By Sagar V. Mankar 
Riot Games recently dropped an intense 44-second teaser trailer for the highly anticipated second season of Arcane, the animated League of Legends series.
Despite its brevity, the cryptic sneak peek is generating hype and reigniting a popular fan theory.
Singed Hints at Twisted Experiments
The trailer focuses on the villainous chemist Singed, also known as “the Doctor.”
He administers a blood transfusion while checking a pocket watch before the camera tilts up to reveal a monstrous creature looming overhead.
Singed’s appearance connects to the theory that Vander, a beloved character who died in Season 1, will return as the mutated beast Warwick.
In League of Legends lore, Warwick was transformed into a monster through agonizing experiments – potentially conducted by Singed.
Fans Draw Warwick Parallels
Vander is a reimagined character for the Netflix Series itself.
It’s not originally taken from the League of Legends storyline.
But, since Arcane’s debut, viewers have drawn parallels between Vander’s story and Warwick’s origins.
The glimpse of shady experiments and creatures in Singed’s lab seems to validate suspicions that Warwick will emerge in Season 2.
The prospect of seeing Vander horrifically transformed into a barely recognizable beast will create high stakes for his adopted daughters Vi and Jinx.
Fans are eager to see how their relationships evolve if a confrontation comes to pass.
Arcane Reworks League Lore
Importantly, Arcane initially existed in its own continuity separate from the League of Legends game storyline.
But In October, Riot Games has since declared all content will follow one canonical timeline.
This means they all will be part of the same Runeterra universe.
That means Arcane’s reimagined characters like Vander are now official parts of League lore.
Riot will smooth out inconsistencies between titles over time.
This consolidation allows Riot more creative freedom to reinvent existing League champions and storylines for Arcane.
Warwick’s origins are prime material to explore from a new perspective.
Building Hype for Season 2
Though brief, the trailer successfully got fans speculating and reignited enthusiasm for Arcane’s return.
Upcoming marketing will likely provide more clues directly tying Vander to Warwick.
Riot is cleverly leveraging Arcane’s expanded lore freedom to craft new spins on famous League characters.
The dark, grimy atmosphere of Singed’s lab provides the perfect stage for presenting a fan favorite like Warwick in a bold new light.
November 2024 can’t come soon enough for Arcane devotees dying to see Vi and Jinx continue their stories.
Where Season 1 focuses on family, Season 2 is primed to explore the sisters’ dynamic when faced with a transformed father figure turned foe.