Inverse - 📺 ‘Arcane’ Makes an Explosive Return

Plus: We need to talk about ‘The Penguin’s shocking ending — and what it means for ‘Batman 2.’
Inverse Daily
This may be the final season of the Netflix series, but it’s just as explosive as the last.
Riot Games/Netflix
Review
‘Arcane’ Season 2 Isn’t Going Down Without a Fight

It feels wrong to have to say goodbye to Arcane so soon. The Netflix series wasted no time securing its place as the best video game adaptation — and the best animated series — on television. Its success came as a surprise to diehard fans of League of Legends, the team-based battle game that Arcane serves as a prequel to. Though the franchise has long had blockbuster appeal, with an influence that’s bled into multiple mediums, attempts to flesh out the sprawling world of Runeterra never seemed necessary. League of Legends isn’t exactly character-driven: though its “champions” each come with a brief, obligatory backstory, they felt more like pieces on a board than flesh-and-blood heroes.

That effectively changed with Arcane. Its nine-episode first season was the ideal companion to League: its status as a prequel allowed anyone to tap in, even those unfamiliar with in-game lore. But it also had the freedom to take the avatars of the game and craft rich, tragic backstories where none previously existed. There were plenty of other reasons to tune in — thanks to its tight, competent writing to its gorgeous animation, Arcane became an instant classic. In an age of total uncertainty where television is concerned, Arcane could easily be a multi-season success. But Riot knew just how far it wanted to take this story, even if it meant pulling the rug out from under fans.

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A man in a dark overcoat stands on a city street, looking serious. Modern buildings and vintage street lamps are visible in the background.
HBO
Spoilers
We Need to Talk About ‘The Penguin’s Shocking Ending
Here's the state of Gotham City in the final moments of the epic series.
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A woman with dark, wavy hair stands pensively in a dimly lit room, wearing a black top. Natural light filters through a nearby window, casting shadows.
HBO
Exclusive
‘The Penguin’ Showrunner Reveals the Truth Behind Sofia’s Letter

For the entirety of its eight-episode run, The Penguin managed to avoid the big bat in the room. Despite being a direct sequel of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and centering around the scene-stealing villain of the 2022 comic book movie, low-level mob enforcer Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), The Penguin very much existed in its own little corner of Gotham, to the point that it had fans wondering: where was Batman during all of this?

For the entirety of its eight-episode run, The Penguin managed to avoid the big bat in the room. Despite being a direct sequel of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and centering around the scene-stealing villain of the 2022 comic book movie, low-level mob enforcer Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), The Penguin very much existed in its own little corner of Gotham, to the point that it had fans wondering: where was Batman during all of this?

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