Notice!
This page is about Silco, one of the characters in the main Arcane universe. For the alternate universe version of this character, please see Silco/Alternate Universe.
We build our own prisons. Bars forged of oaths, codes, commitments. Walls of self-doubt and accepted limitation. We inhabit these cells, these identities, and call them “us.” I thought I could break free by eliminating those I deemed my jailers. But, Jinx… I think the cycle only ends when you find the will to walk away.
Jinx’s hallucination of Silco, Killing Is a Cycle
Silco was the main antagonist in Season 1 and a posthumous character in Season 2 of Arcane.
A separatist revolutionary, Silco sought to transform the undercity of Piltover into the nation of Zaun, independent from Piltover’s government. Having been betrayed by his friend Vander, Silco began a violent secessionist movement through the production and distribution of the newly-created Shimmer, to keep Piltover out of Zaun. He ultimately took control of the undercity after the death of Vander, and enforced the foundation of Zaun through his subordinates Singed, Sevika and Jinx while distributing Shimmer to Zaunite citizens during his reign as a drug kingpin. Silco’s plans would be put into jeopardy when Vi and Caitlyn Kiramman began hunting him for the theft of the Hextech Gemstone and Jinx, whom he claimed as his adopted daughter. Jinx’s strife brewed tensions with other Chem-Barons against Silco, and after finally being offered to surrender Jinx in exchange for Zaun’s freedom, he would be kidnapped by Jinx after believing Silco betrayed her, which ultimately ended in Silco’s accidental death at the hands of Jinx.
Biography[]
History[]
In their youth, Vander and Silco formed a strong bond over their shared dreams for Zaun's freedom and unity as one nation. Both of them were friends with Felicia. During a protest against Piltover on the bridge between the two cities, Silco threw a molotov cocktail at the enforcers in an attempt to help his people. In retaliation, the enforcers violently responded to the protesters, which resulted in the deaths of both Felicia and Connol.
At some point, this action led to Vander viciously attacking Silco and attempting to drown him in a river. Due to an open gash on his left eye and the pollution in the river, this eye was contaminated and permanently disfigured. By briefly faking his death, Silco swiped Vander's dagger, stabbed him in the arm, and fled. Sometime later, Vander wrote a letter that was intended to be an apology for what he had done to Silco but the letter never ended up making it's way to him.
Silco went into hiding, amassing followers and avoiding crossing paths with Vander for years to come. Despite their last encounter, Silco still respected Vander for their time together. That was, until he found out about Vander's deal with Enforcers that kept Zaun in check, but in relative peace from upper city interference. This was a decision Silco strongly resented due to it being detrimental in the long run for any shot at Zaunite independence.[4]
Season 1[]
At one point, Silco had a group of Zaunites led by Deckard tail Vander's adoptive children. He'd given the boy instructions not to interfere, which the boy defied by brawling with them and trying to steal their loot, gaining the attention of Vander and Benzo. Though frustrated, he was appeased when Deckard told him that the children were responsible for the explosion in Piltover earlier that day. After dismissing the boy, Singed showed Silco his latest, fairly effective batch of Shimmer.[5]
Seeing an opportunity in the trouble the children caused, Silco decided to move up the timeline of his plans. Frustrated at the boy, Silco decided to make Deckard the first human to test Shimmer, though Silco could easily convince him. He also contacted Marcus, one of the Enforcers investigating the children's case, and made a deal with him.[6] Silco didn't tell him the whole picture, however, and surprised the Enforcer when he had Grayson and Benzo killed by Deckard, telling him about the change of his terms only after the fact and right as he handed him his money. Silco then took Vander from Marcus’ custody and took him to his Shimmer factory.[4]
Years later, Silco went to Vander’s Statue, pondering his current situation. He found himself in the same position that Vander himself had been in—stuck with a choice between a chance at Zaun's independence and his adoptive daughter's safety. Vander's decision had been one Silco held against him for years. Still, Silco found himself about to make the same decision, telling Vander's image that he understood now. Jinx was listening in, unbeknownst to him, and mistakenly assumed that Silco would give her up to the upper city. With this, Jinx knocked him out and took him to the place where it all started: Silco's old Shimmer factory at the cannery. She tied him to a dining chair and later returned with Vi.[12] Vi, trying to reach out to her sister in an effort to help her called out the names of the people Jinx had lost but unintentionally resulted in Jinx having a hallucinatory episode. Seeing his daughter in pain, Silco attempted to get Jinx to not focus on Vi's words, even pointing a gun at Vi to try and stop her. Instinctually, Jinx would accidentally kill Silco in a fit of manic rage. Realizing that Jinx was never something that needed to be split into two, Silco in his dying words affirmed to Jinx that she was perfect and attempted to prevent her from blaming herself for his death.
