Netflix has released one final trailer ahead of Arcane season 2’s final three chaptersThe 45-second teaser was revealed at the end of Arcane Afterglow‘s second episodesThe footage suggests there’ll be plenty of surprises in store before the hit series ends
Full spoilers follow for Arcane season 2.
Arcane season 2‘s final three episodes are just days away from airing on Netflix. And, while my excitement levels are already at fever pitch for season 2’s concluding act, the arrival of a new teaser is making me wish it was November 23 so I watch them over and again.
Released at the end of episode 2 of Afterglow, aka Arcane‘s official after show, the 45-second long trailer is packed with melodrama, tons of action, and the potential return of two popular characters who died in Arcane season 2 act 2. Before I expand further on these teases, though, stop what you’re doing and watch the act 3 sneak peek in the video below (skip to the 10:27 mark for the footage).
As you’ll have seen, there’s a lot shown off in the teaser. For starters, a voice over – I’m assuming it’s Jayce who’s speaking – says “a storm is coming… the likes of which Piltover has never faced”. If that wasn’t unsettling enough, Jayce’s voiceover is accompanied by shots of Ambessa leading her Noxian troops into battle. Oh, and some of them have been supercharged by shimmer, the addictive substance created by Singed that grants superhuman abilities to anyone who consumes it. Piltover’s enforcers are no match for Noxus’ extremely well-drilled foot soldiers, let alone ones whose physical capabilities are augmented by shimmer.
That’s only the beginning of the problems that the likes of Vi and Caitlyn will have to face. The next clip shows the pair in Piltover’s underground council chamber – the same one we saw in Arcane season 2 act 1‘s first episode – alongside two other familiar faces. The first of those is Mel, who escaped the Black Rose’s clutches in episode 5 and has somehow found her way back to the so-called City of Progress.
Even more surprisingly, Jayce is the other individual who’s drawing up a plan of action alongside the trio. You don’t need me to remind you that he was responsible for killing his former scientific partner and best friend Viktor (more on him in a moment) in episode 6 – one event of many that seemed to be sending Jayce down a very dark path in season 2. Viktor’s demise set off a cataclysmic chain of events in act 2’s final chapter, so I’m intrigued to see why Jayce has not only been welcomed back into the fold, but also seems to have been cured of the magic-based “sophisticated conjuration” ailment that he’s afflicted by.
You’ve got a lot of apologizing to do before I forgive you, Jayce! (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)
As for Viktor, Caitlyn asks Jayce if Viktor is “at the center of all this”, which leads into an ominous, quick-cut montage of Singed appearing to bring two fan-favorite characters back from the dead. Indeed, the teaser’s next shots suggest Singed will combine Viktor’s Hextech-powered body with Warwick’s shimmer-infused corpse to create a truly terrifying foe who may prove to be unstoppable.
Remember: during their tense chat in episode 6, Singed told Viktor that, by combining Warwick’s regenerative blood, aka Apex Shimmer, with Viktor’s Hextech-augmented body, Singed could stabilize Viktor and give him infinite powers, which would be known as Apex Hextech. Until his death, Viktor’s powers were believed to be limited, but he refused to sacrifice Vander/Warwick’s humanity to improve himself. It seems, then, that Singed will get his wish, with Arcane‘s love-to-hate alchemist fusing them together to create what he regards as the ultimate life form.
The sacrifices we make for progress.#Arcane Act II streaming now on @netflix. pic.twitter.com/18BfiKv45dNovember 19, 2024
It seems to work, too, based on one of Viktor’s deceased disciples being resurrected moments later in the teaser. Reading between the lines (or, rather, quick cuts between the trailer’s clips), I believe Singed will transfuse Vander/Warwick’s blood into Viktor, which will transform Viktor into the cybernetically augmented individual that League of Legends (LoL) players will instantly recognize from Riot’s hugely popular videogame franchise. That may be the reason why there’s a shimmer-colored pod – one hooked up with pipes – sitting behind Singed and Ambessa. This is the manufactured cocoon that they’ve placed Viktor in to undergo his transformation.
As we see towards the end of the teaser, though, it appears Viktor’s consciousness might try and fight back – the brief flash of him being attached to a tube-like mainframe suggesting he could foil Singed and Ambessa’s plan from the inside. Whatever happens, it seems Viktor’s story is one of many aspects of LoL lore that’s being rewritten by Arcane.
If episode 6 left us all shell-shocked, imagine what episode 9 will do to us… (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)
All of this comes before we’re given a glimpse of Jinx, too. No doubt succumbing to her inner demons following Isha’s death in episode 6, we only catch a couple of flashes of Vi’s younger sister – Jinx’s reflection seen in some shattered glass and then standing in a building as she watches it burn around her.
It’s nailed on, though, that she’ll be convinced to join the fight against Ambessa and Singed. Indeed, we hear Vi telling her “if you come, use all of that explosive potential for good, maybe we could rewrite your story” towards the end of the teaser. There’s also a shot mere seconds before that line is uttered, too, which shows a blue and pink-colored airship, one likely flown by Jinx, in the sky above Ambessa before the latter shouts “fire!”. There’s another very brief shot of Jinx’s sky-faring vehicle using its five-cannon gun to bombard Ambessa’s troops right before the trailer ends, too. Expect Jinx to come to Piltover’s aid and help change the tide of the conflict, then.
There’s more interesting footage within the teaser, including an Ambessa-Caitlyn showdown and Vi chastizing Caitlyn for joining forces with Ambessa earlier in the season. This is only the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come in one of the best Netflix shows‘ final episodic trio, whose total runtime will clock in around the two-hour mark. Indeed, we need to know where Ekko and Heimerdinger are, if the Black Rose is the hit show’s main villain after all, and if ‘CaitVi’ will get their happy ending after finally kissing in season 2 episode 3. Suffice it to say: bittersweet as they’ll be will be, I can’t wait to see how Arcane‘s second and final season wraps up the series’ overarching story. Don’t mess it up, everyone!
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