My Favorite Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Hates My Favorite BL3 Character, and I Really Need to Know Why
Even though I had some concerns going in, I can’t deny that Borderlands 4 has checked a significant number of boxes for me. Its story and tone are solid, and even if the Timekeeper doesn’t quite reach Handsome Jack territory in my eyes, he’s the second-best villain the series has ever had. Loot feels significantly more rewarding because of how rarely Legendary guns drop, while the core gameplay loop is as satisfying as ever thanks to added movement abilities and smooth gunplay. I could take or leave the Ubisoft-like open-world, but overall, it’s a strong game that has also produced one of my all-time favorite Borderlands characters: Amon.
While Borderlands 4’s Amon may look like “Kratos at home” on the surface, he’s far from just an angry muscle-bound brute who wants violence and nothing more. He’s a genuinely kind person who regularly shows a willingness to help the people of Kairos, offering surprisingly deep insight in the process. Unlike Brick, whose charm came from his loud personality and a simple love for punching everything that moves, this giant appeals to me because of his gentleness. This attitude was enough to overcome all the content creators’ warnings of him being the weakest of the initial four Vault Hunters at launch, and I ultimately made him my initial pick because of his attitude. However, in the time I’ve spent with Amon, I couldn’t help but notice his seemingly out-of-character hatred for the owner of the Jakobs brand.
While all Borderlands weapon manufacturers have their upsides and gimmicks, from Tediore’s throwable and walking guns to Maliwan’s elemental prowess, I’ve always been a simple Jakobs enjoyer. It doesn’t matter if it’s a revolver, a sniper, or the oh-so-satisfying Hot Slugger Legendary shotgun — if it’s Jakobs, you can be sure I’ll have a blast wielding it. Even Amon admits the high damage output and ricocheting critical shots of Jakobs guns are awesome, as, for whatever reason, he has an issue with the man behind the company and not his products. Considering how much I like Wainwright Jakobs, I’m gonna need Amon to do some explaining in future Borderlands 4 content.
Wainwright Jakobs Gives Little Reason to be Hated
Indeed, while Amon has plenty of fun voice lines like “kneel or be knelt,” I’ve heard two specific lines when wreaking havoc with Jakobs guns where he talks about “hating the man” despite how “his weapons are great.” He also prefaces a Jakobs comment by remarking “say what you will about the man” before praising the weapon he’s using in a separate line of dialogue. As one throwaway line, it would be strange enough, but the fact that Gearbox tossed in two separate comments from Amon about disliking the CEO of Jakobs feels deliberate. Hopefully, a payoff will happen, because as of now I’m struggling to understand why exactly the kind-hearted Amon could have such a deep hatred for the honorable Wainwright.
While Borderlands 3 characters like the Calypso Twins and Maya’s trainee Ava were widely hated, the game did have its share of well-liked additions. These include the Eden-6 sheriff Clay, Vault Hunting legend Typhon DeLeon, and Wainwright Jakobs. During the Borderlands 3 story, Wainwright is thrown out of Jakobs manor by the Calypsos and Aurelia Hammerlock, but the Vault Hunters eventually help him regain his status and get him back in control of his company. While he never wanted to run the company and isn’t skilled with a gun himself due to poor eyesight, Wainwright maintains his position due to his recognition that anyone else in the Jakobs family would run the brand poorly. It can be safely assumed that, like Wainwright himself, Jakobs is now a brand built on being honorable and reliable.
Borderlands 3’s standout Guns, Love, and Tentacles expansion saw the Vault Hunters growing closer to Wainwright, as they helped him complete his marriage to Sir Hammerlock. This DLC made me really like Wainwright, as it became clear how genuine he was about his feelings for Hammerlock, another fun member of the cast.
There’s Only One Possible Explanation for Amon’s Jakobs Hatred I Can Think Of
With Wainwright being one of the rare do-gooders in the Borderlands universe, and one of the few Borderlands CEOs that aren’t corrupt or cruel, it’s odd that he’s the character Amon has singled out as someone to dislike. To me, the only possible explanation is that Amon is unaware that Wainwright’s father, Montgomery, died and passed the Jakobs empire on to his son, with Montgomery being the source of Amon’s ire instead. Perhaps Amon took issue with Montgomery specifically due to the spoiled upbringing he had and his somewhat cold nature at times, as Amon had a rough life growing up and is always heartfelt when he speaks. Even then, though, I’m not fully confident in this theory. Wainwright will have been CEO for years by the time Borderlands 4’s story takes place, and considering how much Wainwright cared for his dad, Montgomery was likely a fairly decent man, too.
Some have suggested that Wainwright and Amon may have dated at some point and the relationship ended poorly, as both are on the older side. However, with Amon’s backstory taking him directly from living in a cult to hunting Vault Monsters constantly, it’s hard to imagine a window where he could have gotten with the Jakobs CEO.
Ultimately, I’m at a loss as to why two characters I love could hate each other, but I’d definitely love some extra insight into what caused Amon’s hatred for Wainwright. Perhaps it’s as simple as a Jakobs ricochet taking his eye out, or a Jakobs weapon failing on him when he was trying to protect someone, but his consistent praise for the company’s guns implies his anger is directed purely at the man behind their production. Alternatively, maybe he’s had interactions with Wainwright’s siblings and just assumes he’s more of the same. For now, this grudge is one of the most interesting Borderlands mysteries to me, falling just behind Zer0 and FL4K’s origins. Though I worry the answers could make me like either Wainwright or Amon a bit less, I still hope we get them at some point.
