Viktor's Lore: Why doing Bad things for Good Reasons doesn't make you Morally Ambiguous
In the aftermath of the Jayce lore reveal, Viktor lore enthusiasts have been in something of a frenzied panic. Cold, 'logical', and of questionable moral intent, Jayce's story paints Viktor as the bad egg that we always dreaded Riot turning him into. Arguments have been made that this is a matter of perception; that Viktor's lore is not out, and that patience is a virtue. But there is little argument to be made that - among the other questionable things that Vik does during the course of this story - Viktor being expelled from a university for opposing free will is simply a matter of Jayce's perspective.
Today, a member of the Riot Team addressed the fanbase's concerns (it's at the top of the Story Board, or you can click this link, here.
So here's some of the statements we got:
- "Might there be a good reason behind it (even if what he’s doing might be - from outside perspectives - be seen as reprehensible?)."
- "Viktor plays the long game and knows that greatness cannot be achieved without cost. Does that make him evil? Perhaps to the folk who pay the price initially"
- "What will history say of Viktor? That’s the legacy Viktor is concerned with, not the fragile, emotional and short-sighted people around him."
- "[we do not] want to turn away from the dark deeds he’s doing in the name of his Glorious Evolution"
And the closing statement:
> So, no, we absolutely don’t want to paint Viktor as a pantomime villain, twirling his metal mustache, but nor do we want to turn away from the dark deeds he’s doing in the name of his Glorious Evolution. When Viktor’s bio lands, it’ll provide balance to the perception. Will it reveal the truth? Well, it’ll reveal Viktor’s truth, and the reality will likely lie somewhere in the middle. Perhaps shrouded by a fug of the Gray, but, hey, that’s Zaun for you…
Okay.
So I've addressed why I think this is the wrong way to take Viktor inside that thread. It's a pretty huge post, but I invite everybody to read it if they're interested, and let me know whether or not they agree.
The purpose of This thread will be Viktor's moral ambiguity; particularly, why doing dark deeds for the greater good isn't necessarily morally ambiguous. So without wasting ANY more time on exposition, let's get to it.
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**Viktor is an oddly complex character, despite the scraps of lore that we are given; **
Full of incredibly human qualities in his early life, Viktor works in an avenue of research that focuses on the betterment of his environment. He participates in an effort to manage zaunite waste, culminating in the unexpected creation of a sentient lifeform - Blitzcrank. Blitzcrank becomes a media darling, and Viktor is left out in the cold. He attempts to seek out recognition and justice, but finds none. His ideals clash with the reality of the Zaunite way of life. He is devastated; he becomes depressed; and he resolves to not simply recreate the project, but improve upon it - in such a way that no other would ever be able to take credit for his work, again.
VIktor isolates himself in his personal laboratory, becoming distant and reclusive. He begins removing body parts; replacing them with techmaturgically powered machine pieces. At some point during this obsessive destruction of his own body, Viktor realises that he's stumbled upon something quite amazing. A solution to not just his emotional torment; but the ills that wrack Zaunite society. What better way to combat inhospitable Zaunite slums, after all, than to change the lifeform that lives there?
He emerges; unlike anything humanity has ever witnessed, before. He is a technological marvel; the envy of the scientific community! Everybody wants to know just how he does it. Except there's a problem. Viktor sounds completely insane. He was obsessed with the Glorious Evolution - it was the only thing he ever spoke about. He was patron and pioneer; head and shoulders above the rest. It caused concern in those he once considered his peers; particularly when a cult began to worship him as saviour to mankind.
And that's where his story suddenly ended. And y'know? It was a pretty darn good place to leave things ambiguously open. We saw Viktor change from idealist, to pessimist; from spiteful, to obsessive. Then, full circle, he's an idealist again - but of the much more frightening variety. He SOUNDS like he may be mad. But we can't tell, for certain.
#VIKTOR'S AMBIGUITY
"In one's hand, Techmaturgy is a tool. As one's hand, it is liberation."
Viktor's current moral standing is incredibly ambiguous; in no small part to the different stances he takes along the way to becoming the Machine Herald. He looks like a villain. Often, he SOUNDS like a villain. And, yet, his original lore is so utterly devoid of villainous intent, that a case could long be made for the exact opposite. This, alone, however, does not make him ambiguous.
Dreaming of a better society was a staple of his character. Pursuing justice, too, defined his idealism. Falling into depression demonstrated his humanity. Resolving to change himself gave us view of his obsessive personality. Spurning his previous self and turning his attention back to society proved that traces of his former self, still, yet, remained.
But with each shift in ideology or emotion that he displayed, a piece of him would have chipped away. He was very nearly unrecognisable to others as the Viktor who had secluded himself, long ago. His ideals had warped; and there was no way of knowing whether or not such a change was for the better.
