The Netflix series Arcane brought in a new audience for League of Legends; one interested in the massive lore of the franchise and invested in the characters they followed throughout the first season of the critically acclaimed animated show.
Many of the show’s primary characters are also some of the game’s iconic champions, including Jinx, Vi, Jayce, Caitlyn, Ekko, and Heimerdinger. The show also stars Viktor, but it’s a Viktor that hasn’t undergone all the augmentation the in-game version fields.
Then there’s Vander, a leader in the Zaun community and a beloved character that appears during the first act of Arcane. But can you take to the Rift as Vander in League?
Is Vander a playable champion in League?
There’s no champion in the massive League roster that goes by the name Vander, but that’s not to say the character for sure isn’t in the game. Many fans of the show have speculated that Vander is actually the pre-transformed version of lycan Warwick, a monster who haunts the streets of Zaun.
There’s numerous connections between Arcane‘s Vander and the game’s Warwick that fans have noticed, and while hasn’t confirmed anything yet, the connections are certainly of interest.
In Arcane, the main antagonist Silco refers to Vander as “The Hound of the Underground” and a “lapdog.” Warwick’s theme music also appears during certain scenes with Vander in the first act. There are a few more connections that spoil some of the events of Arcane season one, so here’s your warning.
Arcane season one spoilers below:
At the end of the first act, Vander voluntarily ingests a substance called Shimmer to save Vi. The Shimmer alters his physique to appear more like Warwick’s, and his voice and growl becomes eerily similar as well. Towards the end of the show, Jinx sees a vision of Vander with a wolf-like shadow outlining him.
In League, Warwick also says the voice line “Who taught you how to punch?” to Vi, and in the show Vander teaches Vi how to fight. His in-game taunt towards Vi is “Zaun needed you,” implying the two have a shared history. Warwick also says “You were there” to Jinx.
Does this mean Vander is Warwick? Maybe, so don’t be surprised if he gets a Vander skin in the future, or if Warwick makes an appearance in season two of Arcane.
