The Borderlands Movie Ignored The Video Game’s Best Villain Despite Major Character Connection

The Borderlands movie was a massive disappointment for many, and this was in large part due to the fact that it ignored the franchise’s best video game villain despite his major connection to a movie main character. The cast of characters in the Borderlands movie is full of many of the most iconic characters from the video game series, with Lilith, Tiny Tiny, Roland, and more appearing in the film. However, what is possibly the most iconic member of the Borderlands franchise’s cast wasn’t in the movie at all, with this being the film’s biggest missed opportunity.

2024’s Borderlands movie was one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year for fans of the video game franchise, with many hoping that the crude humor and visual flairs of the source material could be successfully translated to the big screen. However, Borderlands‘s poor box office and critical reception proved that it was not the film that many were hoping it would be. Borderlands was a flop for franchise newcomers as well as fans of the original video games, with many of the latter group being disappointed at the lack of one major Borderlands villain.

Handsome Jack Should’ve Been The Villain Of The Borderlands Movie

He Is The Franchise’s Most Iconic Villain

While there was a lot wrong with 2024’s Borderlands movie, one of the biggest sins of the Borderlands movie was not including Handsome Jack. Of all of the characters in the Borderlands franchise, Handsome Jack is the most well-known one, with him stealing the spotlight in nearly every moment in Borderlands 2. Handsome Jack isn’t just the best Borderlands villain, but he is also one of the most iconic video game villains of all time, meaning that many couldn’t wait to see him be adapted to live-action in a blockbuster Borderlands film.

Instead of using Handsome Jack, however, the Borderlands movie decided to make a character named Deukalian Atlas the main antagonist of the film. Unlike many of the other characters in the Borderlands movie, Deukalian Atlas is an original character, with him having no counterpart in the video games. Atlas does share some similarities to Handsome Jack, which only hurts more, as it makes it even more clear how he pales in comparison to the franchise’s best villain. While Atlas wasn’t the worst that the film could have done, he was far from the best.

Handsome Jack Being Borderlands’ Villain Could Have Helped Tiny Tina’s Story

The Two Have A Major Story Connection

Not only would Handsome Jack being Borderlands villain have successfully recreated his beloved video game counterpart, but it would have also helped the story of a character who is in the film: Tiny Tina. In the Borderlands video games, Tiny Tina and her parents were sold off to Handsome Jack, with them being tested on as part of Jack’s mutation experiments. This led to the deaths of Tiny Tina’s parents, giving her an anger at Jack that turned into revenge as her story continued. This is one of Tina’s main motivations throughout the game, with it being core to her character.

Not having Handsome Jack in the Borderlands movie meant that the film missed out on this fantastic motivation, weakening Tiny Tina’s character. While Tina does have a connection to the film’s villain, this Deukalian Atlas storyline is convoluted and not nearly as interesting as Tina’s dynamic with Handsome Jack. Improving Tiny Tina’s character would have significantly improved the Borderlands film as a whole, and simply adding in Handsome Jack would have gone a long way in doing so.

Why The Borderlands Movie Didn’t Use Handsome Jack

It Was Probably Waiting For A Sequel

There has been no word on why the Borderlands movie didn’t use Handsome Jack, with this being a disappointing mystery that has surrounded the film since its release. However, the biggest theory has to do with his video game origins. Handsome Jack actually originated in Borderlands 2, with him not being the antagonist until the sequel. If the movies wanted to follow the video game’s story, it makes sense for them to have held off on using Jack until the second film, although this may never happen now.

Borderlands was a huge box office flop and a critical failure, meaning that the likelihood of it getting a sequel is pretty low. Even if another Borderlands movie ends up getting made, it will most likely be a reboot, as most fans aren’t happy with these versions of the characters. Sadly, this means that Handsome Jack will probably never be seen in a Borderlands movie sequel, crushing the dreams of many who hoped to one day see the villain get adapted.

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