The current Riot response to the fans' grievances implies, to an extent, that they understand what we'd like to see in Viktor's new lore. They believe that Viktor should be able to be empathised with; that his goals should be worrying, but also undoubtedly riddled with potential for a Glorious future. In Jayce's lore, however, we can see the characteristics that make Viktor so compelling, again, chip away - one by one - before he even has a chance to develop his way through them.
No longer do VIktor's ideals change under the weight of his own experience. He begins his life "ambiguous" - different than the rest. His humanity is already in question; at least, that's what the University thinks when he is expelled. His actions are not a way to cope or redeem. Rather, they are made from necessity to be right. No longer does he resolve to augment himself through sheer self-pity and a desire to prove worth; but simply to survive injuries sustained following a crime spree.
This is not ambiguity. This is an obsessive criminal taking very obviously black steps to achieve his grey dream for a more productive society.
This may all seem like petty semantics; and y'know what? They might be exactly that. But if semantics ever counted for anything, then they count for storytelling.
It's kind of like if there were a bunch of people that liked a piece of red glass and how the sun shined through it. Then someone comes along, and takes the glass shard and gives them a flashlight with a red lightbulb.
The people who just really liked the red light don't mind the change at all.
The people that liked changing the sun light to red are annoyed but technically the red light bulb is doing the same thing. Sort of.
The people that enjoyed the pattern in the red light on the wall lost everything.
(Credit to Mogarl, who came up with the analogy)
#SO WHAT WOULD MAKE VIKTOR AMBIGUOUS?
In one phrase? Cognitive Superiority.
#######oops, wrong picture
Viktor was a smart man. Very smart. Jayce, who considered scientists silly for having to try to keep up with him, considered Viktor an equal. And this was before Viktor changed. One of the first things VIktor augmented in his old lore was his cognitive function - his brain. And his research LEAPT ahead by decades, as a result. He began to process at a speed unmatched by his peers. In fact, his mere existence upon resurfacing confounded other scientists. What he was completely defied conventional logic.
Viktor NEEDS to be this person. Somebody whose position IS logical. Not pseudo-logical. Somebody who has thought deeply about the implications of what he believes, and what he intends, and is willing to reshape his ideals under the scrutiny of new information or viewpoints.
He is, after all, a scientist. And both the blessing and curse of science is that it takes TIME for people to accept your views. It takes even longer to convince normal citizens (Climatology and Evolution, anyone? :P). Viktor doesn't NEED to be killing or maiming or stealing (though on the flip side, he additionally does not need to be innocent of amoral actions) - he simply needs to be ahead of his time. Very, very, very, far ahead. And it needs to cause conflict.
Taken from my post in the Riot response thread:
The Machine Herald and the Creator are two distinct personalities - working in tandem one day; and opposition, the next.
The first, a promise of a future that he has envisioned and obsesses over, daily; The Second, a machinist whose designs will saturate the world - for better or worse.
Viktor should be one part deep philosophy, one part questionable motives. He does not NEED to be killing Jayce to justify a rivalry. The mere fact that he outfits his machinations with weaponry could be frightening, enough. In fact, you could even use the 'free will' argument here!
"You just EXPECT them to not go on a rampage when threatened? What if they're threatened by a thunderstorm?!"
Viktor needs to be frightening for the POTENTIAL things he will do. He needs to be less "cold" and logical; and more "luke-warm" and logical. He should care. He should think, deeply - his vision, after all, relies on his introspective thoughts; and he can think faster and more deeply than any biological human (super processing!)
HE knows he will not take away free will. HE knows that this is limited to a super-weapons agreement.
... But we don't.
Jayce is afraid that Viktor's stubborn attempts to provide his followers with weaponry will cause another Augmented citizen to go on a massacre; but if Viktor's design truly IS flawless, then what he says is completely feasible. Most notably of all - those equipped with the weapons have agreed to his terms.
Jayce is in the wrong. But he is RIGHT to be afraid of the consequences of this kind of manipulation.
Viktor needs to represent the potential in a society; not the destruction of it. But he must also represent the possibility of that potential being turned to nefarious intent. Particularly by those who attempt to usurp, direct, or manipulate his vision.
How would Viktor react to these kinds of movements? How would he keep an eye out for them? Would he rely on others to solve societal problems, and, if not, how would society react to him stepping on their toes? Piltover's finest would be terrified of somebody with the kind of power Viktor has, moving from district to district and delving out his own interpretation of justice to those he feels have overstepped their bounds, or need a disciplinary slap back into line.
THAT would make for a compelling and morally grey character. Particularly if Viktor's solutions are exceptionally complex to the layman....
... but simple to him.
