Who is Vander in Arcane?

With League of Legends’ new Netflix animation Arcane launching, fans new and old of LoL fell in love with Vander, the paternal figure to Violet (Vi) and Powder (Jinx). First seen rescuing the pair at the beginning of the first episode, Vander’s muscular dad-bod and bearded face has become an instant fan favorite.

But just who is Vander? And what links does he have to the existing League of Legends Lore?

Watch out! Spoilers for Arcane ahead!

As mentioned, Vander is first introduced to us as the rescuer and adopted father-figure to Powder and Violet. Vander is their primary guardian and both Powder and Violet are keen to do him proud.

Vander is a prominent and popular figure in the undercity. He is the owner of The Last Drop pub, a meeting place for an undercity group referred to as The Lanes.

Beyond being a pub owner, Vander is clearly a man of influence and in episode 1 we learn of his pact with Grayson, a prominent figure in the Enforcers, the civil force charged with maintaining order in Piltover. Their agreement is that Vander will be left in peace so long as he keeps the undercity under control.

Vander has a criminal past, and Violet mentions his history of thievery.

The biggest plot thread relating to Vander, is that he has a deep history with Silco, the primary Villain of Arcane so far. The pair call each other brothers, but it’s uncertain whether that’s a familial bond or one earned from growing up in the undercity together.

Vander also seems to be the reason Vi first takes up boxing and punching as her fighting style. His own fighting style uses powered fists, and punches. Violet emulates her father figure when on a mission to save him.

Overall, Vander’s role as a protector in Arcane, a parental figure to Violet and Powder, and a community leader has made many people a fan.

Even Bigger Spoilers Ahead!

Read More about Arcane Characters:

While Vander initially appears as a creation purely for the Arcane show, the closing scenes of the third episode, The Base Violence Necessary for Change, suggests that Vander’s true identity and fate might be far darker. After fighting Deckard and being stabbed by Silco in the closing of the episode, Vander falls into a pile of purple chemicals. The same chemicals Silco and his assistant used on street thug Deckard to increase his strength.

Seemingly on death’s door and with purple chemicals flowing through his blood, Vander defeats Deckard. However, he also begins to take on a suspiciously familiar outline. In the episode’s final scenes, Vander’s purple-hazed silhouette and oversized torso make him look suspiciously like none-other-than Dr. Mundo.

But yet another theory suggests that Vander may instead be Warwick. Much of Warwick’s lore lines up with Vander’s character.

A key piece of lore says: “Warwick struggled to recall a single memory from his past… All he could see was blood. But then he heard a little girl screaming. Screaming something he couldn’t understand. It sounded like a name.” This could point to Vander being the bestial Warwick, with that piece of law sounding suspiciously like the ending of episode three.

However, these are just theories so far. No confirmation has been made as of yet. And at the end of Arcane episode three, Vander seems dead and lifeless. And definitely not ready to become another familiar champion.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest coverage on Netflix's Arcane and League of Legends news.