When Borderlands 2 was first released, its developer team did not expect just how much the villain would be loved. Handsome Jack is mentioned in lots of video essays about charismatic evil characters, with most of the said essays mentioning him as one of the most (if not the most) compelling and well fleshed out of the bunch. As such, Handsome Jack also made his appearance in two other games of the franchise, namely Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Tales from the Borderlands. When third Borderlands game was announced, everyone knew just how much old Jack would be missed, and the upcoming Borderlands 3 villains had a very difficult task when it came to living up to the expectations.

As per the development team's admission, Handsome Jack was originally considered for a comeback into the series as the main villain, once again. This goes to show how much of an impact the character had made on Borderlands, and how crazy high the bar was set with his legacy. In the end, the Calypso Twins were conceived to take Jack's place.

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Factors To Consider When Comparing Handsome Jack And The Calypso Twins

For starters, it is important to consider how much screen time Handsome Jack was given throughout three games prior to Borderlands 3. To top that off, he still returned to the game in some form thanks to the first DLC to be released for Borderlands 3Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot. Here, despite him being dead for a long time now, Jack's persona is still very much alive in digital form in his mammoth space casino brilliantly called "the Handsome Jackpot." This DLC proves just how hard it was and still is for Gearbox Software to let Jack go, giving him even more screen time after his demise.

The Calypso Twins, in comparison, are quite short-lived. Borderlands 3 on its own has less playtime when compared to Borderlands 2. To put things in perspective, the former's main story is completed on average in 23-24 hours, and when completing side quests this time goes up to slightly more than 43 hours total. Borderlands 2, on the other hand, comes with the main storyline lasting for around 30-31 hours on average, and adding side quests brings the total up to around 53 hours. This means that Jack gets much more screen time just on his main game when compared to the Calypso Twins, and that playtime is not even addressing Jack's appearance in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Tales from the Borderlands, and Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot.

Another important factor to consider is that Jack's story is expanded in a way that portrays him in different lights, while the Twins' story is revealed only towards the end of Borderlands 3. Despite being tragic, and even somewhat relatable, Tyreen and Troy's story is never experienced from their point of view. They are presented as "the baddies" very soon into the game, and that doesn't really change even after hearing their story.

Lastly, Jack interacts with the players much more than the Calypso Twins ever do. This aspect may fall under the screen time umbrella, but it's more than just that. Jack communicates in multiple ways with the players, sometimes taunting them, sometimes threatening them, and other times simply chatting over regular daily things he does. The Calypso Twins feel superior to the players, and their interactions are limited to them being bullies and overpowering major characters from the series right from the start. They talk, but they don't communicate, and those are two very different things.

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Handsome Jack

bl3 handsome jack

Handsome Jack is a complex character, and thanks to the sheer amount of hours players get to interact with him in four games now, there are always new things fans get to discover about him. Even his final demise doesn't prevent him from being as present, funny, and menacing as he was when alive. He is a compelling presence, and he has charm. He even has his own ideology, albeit distorted and biased as it may be, and his actions have motives beyond the simple act of doing something evil.

He is a tormented character, and he suffers from the trauma of loss, betrayal, and abandonment. This is shown both in his personality and through his story, and the franchise does a great job at making him very human. His humanity is likely one of his greatest qualities and one of his major issues, often resulting in his flaws controlling him more than he could ever control them. An example of this is his love for his daughter, Angel, who was born a Siren and possessed the power of interacting with technology and phase-shifting electronics to bid her will. Jack is extremely fond of Angel, but at the same time he is an over-protective father and he doesn't know how to show his feelings. At the same time, he is afraid of his daughter's powers because of what they did to her mother, Jack's wife, and so he ends up caging her.

The Calypso Twins, Tyreen And Troy

The Calypso Twins suffer from trauma, too, but instead of evolving from it and changing gradually, their trauma makes them have a purpose. As it happens with Jack, their actions are evil, but they are not random. However, they are both Sirens and very powerful beings, in different ways than Jack. Old Jack is powerful because of his charisma, his status, and his wealth, while the Calypso Twins' strength is more practical and yet more subtle. They are portrayed as charismatic, managing to unite all bandits under one single clan: the Children of the Vault. This is something no one has ever achieved, but, is it really due to charisma?

Troy and Tyreen are "influencers," much like real-life people on social media. Their charisma is an act, and the twins are revealed to be simply very smart in using videos and montages to increase their following and the reach of their domain. They use propaganda to have bandits, usually not very bright humans, worship them as gods and do their bidding. Stealing powers from Lilith, or killing Maya while absorbing her abilities, are both events the Twins use to show off how potent they are.

The Twins have personal motives, while Jack has bigger ideas than himself. Jack's flaws are always shown, but the Twins' faults could never be shown due to their social status. Jack's threats are out of anger and fear of losing control, whereas the Twins feel too superior to the players and consider them an annoyance or small obstacle. The Twins' internal feud is presented but never really addressed, unlike Jack's personal struggles, past and present.

Borderlands 3 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: Why The Calypso Twins Fall Short of Borderlands 2's Handsome Jack