LoL fans convinced Runeterra’s most destructive warriors are returning after Season 1 trailer

The trailer for League of Legends 2025 Season 1 has dropped and its filled with hints and clues about what’s to come over the next year.

As you might expect from the opening salvo of a brand new year and season, there was a lot for expectant fans to sink their collective teeth into. The big news is that the previously leaked Mel Medarda is the new champion, returning to her home after the events of Arcane.

With the focus for this first season centered on the empire of Noxus, players also got a fresh look at some of the game’s most iconic OG champions, including Darius, Elise and Katarina. Vlad and LeBlanc were the main focus, however, with both getting visual reworks in time for the new season.

It was the appearance of both Vlad and LeBlanc that caused the most speculation among the fan base, as viewers tried to predict what exactly their intentions are. As part of that, one mysterious symbol has some convinced that Runeterra’s most destructive force could be making a return.

A deal with the Darkin could be on the cards

Anyone who is vaguely familiar with the broader lore around League of Legends will be aware of the Darkin. These God-warriors are immensely powerful and usually hellbent on doing something awful to Runeterra at large.

Outside of characters like Aurelion Sol (literally God) and Kindred (the personification of Death), the Darkin are some of the most outright potent characters in the LoL universe. There are four known Darkin, Aatrox, Varus, Naafiri and Rhaast, all of whom are trapped inside weapons, unable to regain their ascended forms.

The symbol from the trailer bears a heavy resemblance to the weapons they are trapped in, and it has many on the League of Legends subreddit convinced that the Darkin could be about to enter the fray in an unholy pact with Vlad and LeBlanc.

“Riot might be setting up a plot line involving LeBlanc making a deal with a Darkin to somehow suppress Mordekeiser,” one comment said.

Another added, “It has to be a Darkin… it would also explain why Vladimir is so afraid of it… since his blood magic is a result of the Darkin right?”

Assuming that the theory is correct, Riot has two potential directions they can go with it – pull one of the existing Darkin out of their prison or introduce an entirely new one.

The former would be the most immediately tempting, allowing Riot to draw on existing, familiar characters. They would likely have to avoid Aatrox if the Darkin is to work with LeBlanc and Vlad, purely because his attitude towards bringing about the end of everything would make him a difficult “colleague”.

If they wanted to draw on the power of a new Darkin, there are existing characters in the Legends of Runeterra roster who could fit the bill. Though Riot’s Narrative Director for the Creative Expressions Team Laurie Goulding did confirm on Twitter/X in 2022 that the Darkin Saga is not canon, any of those characters retroactively entering the lore could make sense.

In any case, this is just the start, and clarity on Vlad and LeBlanc’s machinations will inevitably come with time. With the new season set to start on January 9, with a redesigned Noxian-themed Summoner’s Rift for players to jump into.