Few gaming villains are remembered or held as high as Borderlands 2's Handsome Jack. His charisma, unabashed cruelty, and constant presence throughout the game cemented him as one of the most iconic antagonists in gaming, even outside the Borderlands series. Every Borderlands game released since then has tried to recapture that magic, even to the point of Borderlands 3 making its Calypso Twins little more than a discount Handsome Jack knockoff — only more irritating. Ultimately, this has left it in the hands of Borderlands 4, a game touted as one that would potentially revive and reboot the franchise, to offer up a villain worth talking about as much as Handsome Jack.
As it turns out, Borderlands 4's Timekeeper may finally be that villain. He doesn't rely on cheesy one-liners and exaggerated bravado to get the message across that he is worth fearing. Instead, he rules the planet Kairos through a system of surveillance and control that makes his presence unavoidable on the planet. Where other villains, like the Calypso Twins, sometimes felt more like disconnected annoyances, the Timekeeper is at the very heart of the mechanics, factions, and tone of Borderlands 4's story. In the end, that's what makes him stand out in a way Borderlands hasn't seen in over a decade.
Timekeeper Is the Closest Borderlands Has Come to Jack in Years
A Villain Who Feels Tangible and Present
From its dark and intense prologue, Borderlands 4 makes it clear that the Timekeeper is not just some distant overlord waiting for players at the end of the campaign where they'll face the final boss. Rather, his presence is consistently felt through the "command bolts" that link him to his lieutenants and, indirectly, even to the player. That mechanic alone makes his oppressive rule more than just a simple cutscene or occasional taunts from afar and instead a core part of the foundation of Borderlands 4's gameplay. He is effectively a part of the world design itself, which makes his presence on Kairos feel less like something happening in the background and more like a force that is behind every step forward.
Even Borderlands 4's tone helps reinforce his character in that way. For the most part, the game's main campaign is dark, foreboding, and very serious, marking a significant departure from Borderlands' usual nonstop jokes and crude humor. This is where Borderlands 4's side quests come into play, as they offer the humor the series is known for to balance out the seriousness of the game's main narrative. But that division helps Borderlands 4's story to back up the threat of the Timekeeper, preventing him from fading into parody and feeling like an actual threat.
Why Timekeeper Still Faces the Jack Problem
All of that said, Handsome Jack is still what seems to be an insurmountable benchmark as far as villains go. What really sets Jack apart is that he was both threatening and entertaining — charismatic and yet easy to fear. His dialogue between gameplay moments carried both charm and contempt, making players feel like their world revolved around him, not the other way around. The Timekeeper, on the other hand, is more deliberate, more calculating, and tends to play it much cooler than Jack ever did. That approach certainly gives him stage presence, but it also runs the risk of his personality being less memorable, less quotable even, years later.
Still, it's difficult to deny that Borderlands 4 finally gives the series a villain who feels like he's a part of both the gameplay and story, not only directly affecting the potential outcome of the narrative, but also every step players take on Kairos. The Timekeeper may still not outperform Handsome Jack, but it could be argued that he doesn't have to. He's a great villain, he's just a different kind of villain. If nothing else, it proves that Borderlands hasn't forgotten what makes an antagonist truly great.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
