Borderlands 4 Must Leave Its Golden Goose in The Dust

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Important takeaways

  • Borderlands 4 teasers suggest Lilith's return with her Phasewalking a large moon or planet into the sky.
  • The speculation about Handsome Jack's return as the main villain in BL4 was revealed by Randy Pitchford.
  • BL4 should move away from Handsome Jack to allow for new enemies and character growth, as well as not to stagnate the series.



After a long time when Gearbox was radio silent and rumors were the only source of information ang Borderlands 4the iconic looter-shooter finally made an appearance at Gamescom, sparking plenty of fan theories about what the next installment in the series will be about. Little is known at the moment, as the teaser has shown some familiar elements mixed with new details, all pointing to a big chapter ahead. Borderlands 3's Director's Cut DLC confirmed that Lilith was still alive after the game's finale, and Borderlands 4s teaser confirms as much by showing her iconic fiery phoenix in the sky.


Not only that, but Borderlands 4Phoenix precedes the appearance of a giant moon or even a full-fledged planet being teleported, which is in line with Lilith's Phasewalk ability, meaning she's probably the one doing it. Some fans also latched onto a frame that displayed the Vault symbol in a way that seemed to match Handsome Jack's scar shown in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequelbut this theory was quickly shut down by Randy Pitchford himself, saying it was something “much more dangerous and sinister.” Although this seems to confirm that Handsome Jack won't be Borderlands 4s villain doesn't confirm if the series is moving away from him.

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Why BL4 shouldn't include Handsome Jack

Borderlands 4 has been delayed for a long time, and if it is not delayed, it is likely that it will be launched in the fall of 2025, about 6 years after BL3. Even if Borderlands 3 was a huge game in its own right, moving the franchise forward in several ways, it was arguably two steps forward and one step back due to its reliance on Handsome Jack again. It's understandable, on the one hand, since Handsome Jack has become the face of the franchise, and he's also widely considered one of the best video game villains ever.

On the other hand, Jack dominated the whole thing Borderlands 2he was a big part of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequeland then had a DLC dedicated to his legacy in Borderlands 3 as well as a side quest that highlighted the tragic story of Jack's family. With such an impressive shadow on the franchise, it comes as no surprise that BL3villains were compared to Handsome Jack and did not live up to him. As such, allowing Handsome Jack to “come back” in any shape or form Borderlands 4 wouldn't allow the series to move forward, which is what it desperately needs.


Why Borderlands 4 needs a blank slate, free of handsome jack

Handsome Jack is all over the franchise, with his likeness also appearing in Tales from the borderland game at the top of the main series. Having a brand new enemy take the reins in Borderlands 4 sounds good, especially if this entity is really much more dangerous and sinister than that BorderlandsJack, but that's not enough. Instead, the new title should reduce Jack to a footnote for his own sake, perhaps appearing as an easter egg in some dialogue or weapon text, and nothing more. Players will most likely remember Jack anyway, but veterans and newcomers alike would benefit from witnessing a blank slate.


Over time, seeing Jack in has almost become an expectation Borderlands games considering how often he has been used. Removing this familiar element doesn't necessarily seem like the best thing, but it would allow existing characters to grow more as much as it would allow new ones to shine brighter. Borderlands 4 has a chance to deliver The Watcher's war, a long-running part of the series that hyped up the next big release after The prequelon which BL3 didn't really build that much. If it does, it will need many old and new faces in the game's universe – and as much as The prequel is in a way Handsome Jack's game, The Watcher's war should happen in a universe where Jack is a distant memory.

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