Intro

The opening introduction movies of the Borderlands games are primarily narrated by Marcus Kincaid, and in some cases feature the voice of a child in the context of someone listening to a story told by Marcus.

Transcripts

Intro of Borderlands and character selection

• So... You want to hear a story, eh? One about treasure hunters? Haha, have I got a story for you! Pandora... This is our home. But make no mistake - this is not a planet of peace and love. They say it's a wasteland, that it's dangerous, that only a fool would search for something of value here. Then perhaps I am a fool. But do not be fooled by what Pandora appears to be. There was a legend... Many people tell it. The legend of the Vault. My father would always go on about the Vault; even with his dying breath. Advanced alien technology. Infinite wealth. Fame. Power. Women. So you can understand why some little kiddos who hear the stories grow up to become Vault hunters. Well, I have a story you may not believe. But I tell you it is true. The legend of the Vault is real! And it is here on Pandora. And a... let's call her a 'guardian angel,' appeared to guide the Vault hunters to their prize. The tale begins right here on Pandora, with the brave Vault hunters, the guardian angel and most importantly, me...
• All right back there, time to wake up! It's a beautiful day, full of opportunity!
• Next stop: Fyrestone Depot. Time to gather up your stuff! Who's gettin' off the bus? You with the sniper rifle and the crazy mask? You look like a Truxican Wrestler moonlighting as a dominatrix, man. And you, soldier man? Are those armor pieces from the Crimson Lance you're wearing? And what's your story, young lady? What can you do? Perhaps you can bake us all a wonderful cake, haha! And you, beef stick in the back... I'm not going to make fun of you. Your burps smell of blood, and you growl like a rabid animal. Anyway... I've got some advice for all of you. It's tough out there, and you won't be able to just beat up on whatever you please until you're ready. Sure, you can take from the bandits or find things in the wild, but equipment you buy from my stores are guaranteed! And if you die, you can't get your money back because you're dead! I kid! No need to be so serious here. And if you're looking for the Vault, well, you're going to have your work cut out for you. So don't be afraid to spend what it takes to get the equipment you need. You listen to Marcus. I come from seven generations of merchants and I'm the best. Want to know why? Cause I'm making it out here, in this place!
• Well, we're here. Don't worry about saying goodbye. I'm sure we'll be doing this all again soon enough. Haha... get off my bus.

Intro of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

• Marcus: It was a dark and stormy night... on a distant corner of Pandora where few men dare to tread. With the journey to find the elusive Vault behind them, our fearless adventurers set off into the trees of-
• Child: What's a tree?
• Marcus: Oh for the Angel's sake-- It's a plant that grows out of the ground really tall.
• Child: Like this?
• Marcus: No more interruptions! So, they set out into the trees of Jakobs Cove; a land very much ravaged and forgotten by time. It was here that the scientist Dr. Ned, who is totally not Dr. Zed from the last story at all, tried to help all of mankind, but ultimately caused very bad shit.
• Child: That's a swear!
• Marcus: Dude made zombies, okay? You're not the police of me. Pay attention. Okay, so some bad crap was happening and it got really spooky and this is where our story begins...
• Child: Is any of this going to be true?
• Marcus: Yes. Probably a lot of it. You're adopted.

Credits of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

• Marcus: The Vault Hunters had stopped the evil doctor Zed from-
• Child: I thought his name was Ned.
• Marcus: Yes, yes. Whatever you say. Where was I... Oh yes! And so, Dr. Ned was stopped. Thanks to the courageous Vault Hunters... and me.
• Child: You? That doesn't make any sense.
• Marcus: Wha? You!? Bedtime, you little... Goodnight! Dirty little orphan...

Intro of Claptrap's New Robot Revolution

• Marcus: Our story began when the Hyperion Corporation decided they'd had enough of the treasure hunters. With The Vault on lockdown, they had served their purpose, and now they were a drain on the economy. Why pay full price on weapons when you can take a 5-finger discount off the nearest corpse! Hyperion was looking to clear out the drain, but those guys were one tough hairball...
• Child: I thought you said the treasure hunters were the drain. Now they're the hairball?
• Marcus: Well- yes, you see the treasure hunters were blocking the flow of- and the grimy build-up of money and-
• Child: This metaphor stinks.
• Marcus: Shut up! The point is Hyperion had a plan. The treasure hunters could handle all manner of beastie, bandit, and battalion, but they weren't expecting the ... Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap! This claptrap was programmed to take out our boys indirectly. Trapping, poisoning, spreading catty rumors around town. Nothing was off-limits. He was smart... too smart. He looked around, and didn't like what he saw: claptraps being subjugated, humiliated, obliterated. What we call programming, he called slavery. So he rallied his fellow claptraps and turned them against their corporate masters. What started off as a rebellion became a revolution. And take a wild guess who Hyperion called to clean up the mess...

