Why Jayce is the Real Villain of Arcane

I've been watching the first season to Arcane, and before the finale, I have come to the conclusion that Jayce Talis is the real villain of the series. He's not an outright evil monster like other villains, but his choices lead to so many horrible outcomes for people in the Undercity. Jayce wanted to bring magic and science together through the power of Arcane, and his decision to do this led to the transformation of two major characters in the series.

Vi and Powder are introduced in the first season of Arcane as two sisters who carry a heavy bond. They break into the lab of Jayce and steal several pieces of equipment to sell to the Undercity, where they all reside. One of these inventions was a piece of the magic that Jayce wanted to use with Arcane, and this had been stolen by the sisters. Powder, the youngest sister, took these pieces with her, and accidentally blew up the building that carried this equipment.

It's used again later, but in the worst way imaginable.

When Vi and Powder's father is kidnapped by a gangster known as Silco, they venture out to save him, leaving Powder behind, because they did not want her to get hurt. She believed that she could help them and brought the magic with her. Vi and her two brothers set out to help their father, and they are able to help him get free from his restraints, as they battle Silco and his men.

Powder threw one of these magic balls into the battle, and it led to pure destruction and death. This magic ended up killing her entire family, except for her sister. Once Vi realizes that Powder was at fault, she leaves her behind, experiencing so many emotions of anger and resentment towards her younger sister. Powder and Vi are then separated for years, when Silco takes Powder under her wing, and Vi is taken to prison by the upper city.

Jayce caused the fallout of two sisters, who once shared a powerful bond. His inventions destroyed a family, shattering an unbreakable connection. His actions also led to Silco's rule getting much worse in the Undercity, and it led to even more pain and death. People became addicted to a drug called Shimmer that could either turn you into a monster or turn you into a drug addict, that was created and brought to life by Silco. Powder became a new person, known as Jinx, a complete monster that enjoys bringing chaos into the lives of her so-called enemies.

She has killed so many people over the years, such as people in the Upper city where Jayce lives, including a group of people known as the Firelights, led by an old friend of the sisters named Ekko, who are a good army that believes in right and wrong.

It was even worse when Vi witnessed her transformation for the first time, and by the look on her face, she was in shock to see the person she had become. Ekko also expresses this to Vi, telling her that her sister had died a long time ago.

Jayce also caused the insanity of his best friend, Viktor, who was another genius who took an interest in his work. He was from the Undercity too and was accepted by the Upper city when they discovered his genius mind. Viktor has now become obsessed with the magic of the Arcane, determined to cure himself, since he is now dying from his own sickness. He has now accidentally killed a woman that had feelings for him, and I have a feeling that Viktor is only going to get worse from here.

Jayce has destroyed so many lives without realizing it, and now he is facing those consequences when he finally makes his way into the Undercity with Vi, where he accidentally kills a kid during his first fight to get to Silco.

Jayce's ambition led to so much death and pain, and I think he is going to realize that even more once things get even worse.

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn