Borderlands 3 is filled with colorful and peculiar characters, and while players will meet plenty of new faces in the upcoming game, there are several characters that are returning from previous Borderlands installments. Some were introduced in the very first game, while others are relatively new to the franchise. We've poured over all of the official Borderlands 3 trailers to track down every familiar face, so here is every returning character that is confirmed for Borderlands 3 so far, and where they came from originally.
The Original Vault Hunters
Much like all the other titles in the Borderlands series, the first game featured four playable Vault Hunters: Lilith, Brick, Roland, and Mordecai. All four of these brave adventurers returned in Borderlands 2 to take down the infamous Handsome Jack alongside the Crimson Raiders. While Lilith, Mordecai, and Brick survived, Roland was killed by Jack. While he is the only original Vault Hunter not returning in Borderlands 3, his death has played a big part in shaping the surviving characters from Borderlands 2 - especially Lilith and Tiny Tina.
Returning Borderlands 1 NPCs
There are many characters from Borderlands 2 (and some returning from the first Borderlands) that spent the majority of their time in Sanctuary - and will be spending a lot of time aboard Sanctuary 3 in Borderlands 3. Tannis, Moxxi, Marcus, Claptrap, and Crazy Earl were all staple NPCs from Borderlands who are returning yet again for Borderlands 3. Marcus is once again the weapon and ammo vendor, and players will see his face pasted on vending machines all across the universe. Moxxi runs a new bar aboard Sanctuary 3, and Crazy Earl runs a secret new shop in the underbelly of the new hub space that will tie into the Borderlands 3 endgame. While Dr. Zed has been seen on some vending machines, he has not personally made an appearance yet in any of the trailers.
Borderlands 2 Characters and NPCs
Several characters from Borderlands 2 are making a return in Borderlands 3. From all the trailers out so far, five different iconic characters make a return: Maya, Ellie, (Not So Tiny) Tina, Zer0, and Sir Hammerlock. Maya is one of the mysterious Sirens of the Borderlands universe, and was one of the original four playable characters in Borderlands 2. Ellie is the daughter of Moxxi who takes over the Catch-A-Ride network after her brother Scooter passed away. Tiny Tiny makes a return as well, but is much older than the last time fans saw her. Lastly, Sir Hammerlock also makes a dashing return, and seems to host some sort of Big Game Hunting style side quest where he will reward players who track down deadly creatures around the universe.
Pre-Sequel and Tales Characters
Last up on the returning characters list are the characters that appeared in Tales from the Borderlands and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. One of the DLC Vault Hunters in The Pre-Sequel is Aurelia Hammerlock, Sir Hammerlock's sister. Aurelia is a powerful wielder of Cryo damage, and can be seen in a couple of the trailers so far. It seems she may play a significant part in the plot on the new planet Eden-6. Rhys and Vaughn are both from Tales from the Borderlands, though Vaughn does appear in the Commander Lilith DLC for Borderlands 2. Rhys look over the Atlas corporation at the end of the Telltale game. Vaugn is now caught up in a corporation war against Maliwan on the planet of Promethea. At the end of Tales, Vaughn wandered around Pandora to experience "bandit life" - and we find him in Borderlands 3 still living his bandit life to the fullest.
Borderlands 3 is nearly here, and soon players will be able to pre-load and play Borderlands 3 early (depending on location). It is without a doubt one of the most anticipated games of 2019, so hopefully it will live up to all the hype as players dive back to Pandora to meet faces new and old in Borderlands.
Borderlands 3 launches September 13 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.