Full spoilers follow for Arcane season 1. Speculation on season 2's plot also follows.
Arcane season 2's release date is edging closer – and Netflix and Riot Games clearly know that fans of the hit animated series (myself included) are desperate for its arrival.
Sadly, at the time of writing, we're still just over three months away – Arcane's second season lands sometime in November – from the critically acclaimed series returning to our screens. Rather than force us to continually watch Arcane season 2's official trailer on a loop, though, Netflix and Riot have released a new clip from the forthcoming season – and while the bulk of the sophomore season's promotional campaign has previewed a bleak follow-up to Arcane's first chapter so far, its latest teaser proves it won't be a wholly soul-crushing affair.
Yep, that's definitely a more light-hearted teaser to further fuel the hype for Arcane's return. The brief clip doesn't provide any additional context as to what'll happen in season 2, but it's nonetheless pleasing to see Ekko and Heimerdinger revive their partnership from one of the best Netflix shows' first installment. The pair were last seen in the season 1 finale, with the ousted Piltover scientist and the leader of the Fireflies agreeing to team up to try to improve living conditions for the repressed citizens of the undercity known as Zaun.
Reading between the lines, it seems they'll attempt to do so by stealing some of Heimerdinger's research into Hextech. For those who need a refresher, that's the magic-based technology that's used to fuel Piltover, increase a weapon's effectiveness, and even physically augment individuals, and which allows for fast-travel across Runeterra, among other uses. In order to nab said research, they need to infiltrate a laboratory owned by... well, Heimerdinger himself. Remember, in episode 6, he was removed from Piltover's council for trying to destroy the dangerous technological innovation known as Hexcore – a machine that can supposedly heal a person's ailments using the aforementioned Hextech. Barred from accessing one of his own places of work, Heimerdinger (with Ekko in tow) has to go undercover on a mission that would challenge Batman, James Bond, or Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt.
'Can the next series just be a spin-off about them?'
With the above clip confirming the fan-favorite pairing will not only feature in season 2, but also provide some light comic relief amid its melodrama-laced primary plot, fans have called for Ekko and Heimerdinger to get their own spin-off series.
Indeed, following the latest teaser's release, the show's subreddit contains numerous comments from fans calling on Netflix, Riot, and Arcane's animation studio Fortiche to make a buddy-cop spin-off starring the duo. "I would really watch it," WhitneyStorm opined, while Rytek115 went all caps to shout "I NEED IT!". OddDuckling also chimed in to say "I'm going to need a whole series of shorts following the many exploits of these two, please and thank you" before RealityMaiden jokingly added "Finally, the real romance of season 2!".
Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that the duo will be the main characters of a spin-off show. Following the release of season 2's first trailer, Arcane co-showrunner Christian Linke revealed the hit series would end with its second and final chapter. Linke went on to say that Netflix, Riot, and Fortiche would continue to make shows set in Runeterra, the world that Arcane – and League of Legends (LoL), the video game series it's based on – but those unannounced projects would shine a light on other LoL champions. Unless Ekko and Heimerdinger make cameos in those new shows (or movies, I hope), then, I'd be shocked if we see them together again once the credits roll on Arcane season 2.
While we wait for the award-winning program's return, there's plenty more for you to catch up on about its second installment. First, find out why Jinx voice actor Ella Purnell "cried" while completing voice work for Arcane's emotionally devastating second season. Then, see how Arcane season 2's first teaser sets up a possible time jump, and how the sequel season's first clip teases a fan-favorite villain's debut.
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