Season 2[]
Silco is given a water burial by Jinx. Due to Silco not being around, the chem-barons end up causing a lot of infighting. Silco later appeared in a flashback with Vander and Felicia which covered his pre-Season 1 backstory further.
Silco's final appearance in the show is through a hallucinatory vision Jinx has while incarcerated in a Piltover prison in episode 8. This mental construct of Silco attempts to empower Jinx as he tells her to "break the cycle" through finding the strength to discover who she is beyond her legacy in Zaun and Piltover. In this vision, Silco's disfigured eye is a similar blue to a hextech gemstone.
Characteristics[]
Personality[]
When Silco was younger, he possessed charm that sought the interest of both Vander and Felicia, as the trio would often banter back and forth.
In Act 1 of Season 1, Silco is very calm and composed, despite internally being extremely bitter and lacking remorse. He exceeds at manipulating people and getting them to do their bidding. He actively resents and despises Vander for not just betraying him, but for what happened to his eye and Vander's complacency in Zaun's continued subjugation under Piltover through Vander's attempts at working with enforcers. He only truly loses his temper when speaking to Vander, spitefully remarking how he will happily die if it means protecting Zaun, but not fighting for it. He becomes genuinely afraid for his life upon seeing Vander on Shimmer, knowing he doesn't stand a chance against him. Upon meeting Powder, who was just indirectly abandoned by Vi, he intends to murder her, only for her to hug Silco, which results in him feeling sympathetic for her (Presumably due to his similar experience of betrayal with Vander) and comforts her.
In Acts 2-3, while he still retains his calm collectiveness and menacing presence, his relation to Jinx helps him open his mind a bit more. Despite how toxic their relationship can be, he clearly cares for Jinx. This shows particularly when he begins panicking when there's a chance she's about to die and when he struggles to come to terms with the decision of handing her to Piltover for Zaun's betterment. Silco initially believes that Jinx has to kill off to "Powder" side of herself, similarly to how he believed that his own old self was weak and pathetic. Despite genuinely believing this would help her, it only made her mental state worse over time. However, shortly before his own death when Jinx instinctively shoots him instead of Vi he instead accepts Jinx fully, realizing that she didn't need to change parts of herself to be who she is.
Appearance[]
Silco is a thin pale-skinned man with black graying hair. He has defined cheekbones, an eagle nose, and thin lips with a large chemical burn scar on his left eye. He sometimes wears makeup to cover up the scar. Silco's natural eye color is green, but later on turns blue in his right eye, and his left eye is orange with a dark sclera. He wears a maroon dress shirt with a black and dark red-purple vest with gold accents, white tie, black pants, and black and maroon steel-toed boots.
Abilities[]
- High Intelligence : Silco is able to lead an entire criminal empire and to stay out of sight of the authorities, thanks to elaborated corruption and tricks, showing that he is capable of great cunning.
- Leader : Thanks to his intelligence, ideology and scare tactics, Silco was respected and feared in Zaun. A lot of people, including Sevika, left Vander's side to join him. He was also able to rule on the Lanes and the Chem-barons during the seven-year timeskip.
- Fighting : Although he is not physically impressive, Silco has shown in his two duels against Vander that he was able to be fast and vicious. He seems particularly good at handling a knife.
- Stamina : Due to his past as a miner, Silco seems quite resistant to pain and is accustomed to the Underground's toxic gases. Where his subordinates cannot breathe it, he seems almost immune to it.
Trivia[]
- After the show's release, it was announced that Silco would be added to Riot Games' Teamfight Tactics as part of the upcoming Gizmos & Gadgets mid-set.[13][14]
Appearances[]
| Season One appearances: 9/9 | ||
| "Welcome to the Playground": Appears |
"Some Mysteries Are Better Left Unsolved": Appears |
"The Base Violence Necessary for Change": Appears |
| "Happy Progress Day!": Appears |
"Everybody Wants to Be My Enemy": Appears |
"When These Walls Come Tumbling Down": Appears |
| "The Boy Savior": Appears |
"Oil and Water": Appears |
"The Monster You Created": Appears |
| Season Two appearances: 2/9 | ||
| "Heavy Is the Crown": Absent |
"Watch It All Burn": Appears as a corpse only |
"Finally Got the Name Right": Absent |
| "Paint The Town Blue": Mentioned only |
"Blisters And Bedrock": Flashback only |
"The Message Hidden Within The Pattern": Mentioned only |
| "Pretend Like It's the First Time": Alternate universe |
"Killing Is a Cycle": As an illusion |
"The Dirt Under Your Nails": Absent |
Gallery[]
See Silco/Gallery
Relationships[]
References[]
- ↑ The Art and Making of Arcane
- ↑ The Art and Making of Arcane
- ↑ Timeline
- ↑ 4.0 4.1
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ TFT Mid-Set Update: Silco Joins the Fight! - Teamfight Tactics
- ↑ TFT Mid-set Update: Silco is Coming! - League of Legends
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