This article contains spoilers forBorderlands 3.
Summary
Borderlandshas a wealth of underutilized characters that could arguably be a good fit for a playable vault hunter character in future games. However, one character should remain off-limits for the time being so that their role in theBorderlandsfranchise’s ongoing story doesn’t conflict with that of the playable characters.
More specifically, Dr. Patricia Tannis arguably shouldn’t be a candidate for one ofBorderlands 4’s vault hunter playable characters. Tannis has been a prominent character in the franchise since the original game, but making her a playable character could undermine her anticipated role in the story after whereBorderlands 3left off.
Why Dr. Patricia Tannis Shouldn’t Be a Playable Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 3 Set Tannis Up to Have a Major Role in Borderlands 4
As ofthe ending ofBorderlands 3, Tannis is most likely in the same boat as Lilith. Despite Lilith being in the prime of her Siren powers by the time thatBorderlands 3takes place in the franchise, making Lilith unavailable as a playable character in the recent games was a wise move that gave her the room she needed to have a central role in the story. Especially compared to the originalBorderlandsgame, where Lilith was a playable character, Lilith has seen a lot of growth that may not have been possible if she was a playable character.
So, with Tannis becoming a Siren, making her a playable character could likely hinder her growth and involvement with the plot, given the franchise’s track record. As much as fans of the franchise have wanted some of the familiar, returning characters to get promoted toplayable vault hunterstatus, Tannis should be off-limits, at least for now.
If Tannis is still around, Borderlands 4 should give her the room to grow by not making her playable!
Assuming Tannis is still alive and well afterwhereBorderlands 4takes the story, then future games can decide whether she is still worthy of being among one of theBorderlandsfranchise’s vault hunters. TheBorderlandsfranchise also has the opportunity to release a prequel game that takes place before Tannis got her Siren powers inBorderlands 3. This way, fans could see a side-by-side of this character before and after she got her Siren powers.
While it’s currently uncertain when exactlyBorderlands 4will take place in theBorderlandsfranchise timeline, it’s widely expected to continue the story immediately following the end ofBorderlands 3.
Borderlands 4 Already Has the Perfect Blueprint for the Next Siren Vault Hunters
For the next Siren playable character,Borderlands 4may want to give Ava a proper turn in the spotlight instead of Tannis. Despite Ava being an underdog of the series whom many fans criticized for their role in the story and the immature nature of their character,Borderlands 4can redeem this returning character. Of all the ways to do this, making Ava a playable character could allowBorderlands 4to keep her around for players who want to see her anticipated redemption arc while remaining an optional character.
Or, more like typicalBorderlandsfashion, the next playable Siren vault hunter could very well end up being a new character that longtime players haven’t met yet, considering this happened with Maya inBorderlands 2and then again with Amara inBorderlands 3. There is believed to be a finite and exact number of Sirens in theBorderlandsuniverse at all times, and given how this number fluctuated inBorderlands 3; it’sonly a matter of time until new Sirens take the place of the ones that were lost. Ultimately,Borderlands 4has plenty of reasonable candidates for a new Siren vault hunter or two, so Tannis could stand to benefit from the ‘Lilith treatment’ for the time being.
