Borderlands 4: Who is the Timekeeper?

While Borderlands 4 has still refrained from disclosing too much about its new antagonist, the world now knows more than it did when the game’s teaser trailer was all it had to go on. With the unveiling of the latest gameplay trailer for Borderlands 4 at the 2024 Game Awards came the official reveal of the game’s villain, the Timekeeper.

Enough is known about this mysterious character and what he wants, but the Timekeeper still seems largely shrouded in mystery, saving the deepest aspects of his character for the game itself. It’s possible Borderlands 4 will reveal more about the Timekeeper as its release date draws nearer, but for now, he remains a fairly straightforward yet menacing antagonist that might put up a fight against Handsome Jack for the series’ best villain.

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Borderlands 4’s Timekeeper Explained

Borderlands 4’s Timekeeper Is the Ruthless Dictator of Kairos

The Timekeeper is the supreme ruler of Borderlands 4‘s new planet Kairos, whether its inhabitants like it or not. His rule is characterized by his ruthlessness, his lack of concern for the ideals and opinions of others, and his desire to maintain control and order at all costs. His synthetic enforcers, appropriately known as “The Order,” serve as his primary means of control over the planet, keeping every dissentious voice in check and ensuring all the inhabitants of Kairos are held tightly under the Timekeeper’s authority. To prevent any potential rebellions from taking place, the Timekeeper keeps Kairos stripped of its individuality and freedom. However, Borderlands 4‘s premise sees the order he once maintained beginning to crumble, as the unexpected has taken place.

At the end of Borderlands 3, Lilith teleported Pandora’s moon, Elpis, away as it was on a collision course with the planet. As it turns out, the Siren teleported Elpis into Kairos’ orbit, with enough force behind it that it shatters a cloaking veil that had previously kept Kairos hidden. With that, an uprising on the planet is triggered, and the rigid control the Timekeeper once had over Kairos and its inhabitants begins to seep through the cracks in his iron fist. This is where Borderlands 4‘s Vault Hunters come in, who are now setting out to fight for the freedom of Kairos and end the Timekeeper’s tyranny once and for all.

Borderlands 4 Clearly Intends for Its Timekeeper to Be a More Nuanced Villain Than Recent Antagonists

The true depth of the Timekeeper’s character has yet to be fully disclosed by Gearbox, 2K, or Borderlands 4 itself, but the latest gameplay trailer for the game seems to suggest a far more nuanced character than recent antagonists have proven to be — Borderlands 3‘s Calypso Twins, in particular. This is largely speculation on account of the mystery surrounding the Timekeeper, with the close-up images of him in the trailer even being silhouetted to hide his appearance. Whether the Timekeeper is truly as mysterious as he seems in the actual game remains to be seen, but there is a clear message that this villain is not to be trifled with.

Shortly after the release of Borderlands 4‘s teaser trailer, Randy Pitchford made a post on X to confront some theories about the game’s antagonist, in which he confirmed that the new villain is not Handsome Jack but is instead something far more “dangerous and sinister.” Again, this is not much to go on and still leaves the full extent of the Timekeeper’s character shrouded in mystery, but at least the villain has a name now — a name that happens to have a connection to the planet’s name.

The word “kairos” means “a propitious moment for decision or action,” meaning it deals with time. As the villain’s name is “Timekeeper” and he rules on the planet Kairos, Borderlands 4‘s villain may have something to do with the planet possibly being frozen in time, and perhaps the arrival of Elpis disrupts that. However, Borderlands 4‘s Timekeeper looks primed to take the stage as a compelling new villain once the game arrives, and even if he doesn’t live up to the mark Handsome Jack has left on the series, surely he will outperform the Calypso Twins.

Looter Shooter

Action

Adventure

RPG

Franchise

Borderlands

Released

2025-00-00