The Identity of... (MAJOR SPOILERS for Tales and Pre-Sequel)
So, before I begin this, I want to make it clear that this post will have big spoilers for not only Tales from the Borderlands, but ALSO Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Just a warning.
So, I was just looking at the ending for Tales from the Borderlands Episode 1 again, and was trying to figure out the identity of the Masked person who has Rhys and Fiona captured. He really didn't give much about himself away, he just made them tell their stories. Obviously, we don't see his face, and his voice is heavily distorted.
It seemed like too much secrecy for a character we haven't met yet, so I assumed it would be a character from a previous borderlands game. However, looking back, there were a lot of characters it could possibly be, far too many to pinpoint one. In addition to that, most of them would have never met Rhys and Fiona, so they would have no reason to hide their face.
Then I realized... what if the person isn't hiding their face because they want to... but because they have to?
And then it clicked.
What if this masked person is someone who would have no choice but to hide their face, because having it seen on Pandora would be a death sentence?
This is where Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel comes in. One of the playable characters in that game is named Timothy... but that name is rarely mentioned, because he's not Timothy anymore. He's a body double of Handsome Jack, meaning he was hired by Jack to pass as him. He had surgery performed on him, so that his physical appearance and voice are identical to Jack's. And as far as I know, his fate after the Pre-Sequel is uncertain.
That would make perfect sense as to why he would have the mask. Being identical to Handsome Jack in appearance would lead to instant death on Pandora. Rhys and Vaughn were just Hyperion employees, and the bandits tried to kill them... you can imagine how they would handle someone like this.
It would work excellently from a story standpoint, too. It would be the perfect cliffhanger, and it would be a character whose revelation would be a twist, and who would still be recognizable to people who have only played Tales, as Jack is seen on posters everywhere, and of course the hologram at the end of the episode.
We don't know what happened to Timothy after the Pre-Sequel, and we don't know what the masked guy wants yet. Additionally, Timothy's build could probably fit in that suit, and the voice is distorted, so it's possible that under that, it sounds like Jack.
All in all, I wanted to share this here. I searched the forums and couldn't find any mentions of this theory, so I thought I would make a mention. And this is the first time I've posted on these forums, so yeah. Sorry if this was long or something. But anyway, I wanted to throw this out there.
Comments
First, welcome to the forums, Kiddo.
Secondly, this theory is amazing and I really, really hope you're right - Timothy's one of my favourite characters, and I agree that it'd be a great twist (though I'd be terrified that Jack would try and get his body back from him - that poor guy's been through enough - he just wanted to pay off his student loans)!
I imagine that a lot of people will argue that The Captor is too badass to be Timothy (who is kind of a pussycat in TPS and canonically terrified of heights), but we have no idea what he has gone though since then, he was completely AWOL during BL2, a lot of things could have changed.
Didn't even notice you were new, welcome!
It probably would be a great twist. Only thing is I think with Handsome Jack following Rhys around, he could probably appear and tell him this guy's Timothy and his double. It'd make sense that Timothy may be trying to fight Rhys though, since Rhys' goal (so far) is to become the "next Handsome Jack" and take over Hyperion. Timothy may want the same thing.
I like your theory, but I still think the masked stranger is a completely new character.
Welcome to the Forums! ^v^
Wow! Amazing theory!! I wonder by the time Jack/Timothy meet Rhys would he know about Jack "haunting" Rhys. Since Rhys looks more Jack like by the time him and Fiona tell Timothy about what happened.
Nice theory, I'll take this into consideration in the future episodes to see if it pans out. BTW welcome!
actually we saw how he started to change near the end of the pre sequel, in the start of the game he was scared from jack and did everything he told without thinking about questioning him. but near the end when jack psychopatic side starts to play there is a part when a unarmed dahl soldier beg you for mercy, and jack tells you to kill him, if you wont shot the guy for something like 10 seconds. timothy will say "I'm not you, jack.". kinda shows timothy grew some balls after the events of the pre sequel.
edit: just realised, there is another converstion near the vault:
"jack: your pay gonna raise the roof because if this is all gonna go like i plan it to, im gonna be a guy that people really wanna kill.
Timothy: thats exactly what im worring about..."
fits too perfectly to your theory
So we have AI Jack trying to possess Rhys, and the Stranger being an actual double of Jack? Seems a bit redundant.
But it does give a possible solution to freeing Rhys, where AI Jack body snatches Timothy/Double Jack as a trade.
we had to kill Handsome Jack in BL2 and he was whining like a kid, and he died. And the events in tftbl are after bl2. so I doubt it's handsome jack, bro.
He means jacks body double not jack himself
Timothy not Jack.
Thanks for all the welcomes, guys!
