#viktor walks into a room with ekko and jinx's tire fire of a relationship

[mollysunder]

Jinx, Viktor, and Ekko: Zaun's Messiest Trio

I really can't wait for season 2 of Arcane, mostly to finally see Jinx, Ekko, and Viktor interact. All three have this dynamic where every person has a reason to be suspicious of the other, but each would absolutely benefit if they managed to work together.

Despite the fact that Viktor hasn't met either Jinx or Ekko, all three still manage to (or at least will) know something about the other characters, which colors the bias of the others when they meet next season. I decided to list out a few of the ongoing threads on what has happened and what could happen between Ekko, Jinx, and Viktor based on that.

Ekko and Jinx:

Ekko doesn't know that Jinx stole back the hexgem during their fight.

Will Ekko feel partially responsible for the coming war between Zaun and Piltover because he let his past with Jinx stop him from killing her on the bridge?

Ekko doesn't know Jinx set him and the Firelights up to take the fall for the hexgem heist and the explosion on the bridge. Has this happened under Jinx's direction before?

Jinx may or may not have more firelight bombs stationed near his base

When it's revealed that Jinx robbed Jayce's apartment with Ekko's help in the 1st act, will that only further tie Jinx's past crimes to the Firelights by Piltover's establishment?

There's a theory that Ekko saved himself and Jinx by knocking away her grenade. Would Jinx know that if it were true?

Does Jinx know that Ekko has a giant mural that includes a younger version of herself?

How many times did Ekko try to reach out to Jinx? What was the final straw?

How many Firelights has Jinx personally killed? How many were on the wall?

Is "Boy Savior" a nickname Jinx sarcastically came up with, or is it something from before Silco's coup?

How does Ekko feel about the fact Scar is the Firelight that tries to take a killing shot of Jinx the most often?

Jinx and Viktor:

Jinx fired a rocket in Viktor's direction during the finale, potentially putting him in a position where his work with the hexcore is exposed.

Will Viktor resent Jinx for the actions she's committed and the lives she's cost since she sparked the war?

Jinx is technically the reason Viktor and Jayce were able to partner with each other in the first place

Viktor likely learned from Jayce and from attending the last council meeting that Jinx was responsible for the attacks since her capture was a part of the negotiation terms. He may have also learned that Vi was the one to inform the council.

Will Viktor be the one to tell Jinx it was Vi who gave her name to the Council?

Both unknowingly share Singed as an advisory source. Viktor goes to Singed for help with the Hexcore, and Jinx wanted to send the hexgem to Singed when she was having trouble unlocking hextech.

Singed is the source of both characters' transmutations through Shimmer.

Viktor knows how to defuse Jinx's bombs. Can he do it again?

If Viktor knew he could get Shimmer from Singed, the source of it, then how much does Viktor know about the Shimmer trade in Zaun? Does Viktor know about its other key actors like Jinx and Silco?

Jinx understands that hextech really just connects humans to the "realm of heebie jeebies" , like she grasps the danger. Does Viktor understand that, or was he too desperate to care?

Since Viktor spent a part of his youth assisting Singed and saw Singed's Shimmer transfusion surgery of Rio. Does that mean when Jinx and Viktor meet, he'll understand exactly what Singed did to Jinx that saved her life because Singed did the same to Rio?

Viktor and Ekko:

Ekko most likely only knows about Viktor through Heimerdinger, which will color expectations of Viktor's motivations

Ekko doesn't know that Viktor gave Singed (Silco's ally) access to hextech related blueprints.

Will Viktor learn that Ekko is also partially responsible for his and Jayce's meeting? If Ekko hadn't cased Jayce's apartment, Jinx and family wouldn't have blown up the building, which is how Viktor learns about Jayce's research.

Viktor might know that Jinx is responsible for the hexgem heist and the lives it cost, but the only physical evidence he saw was a grenade covered in Firelight symbols. Viktor might first assume that Jinx is associated with the Firelights.

Will Heimerdinger reveal to Ekko some new terrible details of Singed's history and fall from grace as it becomes apparent that Singed and Viktor are working together, further biasing Ekko against Viktor?

There's a theory that Sky is related to the Firelight with the bird mask. If the theory's true, then when it gets out that Viktor accidentally killed Sky, he's immediately alienated himself from Ekko's faction. If the theory's wrong, he'd still be an irresponsible man who got a fellow Zaunite killed in the eyes of many.

How would Ekko feel learning that Viktor was asked to represent Zaun in the peace deal despite the fact Viktor hasn't lived in Zaun for years and he's affiliated with Silco's associate Singed?

This is what I could think of on the fly, there's definitely more I'd add later. I just really hope we get more into these different Zaunite perspectives. I always felt like Arcane and League in general are too interested in pairing stories for Zaunites with a Piltovan foil, especially in a way that focuses on "reconciling" class issues. I want to see Zaunites that lived under the same conditions and reacted differently because of very minute differences in resources and chance in opportunity that became foundational in forming their perspective actually interact. Let them be strong together or tear each other apart!

The former plz tho!

Or just let them talk to each other! You know Ekko never actually spoke a word to Jinx in the first season?!?!? Not when they were kids, not in the timeskip.

Update: Turns out Ekko was created to have Viktor as one of his primary enemies. It seems pretty one-sided on Ekko's part, but we'll see.