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| “ | You can’t escape the past. Right? Be a shame if I had to put them on again. Cast iron’s, well, it’s hard to clean. | „ |
| ~ -Vander to Marcus |
| “ | Take care of Powder. | „ |
| ~ Vander to Vi before his first death. |
| “ | Don't touch my daughter. | „ |
| ~ Warwick protecting Jinx from Rictus; the last words ever spoken by Vander |
Vander, later known as Warwick, is one of the two overarching protagonists (alongside Cecil B. Heimerdinger) of Riot Games/Netflix's 2021 animated series Arcane, which is set in the League of Legends universe.
He is a Zaunite barkeeper and former revolutionary, as well as the adoptive father of Vi and Powder/Jinx. He was a good-hearted man who was respected by everyone from the undercity, serving as the de-facto leader of the Lanes.
He was once close to Silco but the two of them became enemies after having a violent falling-out. He was captured by Silco and dragged and imprisoned in his hideout, while his adoptive children Vi, Mylo, Claggor, and Powder attempt to save him. During the rescue attempt, Powder sets off an explosion that kills most everyone in the building, including Vander. However, Vander is later resurrected as a werewolf named Warwick by the mad scientist Singed.
He was voiced by JB Blanc, who also voices Braum in League of Legends, Antiques Dealer in Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Orion in Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, and Jai in Bleach: Memories of Nobody.
Appearance[]
Vander was a large and muscular middle-aged man with grey eyes, dark hair, and a neatly trimmed greying beard. He was generally seen wearing blue trousers, leather boots, a brown leather jacket over a white undershirt, and a leather pauldron on his upper right arm to cover up the scar that he got from Silco when he was young.
When Vander used Shimmer as a last resort to save Vi, it dramatically increased his muscle mass, made him grow several feet in height, and made his veins purple and pop out all over his body.
Personality[]
Vander was a caring person who always willing to protect those that needed his help. He always cared for the Lanes and the people in them. He always acted in the interests of the Lanes and others instead of himself, and he always regretted betraying Silco. He also blamed himself for the death of Vi and Powder's parents, feeling a strong sense of responsibility as leader of the uprising, and he grew to detest war, seeing it as not worth the lives it cost. Still, Vander remained a fighter at heart and was willing to die for those he cared for, eventually dying to save Vi's life.
Background[]
Early life[]
Vander and Silco were like brothers in their youth, and the two of them once fought together in order to free Zaun from Piltover's repressive rule. However, due to unknown circumstances, Vander eventually betrayed Silco and attempted to drown him in Zaun's polluted rivers. During the fight, Silco managed to stab Vander with his own dagger and escape back into the underground, leaving a large scar on the latter's right arm.
Years later, he try to lead the Lanes against Piltover due to the horrible living conditions that the citizens of Zaun were forced to endure on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the rebellion ended in a failure and dozens of Zaunites were massacred by enforcers in the ensuing battle.
After he failed the uprising, Vander come across two girls who are sisters named Vi and Powder, who had been orphaned in the attack. Stunned by the fact that his actions had cost them the lives of their parents, Vander adopted the two girls as his own daughters and vowed to live a more peaceful life for the sake of his new family. At some point after this, he also adopted two orphaned boys as his own sons, Mylo and Claggor, and teach his four adoptive kids how to survive and stay out of trouble.
After the failed uprising, he latter took control of the Lanes of Zaun and became the head of a bar called the Last Drop, which became the main meeting ground of the undercity. He would also broker an uneasy agreement with the enforcers of Piltover, which brought relative peace to the Lanes.
Hex Gem Incident[]
After a heist in Piltover by Vi and his kids, the peace in the undercity was at risk. Due to the raided house belonging to Kiramman Clan, the Wardens were tasked to apprehended the perpetrators in question. Not wanting to betray his own kids, he refuses to indicate anyone. This decision would cause the increased Warden patrols that would anger the rest of the undercity. Vander tries to council his people to keep the peace between the undercities and Piltover but many ignore him. With another uprising seemingly underway, even his daughter Vi wants to defend their home. He teaches Vi that violence never the answer and that it is best to protect what you still have then risk losing everything. Vi takes this to heart and tries to surrender to the Wardens in order to prevent the uprising. Learning this plan, Vander swaps places with her and gives himself to the Wardens. However, before he could be dragged to prison, an older Silco and his shimmer-mutated henchmen ambush them, killing several wardens including Sheriff Grayson and Benzo. He was captured by Silco and was imprisoned in his hideout.
Death[]
Silco than tries to reason with Vander, sharing his vision for the nation of freeing the Zaun but he rejects the offer stating that he is not the same person anymore. Later on Vi, Mylo and Claggor arrive to save him but realizing it was a trap. Vi takes his old cast iron gauntlets to fight Silco's men, trying to give enough time for Mylo and Clangor to unshackle him and find a way out. The events of the fight would end with Powder accidentally destroying most of the hideout, killing Mylo and Claggor and injuring him in the process. He try to defend a surviving Vi, he takes his makeshift knuckles and starts fighting the surviving henchmen, however he is bested by them and stabbed in the gut by Silco, dropping down in a pile of vials of Shimmer. Injecting one, Vander is able to finally defeat the mutated henchmen, nearly close to defeating Silco as well, but decides to save Vi from the exploding wreckage instead. Injured from the explosions, he tells Vi to take care Powder before he passes out.
