Borderlands 4 was officially revealed at Gamescom's opening night event this week, and while the trailer is purely a CGI affair, fans immediately began scouring it for clues as to what the upcoming game might be about. One of the most popular theories – via X/Twitter users JoltDude139 and UndeadMD – is that Borderlands 4 will see the return of Handsome Jack, as the brief flash of a vault symbol in the trailer perfectly matches the one that was punched into his face by Lilith in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford responded to the post and said the symbol did not refer to Handsome Jack, but rather someone “far more dangerous and sinister.”
This is not a handsome guy. This is something much more dangerous and sinister.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) August 21, 2024
Since his first appearance in Borderlands 2, Handsome Jack has been arguably the best antagonist in the loot-and-shooter franchise. Players would eventually kill the selfish Hyperion CEO by the end of the game, but his legacy would live on with further appearances in future Borderlands adventures. In the Prequel, players could play as a stunt double of Jack while helping the real person, and in Borderlands 3, one of the DLC expansions took place in Jack's orbital casino and saw players cleaning up a big mess he left behind.
Handsome Jack's most significant vestige was undoubtedly 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, though Pitchford could be trying to deflect attention with his message. The Borderlands games have a goofy sense of humor, so for all we know, this could be an elaborate set-up to introduce the very handsome Jack into the series.
Borderlands 4 will launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.