Yeah. A few more things to add, the distorted Jack voice that happens when Rhys first plugs the data unit into his brain sounds a lot like the Stranger, take that how you will. Also, the Pre-Sequel also had a quest called "Handsome AI" that gave backstory to how said AI of Jack was created, and why it was in Nakayama's coat. So Pre-Sequel has things in it that directly tie into Tales from the Borderlands. We do know that the writers of Pre-Sequel were collaborating with Telltale as both games were being made. And Timothy is the only Character from Pre-Sequel we have no idea what happens to.
All in all, I think that the best idea is to watch the upcoming episodes for any dialogue that mentions the fact that Jack had body doubles. If that does get said, it's almost certainly foreshadowing. It might not be said, but if it is, it basically confirms this.
I don't know- though it is possible that it could be a new character, it would also make the mask unnecessary. If Telltale created a character with a mask and an obviously distorted voice, it would be for the purpose for revealing what's beneath that mask. It could be a character we're meeting in Tales from the Borderlands, but no one so far really fits the requirements of the masked man- or seems to have much of a motivation. The existence of the mask near confirms that we'll meet whoever's behind it before the mask comes off.
Also take note that one of the available profile pictures is of our mysterious masked man- I have a feeling we'll catch up to Fiona and Rhys's timeline soon, and the masked man will begin to play a larger part in the story.
Well, Timothy just wants to pay off student loans, and makes it clear at the end of the Pre-Sequel that he's not Jack: he doesn't want to become like Jack. Who knows- we haven't seen Rhys seem to interact with Jack and at all while with the masked man. Perhaps Jack's already escaped Rhys' mind, and now the masked man wants to know everything in order to be able to stop Jack from rising back up
And the fact that he's managed to actually be a Vault Hunter- Timothy may be cowardly, but he's not a pushover.
That is a possibility. Also, we have to consider that Tales from the Borderlands takes place several years after Pre-Sequel. We don't know what happened to Timothy in that gap, but having Jack's face couldn't have been easy. He definately did not have an easy time of surviving. He could have changed so much that we really have no idea what he wants now.
Hey, we don't know what the masked man wants yet either, do we?
And this is exactly why he's one of my favourite characters. I love that they made him so diametrically opposed to Jack.
As much as I love Rhys, I've definitely formed more of an emotional attachment to Timothy. Now, that may just be because we've only had one episode featuring Rhys vs. an entire game with Timothy (if you got the Doppelganger DLC), but I would be heartbroken if Jack took over Timothy's body - after everything he's been through it would be so tragic to see his true personality erased. He fought so hard to keep his sense of self - despite his appearance, he was Jack's antithesis in every way - his personality was the only thing that remained.
I just can't say the same thing about Rhys. In a way, he'd get his wish - after all, he did always want to be Handsome Jack.
Well, your comment makes perfect sense. I'm just trying to find any suitable character from the previous games and so far not a single person fits this guy's perspective. This Timothy theory sounds okay, but there's no real reason for why Timothy would be under the mask, other than: "He's wearing a mask because he has to." Honestly, I think that this masked stranger could be pretty much anyone, as some people on Pandora wear a mask for no reason at all, and we don't know enough about this person's motives for kidnapping Rhys and Fiona.
Hopefully by the end of episode 2 we get a few more hints about who this person is, because he is driving me insane.
You have to have in mind that both Tales from Borderlands and Borderlands Pre Sequel were developed at the same time by two totally separate teams.
And that, so far, Tales from Borderlands did included many easter eggs related to Borderlands 1 and 2 but none related to Borderlands Pre Sequel, which can mean that nothing from Borderlands Pre Sequel is related to plot of Tales.
Timothy included.
The trailer for episode 2 includes one character from TPS (Janey Springs) and infers another's return (Athena, via her shield).
Well, its safe to presume that Borderlands Pre Sequel was published during development of episode 2, so plenty of space for minor plot developments based on it. But, not sure that will influence masked stranger identity. Plus, its kind of redundant for him to be Timothy. Handsome Jack AI is already manipulating Rhys, so no point to manipulate Timothy to capture Rhys and further manipulate him.
There is of course possibilty Jack needs Timothy for his body. But I see that highly unlikely, considering the fact that even our protagonist in any Borderland game is cloned after every death by respawn machine. So, he can use respawn machine data to return himself to life even without Timothy.
Apparently respawn machines don't actually exist in Borderlands' story (pretty dumb if you ask me), so Jack himself is dead.
Unless it was Timothy who died in Borderlands 2.
It wasn't him. Doppelganger from 2 was cloaked to look like Jack, not surgically changed.
Anyway, Handsome Jack is trully dead because AI was made before Jack become "handsome". So it cannot be used to make Hansome Jack, only regular, not so violent Jack.
BTW, I think respawn machines are part of Borderland story because there is one echo message by Hiperion after you used machine which clearly said you shouldn't think about fact that you died after you used machine first time and every other time it was just digital copy of youself.
As Bokor said, New-U Stations ('respawn machines') aren't canon to the story, they're just a game-play feature.
