Upon first viewing of the hit Netflix show ‘Arcane,’ it’s easy to see why it has become so popular. Based off the videogame ‘League of Legends,’ the show takes pre-existing characters and delves into their backstories. But ‘Arcane’ isn’t a simple cash grab video-game-based show; it is a well thought-out, thematic story with vibrant characters, animation, and music. One of the most interesting aspects of ‘Arcane’ are the character relationships and how they parallel each other and draw from prevalent tropes in media to create something new.

Among the many relationships featured in show, sibling relationships are the most prevalent and tie into the theme of the destruction of familial bonds. Two parallel relationships are front and center, that of Vi/Powder and Vander/Silco. These parallels are especially clear in Act I.

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Image via Netflix

Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Vander (JB Blanc) are both tough brawlers in terms of fighting style, but they also follow similar life paths. Vander is able to give Vi the advice to think about peace before rushing into fights because he’s been there before, and he knows how destructive that can be. Similarly, Powder (Ella Purnell) and Silco (Jason Spisak) have both been betrayed and abandoned by their siblings and struggle between caring and destructive versions of themselves. Both relationships are pre-established by the beginning of the series, with Vander/Silco representing the past and Vi/Powder representing the present; Vander and Silco have already had their falling out, and Vi and Powder are in the middle of one.

One other sibling relationship represents the future. Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) and Viktor (Harry Lloyd) are a stand-out case of the broken sibling relationship theme that weaves throughout ‘Arcane.’ By the start of the story, they haven’t met, but when they do, it isn’t on the best of terms. Jayce has just been robbed, and when the Enforcers arrive, they find all his research involving the arcane – and zero permits. Viktor arrives as a representative of the council to confiscate his work and ensure his arrest. This opposition, however, doesn’t last long. When Jayce pleads his case before the council and says that he’s researching magic in order to help improve the lives of the people, he doesn’t convince the council, but he does inadvertently convince Viktor.

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via Netflix

When he loses his patron and his reputation and plans his own death, Jayce is interrupted nonchalantly by Viktor, who is sympathetic to what he’s going through: as a person with a disability from the Undercity, Viktor started his life in Piltover without anything to his name and had to believe in himself to order to rise to the position of assistant to the dean of the academy. Not only does he know what Jayce is feeling, but he is also willing to believe in him and his research. From this moment, Jayce and Viktor become close, and their combined efforts to crack the puzzle of the arcane cement their connection, making them science partners. During the time skip, Jayce and Viktor have grown even closer, to the point where Jayce describes him to Mel (Toks Olagundoye) as a brother. This sentiment, while sweet, hints at the potential breaking of their relationship, following the pattern of the previous two sibling storylines.

Another clue as to Jayce and Viktor’s potential falling out is clearly seen in the tropes that Arcane chooses to use. The science brothers represent two different kinds of scientist tropes in media. Jayce, described after the time skip as “the golden boy” is the face of Hextech and as such garners all the praise and accolades for every discovery and new invention. Jayce has already been described as a little bit egotistical (according to Viktor, he signed every page of his research notes), so it isn’t that far of a stretch to believe that all the praise would go to his head. He gradually moves away from science and inventing to pursue a career in politics, leaving behind the research he had been so passionate about just a few years ago.

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The imagery in ‘Arcane’ supports this. When Jayce is about to go onstage to make the Progress Day speech alone, he drinks from a mug with his face on it and sets it down; from the view, the mug seems to completely cover Viktor, who is standing by backstage. Jayce gets the spotlight, while Viktor is left in the shadows.

Being stuck in the shadow of his partner is a sad fate for someone as ambitious as Viktor. In his own words, it isn’t his life’s dream to become an assistant; he reaches for much more in life. When Viktor is first introduced, he completely waves away ideas of safety in favor of charging ahead toward progress. He has seen how people live in the Undercity and he wants to help fix the disparity by using Hextech to improve the lives of the people who need it most. However, the way he’s introduced places a lot of suspicion on him.

