Borderlands 4 was officially revealed during Gamescom opening Night Live this week, and while the teaser trailer was purely a CGI affair, fans immediately began combing through it for clues on what the next game could be about. One of the more popular theories–via X/Twitter users JoltDude139 and UndeadMD–is that Borderlands 4 will see Handsome Jack return, as the brief flash of a Vault symbol in the trailer perfectly matches up with the one that was punched into his face by Lilith in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has responded to that post, and said that the symbol isn’t hinting at Handsome Jack, but rather someone “far more dangerous and sinister” instead.
That’s not handsome jack. That is something far more dangerous and sinister
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) August 21, 2024
Ever since he first appeared in Borderlands 2, Handsome Jack has arguably been the best antagonist in the loot-and-shoot franchise. Players would eventually kill the egotistical Hyperion CEO by the end of the game, but his legacy would live on with more appearances in future Borderlands adventures. In the Pre-Sequel, players could play as a Jack body-double while helping the real deal out, and in Borderlands 3, one of the DLC expansions was set on Jack’s orbital casino and saw players cleaning up a major mess that he’d left behind.
The most significant Handsome Jack remnant was easily the AI version of the antagonist that appeared in Tales from the Borderlands. Depending on your actions, future Atlas CEO Rhys would either keep the EchoEye device containing Jack’s digital essence or destroy it, ending his threat for good.
As for who could be worse than Jack? That remains to be seen, although Pitchford could be attempting to divert attention with his post. Borderlands games have a goofy sense of humor, so for all we know, this could be an elaborate setup to introduce Really Handsome Jack to the series.
Borderlands 4 will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.
