Who is Mel in Arcane? The cunning and drop-dead gorgeous politician is one of the LoL series’ most captivating figures. Intelligent, piercing, and apt at swaying others, let’s look into the details of Mel’s life.
The Arcane character boats some of the best Netflix series‘ most deft character design, writing, and voice talent — we even ranked Mel number one in our best Arcane characters list — so she’s definitely worthy of a closer look.
So, from her voice actor in the Arcane cast to her League of Legends connection, here’s a refresher on Mel in Arcane explained.
Who is Mel in Arcane?
Mel Madarda is a wealthy Piltover politician in Arcane with power and sway. She’s Jayce’s love interest and pushes him to advance Hextech. She’s also a cunning councilwoman who wants to prevent war.
Mel is first introduced as someone with an intense desire to further the advancement of Hextech. She provides Jayce and Viktor with the resources required and even instates the former as a councilman due to their allyship. She is apt at getting what she wants out of people, particularly with how she wins Jayce over.
She is the reason Hextech is allowed to continue being researched, and therefore she’s an important figure in the series’ events. However, she’s so wrapped up in Piltover’s bureaucracy and working her angles that she’s not especially perceptive when it comes to Zaun and what’s brewing there.
Objecting to the violent approach to the conflict with the Undercity suggested by her mother, who she has a fraught relationship with, she advises Jayce to take a more diplomatic approach. She grew up around war and does not want to encourage it unless absolutely necessary. This led to Jayce brokering peace with Silco in exchange for Zaun’s independence.
Mel’s backstory in Arcane explained
In Mel’s Arcane backstory, she is banished by her Noxian Warlord mother, Ambessa, because of how she recoiled from violence. She grew up around war and death but prefers to fight with her mind and influence.
Ambessa sees Mel’s traits as a liability — particularly after Ambessa witnesses her daughter go easy on an enemy — so she was disowned and banished to Piltover. A wealthy outcast, Mel succeeded in rising up the political world, becoming a member of the Council of Clans.
Is Mel in League of Legends?
Mel is one of the Arcane characters who is not a League of Legends champion from the game. She is an original creation for the series.
For more on which LoL faces may be coming down the pipeline, see our list of the League of Legends characters who could show up in Arcane season 2.
Who’s Mel’s voice actor in Arcane?
Toks Olagundoye is Mel’s voice actor in Arcane. The Nigerian-born actor has appeared in live-action projects and other animated series, such as Carmen Sandiego.
In live-action, she was Hayley Shipton in the procedural drama series Castle and Jackie Joyner-Kersee from the sitcom The Neighbors.
Jayce and Mel in Arcane explained
Jayce and Mel are two Arcane main characters who develop a romantic relationship while working together on the council in Piltover and developing Hextech.
Mel first takes notice of Jayce after the Hexgem incident that saw a gem Jayce possessed blow up a building. He was initially to be punished, but Mel saw the potential of the young man and the capabilities of Hextech. She draws Jayce into the world of politics, often manipulating him to see things from her perspective.
The two develop a genuine romantic connection along the way, especially after Mel shares her damage with him in regard to her mother. At the end of season 1, Mel supports Jayce in trying to broker peace with Zaun, leaving them both on the same page.
How old is Mel in Arcane?
Mel is thought to be 26 years old during the first act of Arcane and 32 or 33 years old during the second and third acts after the time jump.
The time jump left some viewers a bit confused about ages, so we’ve also got how old is Jinx in Arcane for you.
The Arcane season 2 release date will bring more levels to her, we’re sure, but until then, for further reading on one of the best TV series, we have guides on Jinx explained, Vi explained, Ekko explained if you want to explore more characters.
We’ve also written about the potential Arcane season 2 League of Legends characters, is Arcane canon in League of Legends, and how did Jinx and Vi’s parents die in Arcane. Also, we have a fun story about how much Henry Cavill loved Arcane. For something else, we’ve also got a list of everything new on Netflix and the new movies coming soon.