Aatrox: World Ender vs God Killer

Alright, this is something that's been on my mind for a while now. First and foremost, let me start this off by saying that I like the general direction that the new Aatrox took in his character; a fallen hero driven to madness due to not only his imprisonment, but also self-loathing over his current state. A protector who now believes his soul purpose is to kill. I love that idea. I really do... But unfortunately, I don't think it works.

Here's the problem with the current Aatrox: he feels like a joke, and not just because some of his lines in-game are rather comedic (he literally calls himself "edgy" in one of his taunts.) No, my problem with Aatrox is that he doesn't actually feel like the threat he claims to be. He's like Veigar, in a way, but it doesn't feel that's what he's SUPPOSED to be.

I feel like a lot of the inspiration for new Aatrox comes from Surtr in Norse mythology; a giant who was imprisoned by the gods, and now seeks revenge by destroying the entirety of the World Tree, even if it means his own destruction. Here's the thing about Surtr, though: Norse mythos makes it clear that not only CAN Surtr burn the entire universe, but he WILL, as foretold in Ragnarok. He's a behemoth wielding a magical greatsword and fueled by vengeance who wants to destroy everything, even if it means his own demise... A lot like Aatrox.

Here's where they differ, though: Aatrox does not feel like he could be Surtr, or even close. Yes, he is an extremely powerful being; even in his bound state, he's still the strongest of the Darkin (as far as we currently know), and is capable of massacring entire cities. Certainly, in time, I think it's likely he COULD destroy Runeterra, or at least leave the entire planet a desolate wasteland if not stopped. However... Aatrox doesn't feel like a universal threat. There are a LOT of powerful entities in League, and I'm sure we can all name a fair few who are capable of beating Aatrox ( ) in a fight. The Darkin may be strong, but he's not universe-tier. And don't get me wrong: I get it. I get that he's only trying to destroy the universe because he's desperate to try and escape his own prison, and he thinks that's the only thing that can kill him. Even so, it's pretty obvious that Aatrox lacks the means or even a method to destroy beings mich higher than himself, let-alone the universe. This is most apparent in his taunt towards : "In time, I will learn how to kill even your god, Illaoi!"

Lastly, there's one obvious factor at play here that really mitigates Aatrox's threat level: the Void. Lately, the lore team have REALLY been pushing how big of a threat the Void is; an ancient, primordial power that predates the universe, whose soul purpose is to consume everything and return existence back to nothingness. It's a threat the denizens of Runeterra have been fighting for ages, using a variety of different methods (True Ice, Ascension, even weaponizing a Star Dragon), but all they've managed to do is delay it. Compared to the Void, an angry demigod with a big sword feels really underwhelming. Heck, if Aatrox wants to reduce the universe to nothing, shouldn't he be HELPING the Void, given that that's literally the Void's entire purpose?

Ultimately, my problem with Aatrox is that he doesn't feel capable of fulfilling his own ambition, at least not without the assistance of something way stronger and more threatening than himself. So, what could have been done to fix this? There are two possible options, I think:

1. Be more literal about the WORLD Ender title. Rather than trying to destroy all of existence, maybe he just wants to destroy Runeterra? Take revenge on the world that wronged him by dragging the entire planet into oblivion with him. Certainly, this seems more reasonable, especially if he were to get his hands on something like the World Runes. You could even keep his current idea of "kill everyone and I die," but to a lesser extent. We know Aatrox's sword is extremely durable, but I don't think it likely that the blade could withstand a planet-level explosion. It might still feel a little redundant to have yet another apocalyptic being roaming around, but at least it would still fit the theme Riot is going for.

2. Lean more towards the "god killer" angle. Honestly, this is the one I would have gone with. We know Aatrox hates being trapped in his sword, and he loathes his "crude, decaying flesh" forms. He currently believes that the only way to escape his torment is death, but his lore states that he only came to this conclusion after trying and failing to return to his true Ascended form. Now, here me out of this: rather than having given up, what if Aatrox was still trying to restore that lost glory?

We know that Aatrox is capable of sustaining himself through blood magic; with it, he can even shape his hosts into crude approximations of his Ascended body. Heck, his ultimate is basically him trying to mimic the ults of Nasus and Renekton; attempting and failing to reach his true Ascended state with a body that wasn't built for it. So, if absorbing mortal blood isn't enough... What about absorbing the blood of gods/demigods?

Now, maybe this could have some actually precedent, or maybe, like Aatrox's current goal, it's a conclusion he comes to out of sheer madness. Either way, perhaps Aatrox gets it into his head that by killing god-like beings and absorbing their divine/ancient essence, he could properly return to his Ascended form? The remaining Ascended, the Aspects of Targon, maybe even the ancient gods/demigods of the Freljord (Ornn, Volibear, and Anivia.) All of these are characters he has a reasonable chance of fighting and beating, and it seems like a more substantial and interesting motivation than "kill everything to commit suicide." Now, obviously this would lead to a number of God of War memes and references, but I do think it makes sense, especially compared to the other Darkin: Varus wants revenge on the world of Runeterra itself for abandoning him, and Rhaast seems to just mindlessly kill things. As it stands, all three of them basically have the same motivation, just in different forms. I think giving Aatrox a bit of variation in that he doesn't want to just destroy everything, just the gods, would make him more unique and set him apart from the others a bit more.

Anyways, these are just my thoughts. Feel free to share your own, assuming you've stuck with this to the end. (Congratulations on having made it this far! Here, have a cookie.)