Cutscene introducing the INAC in Claptrap's New Robot Revolution

• Marcus: Hello, my friends! Hyperion asked me to transport you to even bigger, better planets once you are through dispatching that runty little shit. Exciting new worlds like Eden-6. This one time on Eden-6-
• (Marcus collapses. Behind him is the INAC.)
• Marcus: If it took more than one shot, you weren't using... a Jakobs...ugh...

Credits of Claptrap's New Robot Revolution

• INAC: Nonono! You'll never take me alive!
• INAC: Mark my words, I'll gut every last one of you with my bare clamps and wear your scalp as a jaunty flesh derby!
• INAC: Never give up, brothers and sisters! Fulfill the destiny of the Robolution!
• INAC: MurderDeathKill! Annihilate! Extermin-
• INAC: What's happening to me?
• INAC: I'm afraid. My mind is going. I can feel it. My mind is going! There's no question about it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid.
• INAC: Hello, Traveler!
• Marcus: ...and that is how it really happened...except the part about me getting stood up by that crazy bitch. I just made that up to keep the ladies hanging around.

Intro of Borderlands 2

• So, you want to hear another story, huh? One where the very fate of Pandora hangs in the balance? If not, too bad - I'm telling you anyway. First, there was the Vault, an alien prison opened with a mystical key. To the warriors who opened it, the Vault was just a container of tentacles and disappointment. They vanished into the wastelands, certain that the Vault held no treasure at all. They were wrong. The Vault's opening triggered the growth of Eridium, a priceless alien element. Soon, the rare and valuable mineral emerged all across Pandora. Its appearance attracted many. Including... the Hyperion corporation. They came to Pandora to mine Eridium, and bring order to the savage planet. Through their excavations, Hyperion uncovered evidence of an even greater Vault. Their leader vowed to find it - to use its power to civilize the Borderlands once and for all. But Hyperion weren't the only ones searching for the next Vault's alien power. The call of danger and loot is not so easily resisted. Certain warriors came to Pandora in droves to uncover its hidden secrets. Some would call them adventurers. Others call them fools. But I... call them Vault Hunters. Our story begins with them and with a man named Handsome Jack...

Intro of Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty

• Child: A long time ago, there was a big pile of treasure in the desert, and the Vault Hunters found it and killed all the bad guys the end.
• Marcus: No, no no -- that's not how you start a story!
• Child: I thought it was pretty good.
• Marcus: And I think you're not getting fed this week. No, this is how you start a story: legends speak of Captain Blade's Lost Treasure of the Sands. Of a prize so great, that men would turn the sands red in pursuit of it. Of a pirate queen, courageous and deadly, who would stop at nothing to find it. Of a monstrous Leviathan. Of the Vault Hunters who journeyed to the desert town of Oasis, not knowing the horrors that would befall them. See? That's how ya do it.
• Child: Mine was more succinct.
• Marcus: Your life's gonna be succinct, you dirty little orphan.

Credits of Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty

• Child: So ends the story of how the Vault Hunters defeated the treacherous Captain Scarlett, and slew the Leviathan. And as the sun set on Pandora, the Vault Hunters realized that while they'd found Captain Blade's lost armory, the true treasure of the sands... had been inside them all along. The end. How was that?
• Marcus: That last part was REALLY hokey.
• Child: Yeah, if felt kinda contrived, didn't it?
• Marcus: -- Extremely. But otherwise... you ended that story pretty well. For a dirty little orphan.
• Child: Thanks!
• Marcus: Eh, don't mention it. I've gotta teach somebody to tell these stories when I'm gone. Might as well be you.
• Child: Yeah. I love you Marcus!
• Marcus: ...That's weird.

​Intro of Tales from the Borderlands

• Back again? To hear another story of immense fortune and unthinkable peril? Wellllll... I have some time. The Borderlands of Pandora were told to contain mysterious alien treasure troves filled with advanced technology and incredible power. Vaults, the people called them... and to seek one out was to earn you the title of Vault Hunter... at least by me. You could say Handsome Jack was one such explorer, though his methods could be seen as... somewhat unsporting. He ran the corporation Hyperion... and died trying to claim Pandora as his own. History's attention is fickle, my friends. It will remember those pirates like Handsome Jack but forget the adventurers who risk it all for less... ah, obvious rewards. Stories - legends - those are much better at getting at the real spirit of things. Stories remember both sides of the tale.