Netflix’s Arcane is just the first installment of a larger cinematic universe for Riot Games, but the League of Legends prequel didn’t end in a way that left many fans excited for the future. The series premiered to major acclaim in 2021, cementing itself as one of the best offerings of the streaming era. With a diverse cast and an appetite for political themes, it felt more sophisticated than anyone could have expected. Its second season admittedly had a lot to live up to: not only did it have to bring the show’s disparate threads to a satisfying conclusion while matching the scope of Season 1, but it didn’t have much time to do it.
The cracks in the narrative manifested early, with pacing issues quietly compromising the potential of the story — but it was Arcane’s Season 2 finale that dealt the fatal blow. Few of the series’ “champions” seemed to get the ending that fans thought they deserved. Arcane’s final arc ended on a sour note for so many, undermining years of careful character work in favor of “subversive” narrative choices. Its conclusion felt regressive in the worst way possible, but Arcane’s worst mistake sees the series borrowing from a notorious genre trend — one that disproportionately affects characters of color.
