The Borderlands franchise is known for many things: a unique style, intense love for chaos, and amazing gameplay come to mind. But besides these factors, Borderlands hasn’t skimped on their stories, specifically on the bad guys that go after the beloved vault hunter characters. Fans are hoping to see the same amount of care for the characters put into the Borderlands film adaptation, directed by Eli Roth and written by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin and Aaron Berg. The film will have familiar faces in characters such as Lilith the Siren, Roland, Dr. Tannis, and even Tiny Tina — but the story will be completely new, involving a brand new villain known only as Atlas, played by Édgar Ramírez. Fans may be wondering if a new villain will be able to stand alongside the franchise’s iconic villains. At this point, it may be too early to tell.
In Borderlands, antagonists are just as important as the heroes — sometimes even favored over the good guys. There’s no villain in the Borderlands franchise that fits this description more than Borderlands 2’s Handsome Jack. The leader of the infamous company Hyperion, Handsome Jack terrorized players and committed horrific acts of violence throughout the game. Despite his villainous nature, Handsome Jack was also hilarious, spewing off one-liners and jokes that made him more than an archetype.
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Underneath these trademarks, though, is what made Handsome Jack so memorable: his saddening and ultimately relatable backstory. Finding out about his losses earlier in life made hating him a little harder for some players, especially when he spends a lot of time interacting with the player. It becomes even harder in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel when players have to literally play through the events that turned Handsome Jack into the tyrant he is in Borderlands 2.
Handsome Jack left a massive shadow in the Borderlands franchise since his departure, which was especially felt in Borderlands 3 after the game’s villainous twins, the Calypsos, weren’t viewed as highly. The Borderlands film’s Atlas will probably have to overcome this problem as well, along with the fact that the film will be telling a completely original story with well-known characters.
Creating a new villain for the Borderlands film seems like the right way to go if the plot explored is new as well. If there is no character being adapted, it’s less likely there will be fan backlash for not bringing the character to life correctly. Also, with a new villain, the writers can go anywhere with the character’s backstory, personality, or goals, with no parameters to hold them in.
So what could Édgar Ramírez’s Atlas be like? There are a few possibilities. Hardcore fans will know that Atlas was once among the largest arms dealing companies across Pandora, the planet most of the Borderlands franchise takes place on. Handsome Jack’s Hyperion company did its best to wipe out any competition, making Atlas’ impact on Borderlands 2 almost non-existent.
After Handsome Jack’s defeat and the events of Telltale’s Tales From The Borderlands, Atlas was eventually rebooted by Rhys Strongfork, who plays a role in the plot of Borderlands 3. Taking Atlas from just a company into the owner of a company could mean the character could be more similar to Handsome Jack than originally thought.
The biggest aspect Atlas will have to bring to the villain role is a sense of humanity. If viewers are not given the chance to know more about him as a villain and as a person, no matter how impressive of a costume or performance Ramírez gives, Atlas will ultimately land flat. Luckily there might be a lot of character-building screen time for Atlas, as Lilith the Siren (Cate Blanchett) will be looking for and protecting Atlas’ missing daughter. It would be interesting for Atlas to be portrayed as a father who loves his child, but also still makes chaotic and questionable decisions in true Borderlands fashion.
It could be an issue if his biggest character trait is his role as a father, though — too many comparisons to Handsome Jack may roll in and take away from what could make Atlas great. It’s also important to note that while Atlas is slated as the main villain at the moment, he isn’t the only one. As of publishing, Dutch bodybuilder Olivier Richters has been cast as Krom, a bandit leader and boss from the first Borderlands game.
With filming wrapping in June, there’s still a bit of time before more information about the Borderlands film will be available to fans. Video game adaptations are always full of rocky territory, balancing fan expectation with the creative vision of the film’s writers and directors. But with source material full of complex characters, the Borderlands film’s ace in the hole could rest with its villain. As more word gets out, fans might get their answer and even a new bad guy to love.
Borderlands is expected to hit theaters in 2022.