“ | You people down here are all the same, mistaking arrogance for bravery. You think you're standing up for something? But we all know there is a crime behind every coin that passes through this place. You're just a small man in a little hole the world forgot to bury. And I'm gonna bury the lot of you! | „ |
~ Marcus to Vander and the denizens of the Undercity before leaving the Last Drop. |
“ | I told you to leave this alone. | „ |
~ Marcus holding Caitlyn at gunpoint. |
“ | Tell my daughter... | „ |
~ Marcus' last words to Caitlyn. |
Marcus is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Sevika) of the first season of Arcane, which is set in the League of Legends universe. He is a hotheaded enforcer who eventually rises up the ranks to become the Sheriff of Piltover. Unbeknownst to most people, especially his superiors on the Piltovan Council, he secretly works for the Zaunite drug lord Silco and has continued to carry out his orders over the years to protect his daughter.
He was voiced by Remy Hii.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
When he was young, Marcus joined the Enforcers of Piltover and became a major assistant to Sheriff Grayson. During his days as an Enforcer, he would develop a hot-blooded and aggressive attitude, specifically targeted towards denizens of the Undercity. Eventually, he would marry a woman and would have a daughter named Ren.
Hex Gem Incident[]
Marcus had always been overzealous in acting on his duties as an enforcer. He would always look down on Zaunites in general and aggressively went after them. When four children from the undercity inadvertently caused an explosion in Jayce's workshop, Marcus joined Sheriff Grayson in investigating. They went to see Vander, with whom Grayson who had a deal with to maintain the peace between their districts. Marcus did not care about the deal however and, when pressured by the Council, tried to look for the children on his own. During this, he was approached by Vander's old friend Silco, who revealed the location of the children.
Marcus went to The Last Drop and ordered his men to search the place. Grayson confronted him for this, and though she'd felt it was too late to stop their retaliation, they received the pneumatic tube capsule she'd given Vander when they had someone who would claim responsibility for the explosion. Vander's adoptive daughter Vi tried to turn herself in only for Vander to stop her and surrender himself in her place. Before they could return to the upper city, however, Silco had Deckard, his henchmen who had been infected with Shimmer, kill Grayson and Vander's friend Benzo. Silco told Marcus that the deal has changed and threw him his money.
He would later kidnap Vi, and threw her into Stillwater Hold without a trial or details of her crimes. Marcus had to bribe the warden on at least one occasion to ensure Vi's stay in the prison.
Piltover Bicentennial[]
Marcus was also eventually promoted to Sheriff in their department, making him even more useful to Silco. With his position, Marcus and other enforcers managed to aid Silco's business by letting his shipments through the Hex Gates go through with no problems. He also interfered when other enforcers tried to investigate Silco's dealings, shutting them down, and had deals with the merchants in the city, one that was secretly sanctioned by most members of the Council.
He was not without his doubts about his deal with Silco, particularly when Silco's adoptive daughter Jinx caused the deaths of his officers. Once, he visited Grayson's crypt and remembered Grayson's time as Sheriff and how good the woman had been. When Silco told Marcus to pin the blame of the explosion on the Undercity gang known as the Firelights, Marcus considering blowing himself up along with Silco using Jinx's bomb but was ultimately unable to do so.
When Jayce Talis, very recently appointed a Counselor, ordered him to tighten security at the Hex Gates, Marcus tried to warn him and advised him to consult the Council first. True enough, Jayce would later need to take this back when he learned from Mel that the decision was poorly received. Jayce was not happy about this though and, in frustration and in hopes of getting ahead of further attacks from—as Marcus relayed—the Firelights, Jayce took his joking suggestion to form a blockade at the bridge and search everyone who would attempt to pass seriously. At the same time, Silco, having discovered Vi was still alive, arrived at Marcus's house, threatening his daughter, and telling him to not let Caitlyn and Vi resurface.
When Caitlyn and Ekko tried to cross the bridge back to Piltover with evidence against Silco, Marcus shot Ekko, attempted to retrieve the gemstone, and held Caitlyn at gunpoint. He hesitated and was ultimately not given the chance to decide whether he would go through with it or not as Jinx's weaponized firelight bombs surrounded them and went off. Marcus survived long enough to try and pass on a message to her daughter through Caitlyn but succumbed to his injuries before he could finish his sentence.
With this, the Council was finally made aware of his partnership with Silco, though Caitlyn tried to somewhat save his reputation by clarifying that he did it not primarily for what he would gain but for what he had to lose.
Personality[]
Initially, Marcus was a hot-blooded and aggressive person who was very overzealous about his job. He looked down at the people of Zaun and was fully willing to use extreme methods against them. However, his lack of experience at his job as an enforcer and naivety made him someone easy to manipulate, such as when he, naively, made a deal with Silco that ended with his superior's death, something that Marcus would regret for the rest of his life.
After the timeskip, Marcus was no longer aggressive, being more serious, calmed and composed. He cared and loved his daughter more than anything else, even above his moral standards and his sense of duty. This was the main reason he continued working with Silco and did everything the latter asked him to do.
As the sheriff of Piltover, Marcus seeked justice and to keep safe his city. He was respected by his subordinates and always maintained an image of an honorable and helpful man, although he was harsh with Caitlyn due to the latter being part of a wealthy family. Despite this, she always respected Marcus because of his position and thought he was a rightful man. Pointed out by Silco, he always saw himself as a martyr to maintain the balance between the top and underground city and, deep inside, he wanted to be the hero his daughter always thought he was. However, with the passage of time, Marcus's guilt and remorse for his actions started to consume and made him doubt if he was actually doing the right thing for Piltover or himself.
Trivia[]
- Marcus' last words to Caitlyn would have likely to have been to tell her daughter that he loves her.