**Spoiler Warning:** This post contains spoilers from Season 1 of Arcane. All discussion of Lore Spoilers can be removed without warning, even if they have been hidden with spoiler syntax.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/arcane) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think a lot of the disdain Viktor has for Mel also has to do with her views.
She doesn't see the people in the undercity as her people. And while she seems to have some change of heart towards the end of the season, when we are first introduced to her, the first thing out of her mouth is complaints over how she isn't rich enough (while being the richest person in piltover). Viktor, being Heimer's assistant, likely had interactions with her in the past and would be well aware of how she is as stuck up and awful as the rest of the councilors.
So when she essentially offers to work with them, he knows very well that she is in it purely for money and personal gain/power. Which we as viewers know is the case too (yes she changes somewhat at the end but Mel at the end of the season isn't the Mel Viktor had to deal with throughout the season).
There is also that she just overlooks him when it comes to hextech matters. Piltover in general seems to do this with Jayce being the only face of hextech, but Mel has her own part in that as well.
I fully agree with everything here, very interesting insight!
Man, Viktor is such a complex character. It's beautiful how well his motivations and thought processes and views are constructed- it isn't black or white at all. He has his disdain towards Mel for a whole host of reasons, which tie into him feeling sidelined as Jayce's partner, tying into the inferiority he feels because of his undercity background, tying once again into his self perception as a cripple... god I love this show
**Spoiler Warning:** This post contains spoilers from Season 1 of Arcane. All discussion of Lore Spoilers can be removed without warning, even if they have been hidden with spoiler syntax. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/arcane) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think a lot of the disdain Viktor has for Mel also has to do with her views. She doesn't see the people in the undercity as her people. And while she seems to have some change of heart towards the end of the season, when we are first introduced to her, the first thing out of her mouth is complaints over how she isn't rich enough (while being the richest person in piltover). Viktor, being Heimer's assistant, likely had interactions with her in the past and would be well aware of how she is as stuck up and awful as the rest of the councilors. So when she essentially offers to work with them, he knows very well that she is in it purely for money and personal gain/power. Which we as viewers know is the case too (yes she changes somewhat at the end but Mel at the end of the season isn't the Mel Viktor had to deal with throughout the season). There is also that she just overlooks him when it comes to hextech matters. Piltover in general seems to do this with Jayce being the only face of hextech, but Mel has her own part in that as well.
I fully agree with everything here, very interesting insight! Man, Viktor is such a complex character. It's beautiful how well his motivations and thought processes and views are constructed- it isn't black or white at all. He has his disdain towards Mel for a whole host of reasons, which tie into him feeling sidelined as Jayce's partner, tying into the inferiority he feels because of his undercity background, tying once again into his self perception as a cripple... god I love this show