39 of the biggest Borderlands movie Easter eggs and game references
Aug. 8, 2024Dozens of Pandora’s finest
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As to be expected from the first cinematic trip to Pandora, the Borderlands movie is filled with references, Easter eggs, and nods toGearbox’s iconic looter-shooter series.
From background details you almost missed to love letters to Borderlands past, we’re here to found up the biggest Easter eggs from the adaptation, which stars Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
You ready? Catch a ride and zip on down to our round-up of the biggest and best Borderlands Easter eggs. For more, check out our breakdown of theBorderlands endingand whether there’s aBorderlands post-credits scene.
Spoilers for the Borderlands movie follow. You have been warned!
Borderlands Easter eggs
Some familiar faces crop up during the runtime of the Borderlands movie. Of course, the core gang of main characters from the series are all present (Lilith, Roland, Tannis, and Tiny Tina among them). But let’s go a little deeper.
One of the more obvious character cameos isMarcus, the munitions vendor found in practically every Borderlands title. In the movie, he gives Lilith a ride towards Fyrestone and later appears outsideMarcus' Munitionsin Sanctuary.
EllieandScooter, both allies from the Borderlands titles, appear during the end celebrations on Sanctuary, though we catch a glimpse of a Scooter Truck earlier in the movie as the gang make their way out of the city.
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Tailing the band of misfits isKnoxx, a commander of the Crimson Lance, played by Janina Gavankar (herself a prolific actor across several major video game franchises, including Star Wars Battlefront and God of War). The game version, however, is slightly different: General Knoxx was the antagonist of the Borderlands DLC pack ‘The Secret Armory of General Knoxx.’
While not exactly an Easter egg and, instead, a fully-fleshed out character, it was still nice to seeMoxxishow up during the events on Sanctuary.
Mini Psychosare also present during Lilith’s hunt for the second vault key, while an even bigger problem poses itself in Borderlands' as the black-helmetedKrommakes an appearance next to Atlas. The character looked markedly different in the film. In the games, is a prison warden and one of the first bosses players encounter in the original Borderlands.
In one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment on Sanctuary, there’s a wanted poster forMick Zaford, the bowler hat-wearing leader of the Zaford clan from Borderlands 2.
And, yes, we’re counting Tiny Tina’s rabbitMushy Snugglebites(here called Bob) as an Easter egg.
Some of Pandora’s finest (and not-so-fine) locales were explored in the Borderlands movie.
But, first up, a surprise trip toPrometheais where we first find Cate Blanchett’s Lilith. The neo-futuristic city is home to all sorts of villainy. It’s also a major location in Borderlands 3. While there, Lilith mentions she’s bringing in a bounty from a heist on what sounded likeLectra City. The location was found in Borderlands 3.
Once on Pandora, the film rattles through a handful of iconic locations. There’sFyrestoneand the first lead to find Tina. Fittingly, it’s also the first named location players will encounter in the Borderlands franchise.
From there, Lilith then finds Tannis inSanctuary, a sprawling location seen in Borderlands 2. That also featuresMoxxi’s Bar. The mission to find three Vault Keys then sees the team head toCaustic Caverns, a Dahl mining operation that carries the same function in Borderlands 2.
Of course, it’s not Borderlands without things that go boom. In that respect, the movie certainly packs a punch (and more than its fair share of explosions).
Lilith’s weapon of choice is aVladof Infinity Pistol. Good luck getting that in-game: it’s only found as a legendary drop in a handful of locations.
Tiny Tina, as to be expected, as her own litany of death-dealing weapons. There’s theBadonkadonk, which Tina makes players collect in the Borderlands 2 mission ‘A Train to Catch.’ Ariana Greenblatt’s foul-mouthed character also pulled out aVladof RPGduring an early showdown with Lilith. Several weapons manufacturers are also present throughout, including Maliwan, Hyperion, and, of course, Atlas.
We’ve already mentioned thePsychosbut did you catch a reference to theBloodshotsandRaidersin Caustic Caverns? The former were found, infamously, in Borderlands 2’s Bloodshot Stronghold, a sharp difficulty spike for players.
And what are weapons without a few targets? Throughout the movie, there areskags,rakks,and most notably aThresherroaming the wastes. Rakks are even a delicacy of choice at Sanctuary food stall Rakk’s Snacks.
Upon meeting Lilith, Claptrap tells her that she has an extremely high chance of being eaten by aCraw Maggot. She can count herself lucky that Crawmerax the Invincible never turned up.
Of course, there are plenty of singular references to the Borderlands games. You may have had a good chuckle at the return ofClaptrap’s greatest enemy:stairs.
Other elements pulled directly from the games include theBorderlands money audio cuewhen Lilith is offered a bounty on Promethea; theECHONetservice; and anOutrunner vehicle.
Speaking of vehicles, Lilith says she needs to “catch a ride” on Pandora and, lo and behold, Marcus and his bus show up. That’s a cheeky nod to the games' handyCatch-A-Rideservice, which allows you to spawn any vehicle you own at certain locations.
Krieg’s quick, brutal one-liners are assuredly a nod toPsycho one-liners, as the mobs of low-level enemies taunt you across several Borderlands games. Our favorite? Krieg will “lick your spine clean”, apparently. Charming.
There’s also a welcome sight for any weary Vault Hunter: agun vending machine. Jack Black’s Claptrap tries to flirt with it. Naturally. In the games, it’s where you can spend your hard-earned money on new weapons and upgrades.
Finally, the end of the movie makes good on its promise of theEridianssetup. Both in the movie and in the games, they’re presented as the galaxy’s forebears and a race that came equipped with advance technology, much of which was hidden away in the Vault on Pandora.
Much like the games, Lilith learns toPhasewalk(essentially a rapid teleport) and discovers she is aFirehawkand can open the Vault. That name is a nod to her alias in Borderlands 2, while her abilities closely resemble that of the game’sSirenpowers.
She uses those powers to overcome Atlas (hisshieldis certainly a wink at the games' rechargeable shields that players can use on top of their health) in the Vault. There, Lilith rescues Tina and allows Atlas to be consumed by a mysterious creature in the Vault who, we suspect, isThe Destroyer.
For more from Borderlands, check out our chat withAriana Greenblatt and Florian Munteanu about prepping for their roles, and an interview withRandy Pitchford about the pressure of making a live-action video game adaptation.
Then dive into the latest releases with our guide toupcoming video game movies.
I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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