Legacy as Vander[]
Following the events of Silco's coup against him, he was presumed dead. However, even after his supposed death and Silco's takeover of the undercity and the lanes, he was well-respected by the people of Zaun and remembered in a positive light by many. A statue of him was also built in the Lanes, where Silco would later go to and confide in when Jayce offered him Zaun's independence in exchange for Jinx.
Becoming Warwick[]
Despite being presumed dead by everyone, Vander actually survived but was captured by Singed, who proceeded to use him as his test subject. By combining Vander's blood with wolf DNA and saturating his body with potent chemicals, Singed transformed him into Warwick, a feral, bloodthirsty creature with only faint remnants of his human consciousness buried deep within his animalistic instincts.
In Season 2, Act II, Singed is captured by Piltover Enforcers during a Jinx rally in Zaun. As he is arrested, he intentionally cuts his hand to create a trail of blood. This act triggers Warwick, who awakens from his chains and begins a relentless pursuit of Singed’s scent, leaving destruction in his wake. Warwick’s rampage leads him to Stillwater Prison, where he overwhelms Ambessa and her Noxian battalion before descending further into the prison. There, he confronts a squad of Enforcers preparing to face Jinx and Sevika. Warwick dispatches the Enforcers with ease, eventually clashing with Jinx. The battle allows Sevika and Isha to escape, but despite her agility and combat skills, Jinx is ultimately cornered by Warwick.
As Warwick prepares to kill Jinx, he catches sight of her grenade. The sight triggers a flood of memories, piercing through his primal instincts. In that moment, he recognizes Jinx as Powder, the young girl from his past, and his buried humanity begins to resurface, halting his assault.
Following his confrontation with Jinx, Warwick retreats to Zaun and hides in a remote mine shaft. However, his presence does not go unnoticed. Jinx, Vi, and Isha track him down, determined to help the man they once knew. While in the mine, Vi accidentally causes Isha’s nose to bleed, and the scent immediately draws Warwick out of hiding. Overwhelmed by his primal instincts, Warwick attempts to attack Isha but is intercepted by Vi, who steps in to protect her.
The encounter becomes increasingly chaotic as the sight of Jinx and the overpowering scent of blood blur the boundaries between Warwick’s human and beast selves. In the midst of the fight, Vi desperately calls out to him as "Vander," invoking a powerful memory of his past. The mention of his name and the image of Silco and Felicia—Vi and Jinx's mother—begin to crack through the beast's façade. Slowly, Vander's humanity resurfaces, overcoming Warwick’s feral nature. In a poignant moment, Vander fully emerges, embracing Vi and Jinx in a heartfelt reunion.
With Vander now in control, the girls take him to Viktor's settlement, hoping he can find a way to cure him. Despite his advanced Hextech abilities, Viktor quickly realizes that Singed’s experiments have buried Vander’s consciousness deep within Warwick’s mind, making the process far more complex than anticipated. Nevertheless, Viktor commits himself to the challenge, spending days working tirelessly to bring Vander fully to the surface. As a precaution, he requests that Warwick remain locked up at night to ensure the safety of others.
During this period, Singed visits Viktor, proposing to use Warwick as a catalyst to enhance Viktor’s own evolution, seeing Viktor as the embodiment of ultimate transformation. Viktor, unwilling to sacrifice Vander for his gain, firmly rejects the offer, prompting Singed to leave. Viktor’s efforts appear to yield progress when Vander instinctively protects Jinx from Rictus, angrily shouting at him to stay away from his daughter.
However, this victory is short-lived as chaos erupts when Jayce arrives and mortally wounds Viktor, causing the people in the settlement to collapse from a mysterious reaction. As the girls inspect the scene, Singed seizes the opportunity to inject Warwick with a volatile concoction. The serum forces Warwick into an even more violent, feral state, turning his blood into a lava-like fluid. Consumed by rage and stripped of all reason, Warwick eviscerates the incapacitated Rictus and turns his fury toward his daughters, Caitlyn, and Isha.
Before Warwick can strike, Ambessa and her soldiers launch an assault, escalating the conflict further. Warwick, now a monstrous force of nature, takes down several soldiers but suffers grave injuries in the process. In a desperate bid to protect everyone, Isha grabs Jinx’s pistol and overloads it with multiple Hextech Gems. Determined to protect her new family, Isha takes a shot at Warwick, creating a blast that engulfs the whole area.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Singed can be seen experimenting on a large bearded man with cybernetic claws, possibly Vander.
- J.B. Blanc also voiced Bane in Batman: Arkham Origins, where like Vander he similarly takes a mutagen that greatly boosts his strength, yet also deformed his body and reduced his intellect.
External Links[]
- Vander on the League of Legends Wiki
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