Borderlands 4 datamine suggests Ava was replaced in Gearbox's new looter shooter, and now fans want the divisive character back: "We were robbed of a generational story"

Despite her relatively large role in Borderlands 3, Ava's gotten the Jar-Jar Binks treatment in Borderlands 4, wherein she's almost totally sidelined. Amara, another returning character from the third mainline game, is drafted in to pet-sit for Ava, who's been off gallivanting for months prior to the plot starting.

Where is Ava? We don't know. She's just elsewhere, resulting in all sorts of speculation about Gearbox's thought process and what this might indicate. There's a growing belief Amara's positioning is more than narrative convenience, and she's actually been placed into Ava's mold within the story.

Warning: Spoilers ahead. The central example, per a post on Twitter, is a scene in Borderlands 4 where Amara utilizes a shield around the other protagonists, just like Ava did in the prior game. The same power, fulfilling the same purpose, but not from a different character. It definitely seems convenient.

Some buzz around this conversation led to Borderlands content creator and dataminer EpicNNG revealing evidence Eva was once in the new looter-shooter, but has since been taken out. A selection of assets still present in the code include Ava's name, and they suggest she'd be sharing scenes with Zane, and using her bubble maneuver – the one remarkably close to what Amara deploys.

EpicNNG states no other references to Ava exist, but speculates these files could point towards her involvement in DLC, though whether that's true is impossible to tell right now. Ava's been a lightning round within the Borderlands fanbase since the third came out due to certain choices surrounding her character.

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford put up a poll on Twitter asking about whether the devs should bring back the crew from Borderlands 3 for 4, introduce an all-new cast, or have a mix. A mix won, and when he asked about Ava in particular, he got an impassioned response.

The audience is split on whether she deserves redemption, and the camp who would rather forget about her have been assuaged here. But given the possible revelation Ava was written out at some point during development, fans have expressed disappointment at not getting her full arc, with the glimmer of possibility in DLC. YouTuber and avid Borderlands fan SpeakingLions boldly states: "Ava deserved a narrative arc. Characters are allowed to grow, SHOULD be allowed to mature, misstep, AND exist outside of the whims of an angry internet mob. I love Amara. If it's true, I genuinely feel we were robbed of a generational story."

"Hopefully she comes back in a DLC, where she can show that she's grown since 3," another says. "Tho honestly her being a main character in the base story would've worked better (but I also love Amara so I'm torn)."

All of which is to say, it seems like maybe Ava had a bigger role in Borderlands 4 before being cut down. If you'd like to see her reappear, you may need to tell Gearbox about it.

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford can only say "well, s***" after learning a bug is blocking some Borderlands 4 players from sharing loot the way he recommended, but the devs are on it