What happened to Jinx at the end of Arcane? A tiny animation detail and a massive throwback could explain Powder's fate

EntertainmentTVAnimation ShowsArcaneWhat happened to Jinx at the end of Arcane? A tiny animation detail and a massive throwback could explain Powder’s fateWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

EntertainmentTVAnimation ShowsArcaneWhat happened to Jinx at the end of Arcane? A tiny animation detail and a massive throwback could explain Powder’s fateWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Netflix)

Arcane season 2

What happened to Jinx at the end of Arcane season 2? While ourArcane season 2 ending explainedarticle will give you a full rundown of everything that happens in the finale of the League of Legends spin-off, Riot and Fortiche have left a touch of ambiguity to the fate of some characters, and some eagle-eyed fans are already picking up on some compelling details.

This article contains spoilers for the final of Arcane season 2.

Jinx chooses to act, using her enhanced speed to body slam Vander, sending both of them over the edge, but leaving Vi safe. Vi tries to catch Jinx, and Vander also manages to grab her before falling himself, so Jinx removes the Hex crystal from Vi’s gauntlets, deactivating them and causing both her and Vander to fall, telling Vi they’ll always be together as she does so.

As Vi wails in anguish on the platform, Jinx and Vander fall, the former removing one of her grenades from her pocket in a moment reminiscent of her earlier scene with Ekko. A wide shot then shows a pink and blue explosion - pink for Jinx’s grenade, and blue for the Hextech core that is destroyed in the blast. Jinx is absent from the rest of the story, and the combination of her apparent sacrifice and her apparent lack of interest in living after the events at Viktor’s commune suggest she met her end at the bottom of the hexgate.

Is Jinx dead in Arcane?

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Arcane

As it turns out, however, I’m increasingly convinced that she didn’t actually die. Eagle-eyed fans might have noticed a fast-moving streak of purple moving away from the explosion just as it hits - it matches the color often associated with Jinx, and fits with her enhanced speed, a tool that allowed her to hit Vander a few moments before.

Later, we see Caitlyn using her family archives to investigate the architecture of the hexgates, focusing in particular on ventilation vents found at the side of the structure. Given that we know Jinx has knowledge of Piltover’s ventilation systems already thanks to her colorful attack on Piltover in episode 3, Caitlyn’s handling of the shrapnel from the grenade in this moment seems symbolic. Caitlyn returns to Vi when she hears her humming - the same song that Powder is singing in the very first scene of Arcane episode 1.

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The final clue as to what happened to Jinx at the end of Arcane actually stems from the second scene of Arcane season 1. As Vi, Mylo, Claggor, and Powder climb towards their heist on Jayce’s apartment, they reach a rooftop. As a blimp flies over their heads towards Piltover, Powder remarks “one day, I’m gonna ride in one of those things.” That moment - the character’s third line in the entire show - seems to pay off in the very final scene of Arcane Season 2, when an almost identical airship flies out from the screen over the open ocean, away from Piltover and Zaun.

There’s no guarantee that that’s Jinx in the pilot’s seat, but there are no other obvious candidates, and we already know from her balloon ship that she’s a capable pilot. Coupled with her hallucination of Silco in episode 8, in which her former father figure explains that the only way to break the cycle of violence is often to walk away, it does seem likely that this is intended to be Jinx turning her back on her previous life, in order to put an end to the cycle of violence that underpins Arcane. Whether there’ll be anArcane season 3seems fairly unlikely, but that doesn’t mean that Jinx’s story is over for good.

Now that it’s over, check out ourArcane season 2 review.

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League of Legends co-creator responds to report that Arcane was a “financial miss,” says “people think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane"Arcane writer shares where she wants to go with a new story in the League of Legends universe

Arcane

League of Legends co-creator responds to report that Arcane was a “financial miss,” says “people think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane”

League of Legends co-creator responds to report that Arcane was a “financial miss,” says “people think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane”

Arcane

Arcane writer shares where she wants to go with a new story in the League of Legends universe

Arcane writer shares where she wants to go with a new story in the League of Legends universe

Latest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest►

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Promo artwork for Colin McCrae Rally 2005 showing a car jumping above desert sands

26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time”

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2

Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5

Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

1

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2

Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

1

Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

2

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

3

Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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