” Christian Linke told Dexerto. “It just feels so good to kill people when you play Heimerdinger because you’re this little, hairy gerbil.”
Arcane co-creator Alex Yee joked, “He’s (Linke) a horrible person when he plays Heimerdinger. He just sits in the bush waiting for someone to walk up and just throws a grenade, and they’re dead and there’s nothing they can do.”
Joking aside, Linke revealed in a separate interview with Necrit that it might not be the end of Heim on the small screen. “I’m not done with Heimerdinger,” he said.
In other words, watch this space. We’ll be sure to keep this post updated as and when new details about the next LoL TV show arrive.
Until then, read about why there’ll never be an Arcane Season 3. You can also check out other great animated shows to watch, and our ranking of the most powerful Arcane characters.