Varus' new lore: My opinion
After the release of Varus' new story, I see alot of backlash here on the boards about it and I feel like I should voice my own opinion about the situation. Personally, I think that his new lore is an huge improvement, but let's discuss why.
First, the removal of his wife and child. I understand that many people are displeased by this, since it was an important part of who Varus was for them. But I can't say that I feel the same way. Yes, I know that he had wife and child. But in my eyes, they were just tools, a simple excuse why that Ionian warrior became the corrupted archer by accepting the darkness.
I didn't know anything about his family. Not how they looked like, their names, how their everyday life was. They were faceless puppets, I had absolutely no emotional bond to them, hence why I am ok with their removal.
Talking about emotional bond: That's something Riot introduced with the new comics and the video now. I see how they lived together, am able to relate to the tragedy happening that leads to accepting the Darkin to save his loved one. I actually care for these characters, since they have shown me that they are actual persons.
Another argument I read pretty often: Why not simply make the dark pit into a Darkin and leave the rest of the story intact? Still leaving him as the father losing his family and accepting the Darkin for his vengeance.
There is an answer to that question in my opinion: Seperating him from the other Darkin. It creates a new dynamic. There are 2 Darkin in the lore already: Rhaast and Aatrox.
Let's think through what leaving his story as it was would have meant for the character dynamic between host and Darkin here. There were 2 options for Varus: Either the Darkin was overwhelming him, since he was too weak. Or his willpower was strong enough to fight with the Darkin over the control.
Does that sound familiar? These dynamics are already there. Aatrox is the case of the Darkin completely overwhelming his host, to the point of erasing his existence. Kayn/Rhaast show the conflict of a guy with strong willpower fighting the Darkin.
The way they went is slightly different. Kayn was strong enough to fight the Darkin on his own and able to overcome him. Val and Kai, neither of them alone is strong enough to fight the Darkin. If one of them had went into the pit alone, we would have Aatrox all over again.
But it has shown us that 2 people, who seperatedly wouldn't be considered strong enough to be champions, are able to reach that level together, thanks to their bond. They are keeping each other sane, they are supporting each other and some day, they might be able to defeat the Darkin together.
Since I already mentioned it: They might be able to defeat the Darkin together some day. What does this mean? This means that Varus as a character has hope.
There is a chance for redemption. Something that old Varus was lacking completely. Old Varus was a man who had lost everything in his life and was just seeking vengeance. Honestly, I wanted this character to die. Not because I didn't like him, but because of mercy. Someone living for years just seeing himself eaten away by his own thirst for revenge.... His life was meaningless.
He would just be out killing. Never feeling satisfied until he killed all Noxians, which consist mostly of people who had absolutely nothing to do with his tragedy.
However, do I want new Varus to die? No, I feel hope for the couple within him. I don't want them to die together with the Darkin. I want them to free themselves, want to see them being able to keep living together after overcoming this tragedy.
Varus went from a character I legit wanted to see die in lore so he doesn't have to suffer anymore, to a couple I want to see happy in the future and defeating the bad things which happened to them.
Many people might see this whole topic in a different way and you are all invited to discuss it with me here. But I am happy to see the champion changed into something I want to see in the future. Something I can have hope for. And introducing new characters into the lore which I actually care for.