Highlights

  • Borderlands 4 could bring back past vault hunters, bringing nostalgia and consistency to the franchise's narrative.
  • Making past vault hunters playable in Borderlands 4 would give fans the chance to revisit their favorites and introduce them to new players.
  • Including DLC with returning vault hunters in Borderlands 4 could give the game a full-circle moment and serve as a celebration of the entire franchise.

If there's one thing that the Borderlands franchise has never been short on, it's personality. Developer Gearbox Software established Borderlands' signature style from the very start, with its abundance of unique weapons and absurd sense of humor. At the center of every Borderlands game, however, are its characters, and few are as important as the vault hunters. These intrepid explorers are more than just the series' playable characters, they're essential facets of Borderlands' overarching narrative.

Now that the franchise's latest entries—Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands—have had room to breathe, many fans are looking forward to Borderlands 4. Some are specifically looking forward to what the new entry's vault hunters will be like, and while Gearbox will likely demonstrate its usual amount of creativity, it could look to a series tradition for further inspiration. When approaching Borderlands 4's list of playable vault hunters, Gearbox could revisit vault hunters from Borderlands' past.

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Borderlands Has Never Been Shy About Returning Vault Hunters

The first Borderlands' vault hunters became iconic along with the game itself, and Borderlands 2 acknowledged that by incorporating each of them into the main narrative. Lilith, Roland, Brick, and Mordecai were instrumental in the fight against Handsome Jack, providing a healthy bit of nostalgia while advancing their character development.

This decision to bring back previous vault hunters also helped provide a sense of consistency across games, and Gearbox has made this feeling of narrative consistency a hallmark of the series. Borderlands 3 furthered this tradition by featuring the living vault hunters from the first Borderlands, as well as Maya and Zer0 from Borderlands 2. Even if some of these fan-favorites have met an untimely demise when they return, it's nonetheless become an essential part of the series.

Playable Past Vault Hunters Could Be Perfect Borderlands 4 DLC

Whereas past Borderlands games have used vault hunters as a narrative addition, Borderlands 4 could go in a new direction and make them playable once again. The benefits of this would be two-fold: Fans of particular vault hunters would get a chance to revisit their favorites, and those who never got a chance to play older Borderlands titles would get an opportunity to use them.

Gearbox could add further value to returning vault hunters by giving them new skills. Whether it's passive buffs or updating abilities like Axton's Sabre Turret, these DLC characters could provide a new spin on the series' usual DLC vault hunters. Borderlands 4 already has a lot of story to follow up on from Borderlands 3, and getting classic Borderlands vault hunters in on the action could serve as a pleasant full-circle moment for the franchise.

Vault Hunters Who Could Return In Borderlands 4

  • Lilith
  • Brick
  • Mordecai
  • Axton
  • Salvador
  • Zer0
  • Krieg
  • Gaige
  • Athena
  • Claptrap
  • Amara
  • Zane
  • Moze
  • FL4K

Borderlands 4 has a lot riding on it, as Borderlands 3 left fans with a lot of unanswered questions. If Gearbox makes the next entry even bigger than the last, it may have room to reintroduce old vault hunters as playable characters once again. This could help the developer include vault hunters across all titles in one massive conclusion, giving longtime fans closure that's been over 15 years in the making. It's all wishful thinking for now, but Borderlands 4 has an opportunity to be a true celebration of the entire franchise with some well-planned DLC.