Ngl the more I learn about Stanwick's role in Viktor's old (pre-rework) LoL lore the more I feel like there could have been a way to incorporate that version of him into Arcane's story somehow besides just a statue cameo and the rewrite that he was one of the founders along with being an eccentric but decent/good person (he... Really wasn't originally as he stole credit for Viktor's work on Blitzcrank which contributed to him and Jayce's falling out when the latter refused to stand by or even help him on that matter).
Idk I just think it would have been interesting and possibly not super hard to do so along with adding possible nuances to Viktor's character and maybe even re--
...Wait.
...WAIT A MINUTE THEY COULD HAVE EASILY DONE THAT SORT OF SCENARIO WHAT?! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING!
throwing this out there. i remember thinking once why wasnt the response to the diving suit thing to just let robots do it if it's so dangerous for humans? viktor made blitzcrank, he can make diving bots, right?
then i remembered stanwick pididly. and. would viktor have even had license to make bots after that? or at least ones similar to blitz, if stanwick stole the credit and presumably held the patent?
The main timeline Jinx is the one that follows the path of Singed, while the AU Powder is the one that follows the path of Arcane's Stanwick Pididly. I will elaborate later.
Okay so can anyone tell me what Viktor's status is in League lore?
because I feel like there's a lot of dangling loose threads involving Viktor in his lore. like, Blizcranks biography for example, leaves Viktor in the unresolved situation of seemingly being in debt to the chem baron who had their factory demolished by Blitzcrank.
(the factory produced toxic waste, which Blitzcrank was instructed by Viktor to get rid of, Blitz just got rid of the source of the problem)
u know what, lemme just copy paste the dang story bit explaining it
"Dispatched by Viktor to clear a neighborhood of toxic chemicals, Blitzcrank traced the caustic runoff to its source. Reasoning that the most efficient means to prevent further pollution was to eliminate the source of said pollution, Blitzcrank proceeded to destroy the factory, their lightning-wreathed fists not stopping until it was reduced to a mound of rubble and twisted iron.
Enraged, the chem-baron who owned the ruined factory descended upon Viktor, demanding that he destroy the golem or pay a steeper price in blood. Viktor was devastated, having come to view Blitzcrank as a living being rather than simply a tool to do his bidding. He concocted a scheme to smuggle his creation to safety, ready to accept the dangers and consequences of doing so—but as he returned to his laboratory to set his plan in motion, he discovered that Blitzcrank was already gone."
two main questions pop up more so than the numerous others I have in mind when reading this, the first one is:
Why did Blitzcrank leave without telling Viktor?
the second one is:
What happened to Viktor after Blitzcrank left?
the rest of the Blitzcranks biography makes a vague attempt at answering my first question by stating the following:
"Blitzcrank’s evolution beyond the constraints of their original programming had yet to cease. Having grown into full self-sufficiency, they resolved to take up their mission independent from their creator. Rumors abound that the golem has even begun to upgrade their own form as they labor tirelessly to assist and protect Zaunites without pausing for instruction."
So either A: Blitzcrank was completely oblivious to the fact that what he did ended up having consequences for him and his creator and just decided to head out now that he was fully sentient.
or B: after Blitzcrank realized that either his creator or himself would suffer lethal consequences Blitzcrank got scared and ran away.
or C: Blitcrank perhaps in some misguided effort towards helping his creator, decided to take the choice out of his hands by running away.
From what I've seen and read about Blitzcrank, I can with some certainty say that the bots got a big heart. And while he may be naïve I think it's unlikely he would ever just up and run away completely unprompted.
Images from: You Really Got Me | Cinematic Trailer - League of Legends: Wild Rift
He seems lonely, so I don't think it's because he prefers solitude.
Which makes me think that maybe Blitzcrank figured out Viktor's plan or maybe Viktor just explained it.
I can only guess as to what prompted him to run away but
regardless of the reasoning behind Blitzcranks disappearance,
we're left with the consequences of it, or rather Viktor is.
so what happens after Blitzcrank disappears?
Does the chem baron make Viktor pay a steep price in blood like he said he would?
or does said "steep price in blood" actually involve putting Viktor to work so he can pay of the debt?
if so, where would he be put to work?
And then it hit me, what if particular loose thread is actually tied to another seemingly loose thread that's been bothering the hell outta me?
