It’s always a good sign for a video game franchise when a certain character, or characters, stand out from the rest and make an impact on the gaming community. Think of any big-name series in the gaming space, and most people, even casual fans, should be able to name at least one or two famous characters from them, so long as they’re big enough. For Gearbox Software, Borderlands 4 was the latest entry in its beloved FPS/RPG franchise, which has had some great characters over the years, between its Vault Hunters, Moxxi, and, of course, the villainous Handsome Jack. He was so special that Gearbox kept bringing him back for pre-sequels, spinoff titles, and more.
However, as we talked about before, Handsome Jack wasn’t really “meant” to have a role in Borderlands 4 due to what happened to him in past games. Even his gun company, which used to have a large amount of options for players in-game, was only barely a blip in the game due to his “lack of leadership” this time around.
Anyway, Gearbox Software knew that it had to “bring back” Handsome Jack in some form, as fans truly do love the villain. However, the way they did it, as pointed out by The Gamer, was all kinds of hilarious, as they did it through the Easter Egg of a “puppet show.” Specifically, Tannis is known for creating these kinds of “puppets” that emerge when you shoot certain barrels. It’s something Gearbox Software has done in past entries quite often.
This puppet show takes place at The Howl, and you’ll see Tannis “going up against” Handsome Jack during the “act.” So, yeah, Handsome Jack is in the game, but he’s basically a cardboard cutout and nothing more. Take what you can get, people!
Okay, we’ll be fair here, there are likely those who wish Handsome Jack had a much more pronounced role in the new game, but given the screentime that he had in past titles, including being a villain for pretty much every game beforehand, it’s okay for Gearbox Software to finally “step away” from the character to build on something new. In fact, they went to an entirely new planet this time around to really spice things up, and talked about how the new villain was meant to be “more dangerous than Handsome Jack” when the game was first announced.
And you never know, he could return one day in some way. After all, there ain’t no rest for the wicked…
