Mad Moxxi is one of the most iconic characters in the Borderlands franchise. Some fans find her attractive, some think she’s a strong role model, others think she’s creepy. While she’s on many gamers radars there is a lot about her that even dedicated fans probably aren’t aware of.
Between mysteriously missing children, a complicated background, an obsession with finding husbands, and some great movie references, here are all the weird facts you may not know about the alluring Mad Moxxi.
10 Mad Moxxi
Mad Moxxi’s name is a reference to the Australian film series Mad Max, particularly the third film in the series Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. In fact the entire concept of Mad Moxxi’s Underdome is based on the Thunderdome that also had gladiatorial death matches.
Many fans also believe her character is loosely based on the character Aunty Entity from the movies given their positions of power and similar personality traits. Admittedly Mad Moxxi’s personality seems more interested in having a good time than ruling with an iron fist.
9 Member Of The Hodunk Clan
Mad Moxxi started out as a member of the backwater Hodunk Clan. That’s right, the prim and improper madam of the Underdome and Mad Moxxi’s Bar was once a redneck trailer trash clan member.
Given the clan’s keen desire to procreate it’s likely Mad Moxxi was one of the clan wives responsible for bearing the clan leader’s children, though it is possible she served a different role within the clan. It’s unknown if her name was always Mad Moxxi or if it’s one she adopted after leaving the clan.
8 Fake Accent
Mad Moxxi’s original Hodunk accent will sometimes come out when she’s caught off guard, such as the player tipping her a large amount in Borderlands 2. She also uses it in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel when she’s alone in her garage working.
Any time the player overhears her using this accent or if out of her exotic attire she’ll beg or threaten the player not to reveal her true accent. In Pre-Sequel she’ll threaten to have Scooter bury the player in a shallow grave. This suggests she wants to keep her true origins a secret to maintain her persona or drawing unwanted attention from old enemies.
7 Left The Clan To Protect Daughter
What motivated Mad Moxxi to finally leave the Hodunks was the safety of her daughter Ellie. At some point in Ellie’s childhood the leader of the Hodunks at the time announced that Ellie was destined to become the new clan wife.
Disgusted, Mad Moxxi killed the leader and escaped the clan with her children in tow. It’s for this reason she’s concerned with Ellie going back to live in the Dust so close to the clan. At some point after escaping she managed to gather enough followers, power, and resources to either construct or obtain control of the Underdome and Moxxi’s Red Light bar.
6 The Heart Tattoos Are Brands
Further confirmation of her ties to the Hodunk clan are the heart tattoos she has on her body. Ellie who bears similar tattoos mentions in Borderlands 2 that they’re a symbol of ownership, “Kind of like brandin’ cattle, but way creepier somehow.”
It’s likely the hearts were used to signify which women were clan wives which gives weight to the theory that Mad Moxxi was a clan wife. Mad Moxxi has since embraced the heart tattoos and now uses hearts for much of her wardrobe and decorations.
5 The Underdome Was Used To Find Lovers
The Underdome itself is used by Mad Moxxi was a way to find new lovers and potential husbands. Admittedly it was also a source of entertainment for her and likely a cash cow given the popularity of arena death matches among the bandit population, but it also served as a filter to weed out the weaker men and women seeking her audience.
In fact some of the notable winners to find their way into Moxxi’s arms are Mordecai and presumably Handsome Jack. She left Mordecai because he didn’t give her enough attention and Handsome Jack promptly destroyed the Underdome when she broke things off with him.
4 At Least Three Husbands
The total amount of husbands Mad Moxxi has had is unknown, but it’s at least three. Her first husband was Jimbo Hodunk who is also Scooter’s father and brains of the Hodunk clan, though he lacks the ability to speak properly.
Her second husband was Mr. Shank who she likely met between leaving the clan and creating the Underdome. She contracted the Vault Hunters to assassinate him, but expresses remorse for his death. The final confirmed husband is Marcus Kincaid, the arms dealer who owns the weapon vendors in Borderlands 2. It’s unclear why they broke things off, though his shady dealings with bandits may have played a role.
3 She Has At Least Four Kids
An interesting fact many fans aren’t aware of is that Mad Moxxi has four children. In Borderlands 2 when the players tips a large amount to Moxxi she’ll deliver a line explaining she used to be a fighter, “Course, that was four kids and god knows how many husbands ago. My reflexes aren’t exactly what they used to be.”
Ellie and Scooter were confirmed as her children in Borderlands 2 and the subsequent DLCs. Another child is mentioned as Scooter’s older sister who is also named Scooter, though her whereabouts are unknown. The fourth child remains a complete mystery.
2 Many Items Associated With Her
Given Moxxi’s business dealings and numerous lovers there are a large number of items found in the games that once belonged to her. At least a dozen items can have the special prefix ‘Miss Moxxi’s’. The items range from weapons to artificacts, but they all share the same characteristic of providing health to the wielder when causing damage.
They’re also riddled with innuendos and adult humor either by the names of the items, their features, or their red text descriptions. One example is Moxxi’s weapon Good Touch that possesses the ability to vibrate that provides no benefit in combat whatsoever.
1 Older Than She Looks
What might be surprising to most fans is that Moxxi is older than she appears. Fans estimate that Scooter is about 20-years-old in Borderlands and Borderlands 3 takes place about 13 years later. Assuming Moxxi was very young when she had Scooter, say 15-years-old, then that would make her 35 in Borderlands and 48 in Borderlands 3.
If she had Scooter at an older age of say 20 then that would put her into her fifties during the events of Borderlands 3. Whatever she’s doing to stay looking young fans think it’s working pretty well.