Okay so, in case you don't know this, League lore and most of (if not all) of their old champions biography and short story, have gone through a lot of retcons and rewrites to fit the overall lore of the world.
But you can still see traces, hints and references of the old lore in the new lore, the frame may change but the painting stays the same, essentially. (idk if that's a saying but it feels fitting)
Anyway, to tie one loose thread to another loose thread I need to ask another question.
How did Urgot get his augmentations if not from Stanwick Pididly?
i'm sure you can see where i'm going with this but I really wanna write this out, so indulge me for a bit.
In Urgot's old lore it was Viktor's old professor Stanwick Pididly who created Urgot's Augmentations. But in Urgot's new lore Stanwick is not even mentioned, nor is the method as to how Urgot went about implementing his Augmentations, or rather who helped him do it. Because while he may talk sophisticated and be the former Executioner of Noxus, likely with the same education of a noble.
He has no history of having skill in matters of surgery or engineering.
and I doubt he had the means to learn those things while trapped in a mine. So,
Who helped Urgot with his augmentations?
Why does he have so many followers that have augmentations?
Why does Ekko hate Viktor so much?
How did the chem baron make Viktor repay his debt?
My theory is that the chem baron had Viktor repay his debt in the same prison mine that Urgot was in called "The Dredge". he was likely put to work by making and repairing mining equipment. and eventually somehow Viktor ended up helping Urgot by creating & implementing his and the other prisoners with Augmentations. heck they might've even gotten along due to their mutual distaste for chem barons.
But here's the thing, Viktor and Urgot's ideologies are so stark in contrast with each other that one might say one of them was created, or perhaps merely strengthened into an extreme, as a direct response with being exposed the others extreme ideology.
What I'm trying to say is that, after Urgot kills the chem baron and overthrows the prison, essentially using it as a fort to force feed all the prisoners into listening to his extreme misinterpretation of what anarchy is, and with what he does to those prisoners who refuse to listen. Viktor with his frustrations towards illogical behavior, is likely one of the unfortunate few who choose to oppose Urgot.
and Urgot has this lovely little voice line that perfectly describes how well he usually responds to disobedience.
"Controlling them will be simple... with my hand around their throats."
on the other hand Viktor literally has nothing to lose at that point. so death wouldn't be good enough of a threat. so perhaps Urgot just started out by feeding into Viktors dislike of Piltover and the chem barons, to get him to believe that he was helping a just cause while keeping him isolated from the reality of the situation. Urgot has been written as a manipulator before and Viktor has mentioned his distaste of emotional manipulations in his own short story so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think Urgot could do that.
their connection could also explain why Urgot holds such hatred for Piltover if Viktor ever deemed to share the details of his own frustrations with the City that exiled him and stole his work.
Either way it could also nicely tie up another loose thread involving Ekko's hate filled interactions involving Viktor.
But that's fuel for another theory crafting day, if you managed to make it this far I thank you for reading through this and by god I hope someone, be it Riot or a fic writer, picks this up and runs with it cuz I'd read the hell out of that chapter of Viktor's life.
now i'mma go pass out on my bed, peace.
I think Stanwick Pididly is going to be an important character next season. At least his legacy.
Episode 4 starts with Heimerdinger praising his memory, while also acknowledging his numerous failures as an inventor.
In the LoL lore, Stanwick Pididly stole Viktor's credit for the creation of Blitzcrank, but I think in Arcane Viktor is going to find his old failed projects and make them work instead. That could include Blitzcrank… but also Orianna!
Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Singed had been involved in Stanwick's demise.
I actually have a wild theory (that I posted about…gosh it must be a couple of years ago now) that the Stanwick Pididly scene (which is a pretty weird scene, honestly) is foreshadowing Jinx ending up “accidentally on purpose” becoming a hero of Piltover.
Basically, my reasoning is that that scene where Heimderdinger talks about Pididly and how important he ended up being for the city’s progress despite seemingly being a failure at the beginning of ep 4 occurs in the show immediately after Powder’s monkey bomb disaster and the ensuing fallout from it at the end of ep. 3. Which seems like interestingly deliberate placement to me. Also Heimerdinger specifically says that everything Pididly built either “exploded, melted, or toppled over” ….which….who does that sound like?
But yeah I could absolutely see it being something related to Viktor too, especially because of that lore connection.
