History WMG / Borderlands2

2) Pete is the only competitor who returns as a Raid Boss. This proves he is much tougher than he let on, and was probably holding back in your initial bout. If you look at the leaderboards, you'll also see that he is not marked off as dead after you beat him, unlike the others, indicating his survival.

4) Pyro Pete owns his own bar in the crater, right nearby Torgue's arena. So does Moxxi, but that makes sense because she's sponsoring the event. It seems likely that Pete and Torgue know each other; not only do they work in close proximity, but Pete is the ultimate pyromaniac, and Torgue is the ultimate explosion enthusiast; they'd probably be good friends, which would explain why Pete's the one he recruited for his scheme.

Conclusion: Torgue and Pete knew Piston was a cheater, and set up a contingency plan for when he inevitably fought dirty, one that would allow the Vault Hunter to acquire a new sponsor when needed, as well as making a great story for the cameras so they could counter Piston's cheating without seeming to cheat themselves.

* I hate to shoot this down, but I don't think this will be likely -- after all, both sets of Vault Hunters are basically good -- [[BlackAndGreyMorality at least, compared to the Bandits and Atlas/Hyperion]] -- and fans would probably riot if they turned into the FiveBadBand of the next game. That said, since [[spoiler:Lilith and Brick [[FakeDefector secretly became leaders of Bandit tribes to keep them in check]], it may be possible the New Vault Hunters would do the same thing, using these personas as their cover, and may oppose the new players as an UpToEleven TricksterMentor.]]. Admittedly, if one of them would pull a FaceHeelTurn, it would DEFINITELY be [=Zer0=], literally because he has the least backstory and the most... [[AmbiguouslyEvil "questionable" moral code]].

* Tediore might be based on a crime ridden city planet (thus the emphasis on home defense). The mechanics of their gear (especially legendaries) could also work in dense urban environments. Their weapon selection also fits very well with a city planet, with pistols, SMGs, and shotguns being better choices than bulky assault rifles and sniper rifles. Rocket launchers would be the big surprise weapons for clearing out a whole room at once. The reason they sell the guns they make is to help repel suspicion from themselves.

** Tediore pistols, SMGs, and shotguns sound like they have Hollywood Silencing built into them, perfect for covert missions and assassinations. Their slim profiles also make them easier to slip in through a cracked door or window. Rocket launchers could be rigged to remotely fire their rockets, reload themselves, and appear back in their owner's hands.

* This makes a lot of sense. Because the guns explode when disposed of that leaves little evidence to indicate who the shooter was. What's more this also explains there whole gimmick of re-spawning guns. It doesn't take a economist to figure out that Tediore's reloading style isn't exactly profitable. Say you buy a Tediore gun and use it five times. You've effectively been given five guns for the price of one. Tediore should have gone bankrupt long ago... unless there's something else supplementing there income. What's more perhaps Tedidore is also laundering money for other crime syndicates. Using the purchasing of parts and raw materials and the selling of guns to laundering their ow dirty money and the dirty money of other crime syndicates.

*** [[ForScience Maliwan]] - Will probably yank humor whole-sale from [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Aperture Industries]], from scientists and robots gleefully eager to strapping you to a slab to test elemental weaponry, to bleached clean lab rooms constituting their home territories. Their leader is an emotionless woman that would outdo SelfDemonstrating/{{GLaDOS}} in terms of DissonantSerenity and ComedicSociopathy ForScience.

* '''Zer0''': The ultimate Big Bad. What is his goal? To open ALL the vaults. At once. Why?

* I hate to shoot this down, but I don't think this will be likely -- after all, both sets of Vault Hunters are basically good -- [[BlackAndGreyMorality at least, compared to the Bandits and Atlas/Hyperion]] -- and fans would probably riot if they turned into the FiveBadBand of the next game. That said, since [[spoiler:Lilith and Brick [[FakeDefector secretly became leaders of Bandit tribes to keep them in check]], it may be possible the New Vault Hunters would do the same thing, using these personas as their cover, and may oppose the new players as an UpToEleven TricksterMentor.]]. Admittedly, if one of them would pull a FaceHeelTurn, it would DEFINITELY be Zer0, literally because he has the least backstory and the most... [[AmbiguouslyEvil "questionable" moral code]].

[[folder:Zer0]]
[[WMG:Zer0 is...]]

* To elaborate: Zer0 is clearly after the Vault, but seems to go about it subliminally: he makes the line referring to the Vault before anyone else in the bar mentions it - and when it is mentioned by the panicking bartender, Zer0 seems to take the news like he's hearing it for the first time. Either as a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot robot]], [[HumanAlien or as an alien]] ([[TakeAThirdOption perhaps]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot both?]]), it seems he's [[ManchurianAgent "programmed"]] to find the Vault, [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide "complete the challenge"]] there, and go after any other "challenge" between him and the Vault: on [[DeathWorld Pandora]], [[EverythingTryingToKillYou there are certainly plenty of "challenges" to go around]]. I think the Eridians were hoping, between the body piles of [[StupidEvil Bandits]], Creatures, and [[MegaCorp Hyperion employees]], Zer0 would legitimately mop up the chaotic elements of the planet, and restore Pandora to a greater degree of peace.
* This troper believes Zer0 is a robot, not because he has three fingers and a thumb, not because there's a number in his name like so many other fictitious robots from sci-fi franchises, not because he speaks in ''haiku'' (a form of poetry whose symmetry a robot would no doubt find gratifying), but simply because, unlike his fellow Vault Hunters, he doesn't pant or wheeze after sprinting for long distances in-game.

