Borderlands Fans Finally Figure Out Why This Character's Last Name Sounded Weird
A post from a fan on an iconic character's name has shed light on a clever pun that many players are now realizing. Rhys Strongfork, who made his debut in and would go on to feature in , has a name that parodies iconic Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon.
Fans of the series will be used to puns and parodies, as developers Gearbox Software keep a humorous tone throughout the titles. Despite this, many fans and long-time players have been left amused and even bewildered that they didn't pick up on Rhys' name, missing a joke hiding in plain sight. Since making his first appearance in the Telltale Games spinoff in 2014, Rhys has become a fan favorite thanks to his charming and witty personality, before moving onto a corporate squabble with Katagawa Jr as the CEO of Atlas in 2019's .
The awareness behind Rhys' parody name came from a Reddit post on r/borderlands3, where user OneSimplyIs shared a post entitled "" featuring the and actress Reese Witherspoon besides Rhys Strongfork, with no further context provided by the poster. Rhys and Reese are similar-sounding names, with Strongfork acting as a direct contrast to Witherspoon. While this explanation may sound simple, thousands of upvotes on the post suggest that many other fans were clueless about this small reference.
Rhys has featured in three games in this chronological order: and. He was voiced by Troy Baker in his first appearance, before switching to Ray Chase in the latter two.
A discussion in the comments of the Reddit post expressed this sentiment of bewilderment, as user TerriblePabz stated "" with JazzVacuum agreeing with the OP by quipping "While there remains no concrete reason for Rhys' parody name, many fans in the comments believe that there is no deeper purpose to it; acting as a simple joke realized a decade later.
With being confirmed for a 2025 release, with a well-received gameplay trailer at the Game Awards, fans have been speculating on which characters could make their return. The series
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