OH GUYS MY BOYFRIEND HAD THIS BRILLIANT THEORY THAT LUX IS THE HERO OF THE HAMMER.  UNDER CUT.

[1:36:38 PM | Edited 1:45:56 PM] (´・ω・`)  Angel  (´・ω・`): Theory: Poppy is a hero, but she isn’t the Hammer’s hero.

I was thinking about Poppy’s lore, wondering why Riot would be so adamant about Poppy being the Hero she’s searching, despite it being the start of her new lore. I simply couldn’t accept that they’d show us the end of her quest right at the beginning. Champion bios generally set up mysteries and questions to be answered later, but here comes in Poppy’s bio telling us straight up that she’s the hero and doesn’t know. It seems wrong to me and I’d like to believe it’s an attempt from Riot to throw us off from the truth – the hero is Lux.

Looking at Poppy’s lore a few things stand out:
“Poppy was once a very different yordle. For as long as she could remember, she had been in search of a purpose.”
“He explained to Poppy that the hammer was meant to go to the Hero of Demacia–the only one who could keep Demacia whole.”
“–an ambitious new nation called Demacia, where all were welcome, regardless of station or background,”

I’m sure you’re wondering what that last one has to do with anything, if anything it support’s Poppy’s claim. Well, fuck Fiora’s lore.

Now, unto the meat of the argument. Looking at Poppy’s abilities and feats, her hammer actually doesn’t do anything out of the norm. She uses it for her AA - Q - an R. While her Q and AA don’t do anything outlandish her R certainly fits the bill of a legendary ability. Except two things are off about it.

Firstly, in the lore it’s stated that “People whispered that it had the power to level mountains and tear the earth itself asunder.” As well all know, Poppy’s R’s damage is hack shit. Secondly, there is another ability with a similar look – Garen’s R, where a giant sword comes from the sky and tears his enemies a new one. I think that in truth, these giant weapons don’t appear lore wise, but are used symbolically in game to represent the might of the blows. Except that Poppy’s R doesn’t do damage, like the hammer is supposed to in the hero’s hand.

Now, I know what you’re saying – but Angel, it’s just to balance it out in game and doesn’t represent it’s actual power in the lore. Fair enough, that’s true. So let’s look at her usage of it in the lore. She uses it in the comic “A Hero’s Call,” and “The Slayer,” in the latter of which we learn Poppy has used the hammer for years to kill wolves, wyverns, and highwaymen. While in the comic itself we see the hammer in action. There a giant monster attacks the festival mentioned in the slayer. A hero tries to fend it off with spear in hand, but when he loses his spear he asked for another weapon. Poppy tosses him the hammer, and he uses it to attack the monster before dying. Then Poppy picks up the hammer and uses it to slay the monster.

It’s settled then right? Poppy used the hammer to slay the monster while another hero couldn’t. She’s the hero – except something is off.
First let’s tackle the hero’s failure to kill the monster. The hero is shown to be a spear fighter. Despite that when he needs a new weapon he uses the hammer – something which’s weight he lacks experience with in comparison to Poppy. Not to mention he grabbed it and immediately went for a swing without wind-up, lessening the blow.
Then when Poppy fights the hero something happens a bright radiance appears around her and she defeats the monster with ease.
The thing is, we never see that radiance when she uses the hammer. Instead we only see the radiance when she uses her shield. In the lore it’s stated that “yordles used their innate magic to fashion extraordinary things,” Poppy’s shield deals magic damage in game, gives her a bright radiant health based shield, stops dashes around her, and magically teleports to her arm when she’s without it for too long. In the comic itself her shield disappears as soon as the radiance appears. Rather than it being the Hammer’s power, it’s possible that Poppy or her shield wield great magical power without realizing it.

And as for why I believe Lux is the hero, well, it’s a matter of belief. Every Demacian champion (Poppy included) believes in Demacian justice and in Demacia. Lux is different in that she doesn’t fight for Demacia or Justice, but rather because she has nothing else(Her labored breaths caught in her throat just long enough for her to whisper, “Because I have nothing else…”). Despite her lack of resolve, Lux is incredibly powerful, bright, and noble. I think that she’ll make demacia whole, not because of her strength but because views things differently from every other demacian. Not to mention there’s one other difference she has from every other demacian. She doesn’t have a signature weapon. Garen has his mighty sword, Jarven his ancestral spear, Fiora her rapier, ect. While Lux on the other hand, doesn’t have anything special. Just a baton.
[1:44:51 PM] (´・ω・`)  Angel  (´・ω・`): Another point I forgot to mention, is that Poppy might not even want to find the hero anymore after all. While at first she was filled with resolve from her dying mentor as the lore states her will began to fade as she couldn’t find the hero after all those years. What’s weird about that is that in the lore it’s stated that “Orlon became a beloved figure throughout the kingdom. Though few had actually seen him wield his hammer, he always bore it on his back, and the weapon quickly became a revered icon for the fledgling nation.” Both the hammer’s former master and the hammer itself were well known and reviered in Demacia. Subsequently, she knows Garen(whom she thinks is the Hero) and Jarven, yet never presents the hammer to either of them, rather searching far and wide away from the Capital of Demacia. I think that, subconsciously Poppy wants to be the hero. Hence why she refers to it as her hammer casually, but not when in front of others. Poppy has always longed purpose ( “For as long as she could remember, she had been in search of a purpose.” ) and secretly desires to be the hero, but can’t accept it because it would go against the status quo and the stability she brought to herself in her quest.

“While yordles used their innate magic to fashion extraordinary things, these humans achieved equally astounding feats through coordination and discipline. They acted in concert like the cogs of a gear, becoming something much larger and stronger than any single person could ever be. To Poppy, that was more marvelous than all the magic in the world.”

And so Poppy forces herself, subconsciously, to search the outskirts of demacia and small towns steering clear of the capital, where the hero may very well be waiting.
[1:45:19 PM] (´・ω・`)  Angel  (´・ω・`): Of course there’s one major problem with this theory. It’s riot. They’d never do something like that.