[[WMG:Zer0 is a [[Series/DoctorWho Time Lord]].]]

[[WMG:Zer0 is either a robot or an alien.]]

[[WMG:Zer0 is an Eridian survivor]]

** This troper believes that Zer0 is an incomplete human/Eridian hybrid. He has a fully human body, salvaged from the dead body of an unlucky astronaut, but with Eridian implants to make him an Badass killing machine. However, the aliens couldn't find some of his fingers, so that is why that he doesn't have a full set of fingers. He was indoctrined and trained by Eridian soldiers, hence his lack of understanding about human social graces. Finally, Zer0 was sent to Earth to protect the new Vault Hunters, and he wears a helmet to conceal his identity, both for stealth reasons and to prevent Hyperion from discovering the (rather visible) Eridian implants and torturing him or experimenting on him.

[[WMG:Zer0's true nature will one day be revealed...]]

[[WMG:Zer0's armour was made by Hyperion]]

[[WMG:Zer0 is a former {{Yakuza}}]]

[[WMG:Zer0 was made by...]]
Zer0 is a robot that was made by two people, Brick and Mordecai. Since Zer0 has attributes from the two of them, (Sniping, Melee) it makes sense. Brick and Mordecai were in love, but since they couldn't produce a child together, they made a robot.

[[WMG:Zer0 was the Vault Hunter who competed in Torgue's tornament]]

[[WMG:Zer0 is actually [[Franchise/CodeGeass Lelouch.]]]]

[[WMG:Zer0 is a genetic experiment GoneHorriblyWrong.]]
Zer0 has very vague motivations beyond seeking a "challenge." Perhaps he could be the result of some kind of "Super Soldier" project a la [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Captain America]] who turned on his creators and went off to start his own adventure.

And I mean literally afraid of aliens, not just racist. Well, he's probably that too, but mostly about being afraid of aliens. When picking up Zer0's ECHO logs in Sawtooth Cauldron, Jack stutters when [[spoiler: Angel]] mentions he might not be human. It's the only time he falters for the entire game, and since he owns a company of robots I doubt that's what spooks him. Alternatively, Jack has a fear of robots uprising and killing him. Or maybe just a fear of irony.

* With a good setup of skills and gear, Wilhelm can be easily dispatched. The next time a dreaded enforcer comes around, he'll be considered so feared that even a stoic badass like Zer0 or a gung-ho wild man like Salvador would say "Run." It's when you have to fight him near the end of the game he gets to show why he's that dangerous, even on Normal, nevermind UVHM!

*** Actually, Zer0 might lean towards Jakobs and Hyperion since high-damage single-shot weapons are more his thing (and his Legendary Class Mod is a Jakobs). Salvador might lean towards Vladof and Bandit weaponry. Krieg would be Bandit and Torgue and Gaige might be Tediore and Hyperion.

*** Zer0: '''Jakobs.''' They make some of the most reliable and highest-damaging sniper rifles in the game, and powerful, semi-automatic, precise weapons would appeal to him, despite the old-fashioned Wild West tech.

Enter Zer0.

Zer0 is a... Ghoul? Ghost? Rogue (if 3.0) or Great Old One Warlock/Rogue hybrid (If 4.0 or 5.0) Maybe an Antipaladin or Blackguard.

** There's a JurassicPark joke somewhere in that statement.

** This was done in MechWarrior Vengeance and Black Knight, with the first games' protagonist becoming the BigBad in the sequel. It would be an interesting fight to use new vs old game mechanics(Phasewalk vs Phaselock, etc).

Michael identifies himself as a Vault Hunter, which in Borderlands is [[{{Badass}} kinda a big deal]], yet noone around town will so much as mention him. He appears in the oddest of areas, such as Crimson Raider HQ (which only people with keys should be able to even get inside, and neither Roland nor Tannis mention or acknowledge him). One of his lines is a heart-wrenchingly delivered "I don't need this anymore". And he stops appearing after [[spoiler:Sanctuary takes off]], i.e. when you really come into your own as a Vault Hunter and don't need his help anymore.

** But in between the two games, though...

** WordOfGod has said that, in terms of gameplay, S&S prided itself on having huge magazine clips. Since they made all the different gun companies each hold their own unique property, there was no point in having S&S anymore since Bandit weaponcrafters took up the role instead (and the jury-rigged glue and duct tape gun designs made them more memorable.)

[[WMG:Jack didn't actually get a living Diamond Horse]]
The only thing we actually hear or see Butt Stallion is in a D&D Campaign, and as a horse noise through an Echo, which could easily be played at the press of a button.