From the Wiki:
As for Timothy being redundant, what if he wasn't being manipulated by Jack, but rather that he was working against Jack? Say he's been in hiding since TPS, but after word emerges that Handsome Jack has returned via an AI implanted in a Hyperion worker he becomes determined to stop the man who destroyed his life? This is the reason why he's kidnapped Rhys and Fiona - to gather information from the people who inadvertently orchestrated his return.
In another thread someone pointed out that other than lightly kicking Rhys to assert dominance in the beginning, the captor is fairly restrained in their interrogation techniques, something that really sticks out in the torture-laden planet of Pandora. Despite killing countless bandits under Jack's employ, Timothy is probably the closest you'd get to being a pacifist in the Borderlands' universe.
Jack truly believed he was a hero, but he wasn't.
Timothy never believed he was a hero, but maybe he is.
I freakin' love Jack, but if someone were to bring him down, I really hope it's Timothy. He could be the hero Jack never was.
I definitely think there's been improvements to the AI since the one shown in the TPS side mission. The AI in Tales is clearly wearing the Handsome Jack mask (and clothes), so it's definitely been updated at least post-TPS. The TPS AI was also incredibly rudimentary compared to the one in Tales. It was just a hologram head on a loader spouting random Jack-isms, whereas the current AI seems to be almost identical to BL2 Jack.
Pretty interesting theories you have there guys. Really approve discussions like this.
I haven't played Pre-Sequel yet, but I know a thing or two about it and I really hope the masked man in TftB is Timothy. If not, I would be happy to know what happened to him at least. I have mixed feelings about Jack (he's such a dick but in some way very attractive) but Timothy is just pure gold.
You're slowly convincing me. I'm still hesitant about him being a character who, so far, has only been present in option content of the Pre-Sequel - but then again Nakayama and Moxxi started off as DLC characters.
Well, if we allow Timothy his own agenda (against Jack) then we can allow it to anyone. Why him? Just because he is covering his face? Well, that's not good enough. Any character introduced to Rhys or Fiona in Tales of Borderlands will have same reason. We dont even know if masked stranger is in anyway connected to Jack or not. It could be something related to Atlas vault.
This theory seems farfetched to me in a way all episode 1 theories are farfetch. I recall theory about The Boy Who Cried Wolf from The Wolf Among Us. Like this Timothy theory TBWCW theory also presumed (wrongly) that all (or enough) pieces are set for us at the time of episode 1. Usually, thats far from truth. New characters key to the plot are usually introduced in like episode 3 or 4.
This is exactly what I was thinking. There's no particular reason for Timothy to be the masked man and I seriously doubt it's actually him. For all we know, it could be pretty much anyone, apart from a few people who don't share the physique and everyone that's dead.
I'm pretty sure that Gearbox has stated that the New-U machines are Non-Canon.
And since Pre-Sequel was developed at the same time as Tales, it's most likely that it will have a lot of connections, as they could collaborate (which they said they did).
Also, nice name. I've been using this name on Steam and Xbox for years, but I've never seen anything similar. So I applaud you for your name choice. (Unless you stole it MEAHHHHH * sarcasm *)
I don't think anyone on Pandora wears masks pointlessly- the Marauder's wear it to hide their face so they don't get caught, and the psychos where them to try and bring themselves closer to the Vault. I wouldn't be surprised if we meet the masked man in Tales from the Borderlands- though they'd need to introduce the character by at least the end of the second episode.
Ty! I've noticed your nice name too.
If you havent heared of Dr Norrington yet guess you haven't played Season 3 of Sam & Max. Character I have as my avatar has Cthulhu like Lovecraftian creature that goes by that name on his chest. I "stole" it from that game.
That's why it's a theory.
I don't think anyone in this thread is presenting anything as pure fact - we're just hypothesising and riffing off one another's thoughts and ideas.
OP made a valid point theorising the reason why The Captor would be wearing a mask (Timothy) and the rest of us have just built on that.
We're certainly not trying to convince anyone that our theory is gospel and that's 100% how it will turn out, we're merely attempting to put the pieces together, which (for me, at least) is part of the fun of episodic narratives.
It's just a bit of fun, and makes the waiting between eps just that tiny bit more tolerable!
Yeah, I too think we'll get to see him sooner or later. I'd be surprised if we never discover who he is, but probably we'll know by the end of episode 3.
Whoever he is, I hope we have the chance to take his shotgun. It would be awesome if we could actually have a legendary from BL2 in our inventory.
And, if your shot in the dark happens to be right, it's worth awesome bragging rights for the first five minutes after you learn you're right.
Haha, that goes without saying, Pumpkin!
If im not mistaken though, spoilers for borderlands 2 (not borderlands pre se) you kill his doppleganger in it, and i think tales takes place after borderlands 2
I don't think telling us that there is a character in borderland PS who looks like Jack is a spoiler nor a theory about who the masked man is being a spoiler because it is just a theory