Borderlands 3 is full of memorable characters many of which have been with the series since its inception. While players have a strong attachment to characters like Lilith, and the four new Vault Hunters were well received, some of the other fresh additions have not been as well-received by fans. The Calypso Twins, for example, were widely garded as weaker villains than Handsome Jack. However, the lukewarm reception to this pair of antagonists could not compare to the fanbase’s reaction to Ava.
While Borderlands 3 did a lot right, it was criticized heavily for its main story. While not everything can be blamed on Ava, the character played a role in some of the narrative’s most frustrating moments. Viewed by most as annoying, unlikable, and useless, the Borderlands community has made its feelings known on the character. With Ava set to have a big role in the Director’s Cut DLC, though, Gearbox has the chance to sway public opinion back in the character’s favor. While it will take work, the expansion could serve as a great way to address the community’s criticisms, making Ava into a stronger character before the next game arrives.
Apologizing For Maya’s Death
Ava’s Director’s Cut content will see players working to solve a series of murder mysteries, and while the concept seems perfect for a quest line, Gearbox is asking a lot by centering the missions on Ava. After all, many players have formed a deep hatred for the character, so sweeping her actions from Borderlands 3 under the rug would be a bad idea. While it is possible that players will still enjoy this content despite Ava’s presence, having her acknowledge her own flaws early on could be a great start.
Ava’s apology would need to address her attitude prior to, during, and after Maya’s death. While many consider the moment unnecessary, there seems to be no plans to retcon the popular Siren’s demise. As such, having Ava learn from the moment is a necessity, especially considering how she acted after the death took place. Despite being the direct cause for her mentor’s murder, Ava placed the blame on Lilith for no reason at all, acting rude and spoiled for the remainder of the main story. While this attitude does keep with Ava’s teenage nature, Gearbox never shows her being punished or growing out of this phase.
A big step toward Ava maturing would be to have her talk directly to the Vault Hunters — and the players controlling them — at the start of the DLC. Taking proper blame for Maya’s death and admitting that she had a big role to play in what happened would be a great first step, while a second would see her apologizing for her outburst with Lilith after the fact. While more needs to be done to make Ava likable, having the character extend an olive branch to the audience would not hurt.
A New, Mature Ava
Following this apology, Ava needs to drop her new role as the leader of Sanctuary and the Crimson Raiders. While players took issue with Ava causing Maya’s death and not being nearly remorseful enough for her actions, they took greater issue with the fact that Lilith gave her control of Sanctuary 3. While Ava not being punished for her mistakes and her harshness after was an issue, a greater problem was how the character was rewarded for this behavior. Having accomplished nothing throughout the story and shown no leadership skills, Ava getting this position makes no sense whatsoever.
The role could have gone to a character like Tannis, who is not only a Siren, but also a genius scientist. Even better, Brick could have taken on the role, as he has proven to have leadership experience in the past. Fortunately, this can still happen, and Ava can show she has changed by turning down the role herself. At the start of the Director’s Cut, she can explain that she is not ready to become the leader of the Raiders or Sanctuary, passing on the position to one of the aforementioned characters.
Turning down the role would be a great way to show a changed Ava, winning Borderlands fans over in the process. Her logic can be as simple as an explanation that she does not feel old enough for such a task, with Gearbox able to turn the moment into some classic Borderlands humor. Having Ava joke that a teenager should not be given such a role would be a tongue-in-cheek moment that speaks volumes, and it could be a good way to get fans to move on. After all, Borderlands 3’s finale set up Ava as a key focus in future entries, meaning that the elephant in the room will need to be acknowledged at some point.
Making A Friend In Tiny Tina
By apologizing and refusing to lead the people of Sanctuary until she is older, Ava would be well on the way to becoming a more likable character. From there, giving her a relationship beyond what she had with Maya will be a must. After all, the best bit of Ava content in the main game was her mission with Private Beans. The hilarious Maliwan enemy making fun of Ava was funny, but it also made the player feel bad for her — a feeling that quickly went away after the events of the main story. Still, the mission’s blueprint is an effective one.
While Ava does not need a character to antagonize her again, giving her someone to build off and learn from would be a huge step in the right direction. After all, Borderlands’ characters are defined by their relationships with others. Rhys and Zer0, Handsome Jack and Angel, Lilith and Roland, and Krieg and Maya are just some of the many relationships that help players get attached to the franchise’s characters. As such, Ava needs a foil of some kind, and the perfect option seems like an obvious one.
With Ava’s DLC missions seeing her record the findings of each mystery via her podcast, there is plenty of potential to give Ava a co-host. While several characters could work, there is no better fit than Tiny Tina. Loud, obnoxious, and loved by many, she is the exact opposite of the quiet and reserved Ava. The DLC could establish a bond between the two, something that would make logical sense due to their closeness in age. Through Tina, Ava could become a stronger character, and the duo could eventually become one of the biggest attractions in future Borderlands content.
With a proper pairing, strong apology, and showcase of maturity, the Director’s Cut missions with Ava could showcase a version of the Siren that is a far cry from the one seen in Borderlands 3’s main story. From there, showing off her powers and a bond with her cute pet Hermes would be all it takes to make the most despised character in the series a popular one.
Borderlands 3 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
