Who is Jayce in Arcane Season 2?

Jayce, the golden boy of Piltover is one of the central protagonists of Arcane. Fans of League of Legends already know him as the Mercury Hammer-wielding Man of Progress, but the show has expanded his story more than ever before. See who Jayce is in Arcane Season 1, Season 2, and League of Legends here.

Jayce is one of the first few characters we see in Arcane Season 2. He rises from the aftermath of Jinx's bombing of the Councilors and when he Viktor. Worried for his partner and friend, Jayce attempts to save his life by allowing the Hexcore to assimilate his body.

In the interim of Viktor's healing, Jayce decides to weaponize Hextech for the Enforcers. Caitlyn receives a Hextech Rifle, Vi the Atlas Gauntlets, and other empowered weapons for the rest of Caitlyn's elite squad.

His design of these weapons was eventually the undoing of his relationship with Viktor. Once he awoke (healed, but different), Viktor expressed his disappointment at Jayce.

Jayce then is met by Heimerdinger and Ekko after the two snuck into his lab. Together, they figure out what is causing the anomalies in both Piltover and Zaun and they get in the middle of it, literally.

Act 1 concludes with the trio experiencing some reality-altering happenings as they interact with the Arcane - a rawer, more natural version of what they call Hextech.

Jayce Talis is an inventor and engineer. He was raised by the Kirammans, Caitlyn's family, and his lab resided in their mansion. This same lab is the one we see in the first episode being ransacked by Violet, Powder, Mylo, and Claggor.

He meets fellow inventor and scholar Viktor in the ensuing investigation. The two click together, and Jayce is encouraged to further research Hextech against the advice of Heimerdinger and the Piltover Councilors barring Mel Medarda.

Jayce and Viktor, aided by Mel, successfully experience a breakthrough in their research. They construct Hexgates, a marvel of engineering and magic that allows travel over vast distances. Piltover becomes a center of trade thanks to the inventor duo, with Jayce serving as the face of development: The Man of Progress.

However, the two would eventually part ways. Viktor fell more ill and Jayce continued to be romantically entwined with Mel; their drive and motivation had completely drifted apart.

Despite their differences, Viktor makes Jayce promise that Hextech must not be weaponized. Viktor furthered his research and work on the Hexcore, while Jayce was torn apart by Hextech's possibilities in war and combat.

After Heimerdinger's exile, Jayce was elected to be the interim head of the Piltover Council. Jayce was the one negotiating with Silco near the end of Arcane Season 1. He was willing to compromise on most demands, but Jayce put his foot down on one bullet: he wants Jinx to pay for her crimes.

Of course, Silco never intended to hand her over.

Read more about Arcane Characters:

Jayce, "The Defender of Tomorrow," released as a playable champion in July 2012. Back then, his kit had something unique: a transforming mechanic. Instead of a traditional ultimate ability, he can switch between the melee and ranged forms of his weapon. Swapping between the Mercury Hammer and the Mercury Cannon would change all of his abilities, giving him access to more skills than the usual champion.

The original LoL lore did not explore Jayce's story in depth. From the bits that we do know, the story told in Arcane seems pretty faithful: Jayce was integral to Piltover's technological development, and his wit and courage contributed greatly to Piltover.

The accuracy ceases on Viktor's part, of course, because despite Viktor's lore being lengthy, his story was all over the place once he and Jayce parted ways.

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