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via Netflix

Viktor checks all the boxes for a hidden villain: in his first scene he opposes Jayce, who has been established as a protagonist; Viktor approaches Jayce at his lowest moment, an occurrence that could possibly point to manipulation, a theory that’s strengthened by how quickly Jayce trusts him; Viktor lives precariously with a disregard for the rules and safety; and his thin, haggard appearance stands in contrast to Jayce. In Act I, Viktor is never outright antagonistic, but there are a few clues that point to potential villainy.

However, ‘Arcane’ twists these tropes to execute a surprising and heartwarmingly different story than expected. Jayce’s dive into politics is done from a place of genuine concern for the safety of the people, and while he learns the language of political corruption quickly, it leaves a bad taste in his mouth and places crushing pressure on him as a new member of the council. Jayce’s good intentions, paired with his slight egoism, make him a self-contradicting and interesting character. And despite basking in the spotlight given to him by the success of Hextech, he does invite Viktor on stage with him to share the glory, but Viktor doesn’t want the spotlight, only the results.

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Viktor may be the most surprising subversion of the mad scientist/supervillain trope. Especially in superhero media, the moment a scientist starts experimenting on himself is the moment he loses all semblance of agency and becomes just a Bad Guy and punching bag for the hero. Any human motivations that may have been set up at the start of their character arc is thrown out the window to make room for the “mad” portion of mad scientist. But Viktor doesn’t experiment on himself right away. Instead of a disgraced or pressured scientist proving his naysayers wrong in the face of losing face or funding like most self-experimental scientists, Viktor has understandable reasons.

He has just been diagnosed with a fatal disease and doesn’t have much time left to make his mark on the world, as he’s so desperately wanted to do (his flashback scene is a perfect metaphor for the feeling of being left behind by even his own inventions). After his hospitalization, he experiments on plants only to hit a dead end. Only when strengthened by an Undercity drug can the subject be strong enough to survive the transmutation. For this reason, Viktor is forced to try it on himself if he wants even a chance to save his own life. And he has nobody to discuss this process with, as Heimerdinger (Dennis Collins Johnson) demanded the experiment be shut down for safety reasons and Jayce has been busy fighting against Undercity terrorists, prompting a hurtful argument between the two of them.

Viktor’s reasoning and experiences make him a very human character. His body’s weakness, as well as his history as an Undercity dweller, has always held him back, so when he finds a way to give himself a chance to continue living and helping people, he literally runs with it.

It’s important to note that the downfall of Viktor’s experiments come not from a loss of self or sanity from the change, but from a pre-existing character flaw: his disinterest in safety. His experiments end up killing his assistant, not because of an accident or routine occurrence gone wrong, but because of his own negligence. But instead of doubling down or shifting blame like the stereotype often does, Viktor takes full blame and responsibility. Sky’s (Kimberly Brooks) death destroys him, the guilt nearly driving him to suicide until Jayce steps in to save him, a parallel to Jayce's suicide attempt years ago. Both realize that they lost sight of the true passion they used to have for helping others and improving lives. Viktor says it best in the season finale: “In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.”

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While Jayce shatters the trope of egotistical inventor, Viktor avoids the pitfalls of the self-experimental mad scientist trope. And together, their brotherly relationship falters but doesn’t break (at least, not yet). While Jayce prioritizes the safety of Piltover and turns to vigilante means to stop Silco, a child’s death by his hands snaps him back to the realization of what war with the Undercity would look like. No one would win. At the same time, Viktor decides that saving his own life in the name of his future contributions as a scientist isn’t worth the price of other people’s lives. Their rift, opened by differing viewpoints and values, becomes somewhat healed by the end of the season without too much damaging conflict. Jayce and Viktor remain as brothers, breaking the pattern set up by Vander/Silco and Vi/Powder.

Not only do Jayce and Viktor subvert stereotypes prevalent outside of ‘Arcane,’ they also break the pattern of familial bonds snapping that the show itself has set up. As a result, Jayce and Viktor are a subversive duo that continue to intrigue.