Mr. Blake

Jeffrey Damien Blake, also known as Mr. Blake, is a supporting non-player character in Claptrap's New Robot Revolution, and a minor character in both Borderlands 2 and Claptastic Voyage.

Background

Blake is the senior vice president of Mercenary Relations and Tourism for the Hyperion corporation. It might seem strange to have two seemingly-unrelated divisions under one manager, but there is good reason for that: cut-backs. Hyperion, like many corporations, was affected by the downturn in the Pandora economy and needed to consolidate. Mr. Blake, who ran only Mercenary Relations, and Mr. Dimsdale, who ran Tourism, were put on notice. One of them would be laid off by quarter's end based on the fiscal results of their respective departments. Unfortunately, the day before the results could be announced, Mr. Dimsdale was found dead in his office with a glass of champagne in his hand and a knife in his back. Sadly, he was literally a victim of cut-back. While many thought Mr. Blake may have some connection to the crime, he had a solid alibi and was fully exonerated. Instead, the police suspect it was a senseless and random attack by some kind of pirate, brigand or professional killer.

Involvement

Mr. Blake is a mission provider who offers a series of Hyperion Corporate Gift Shop missions. Upon arrival at Tartarus Station he enlists the aid of the Vault hunters in helping him deal with his Claptrap problem, namely the Claptrap Robo-lution. He hatches a plan to capture and disable Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap.

After this incident, Mr. Blake was tasked with overseeing a tournament in Overlook to determine the fourth vault hunter who would accompany Athena, Wilhelm, and Nisha to the Helios Space Station and work for Jack. After Claptrap inadvertently destroyed the arena, killing everyone, Mr. Blake called for medical support. He served as announcer for the only actual match-up which took place after the destruction, between latecomer Donk and Claptrap.

In Borderlands 2, Mr. Blake acts as Hyperion's Vice President due to the other majority shareholders being scared off by Handsome Jack's predictions (in which he was actually manipulating the events in secret). He is only heard through ECHO logs, as he is mentioned when Handsome Jack orders Blake to bring him a violin after Bloodwing's death, and can be heard in conversation with other characters in the missions In Memoriam, Mine, All Mine, and Get to Know Jack. In the mission Uncle Teddy, a series of ECHO logs reveal that in the past, Blake had been in contact with T.K. Baha to announce Hyperion's "acquisition" of his gun designs, and suggested that T.K. flee to Pandora with his wife to avoid the approaching assassins. Another set of ECHO logs reveal that Blake also gave Dr. Zed a similar warning prior to Hyperion's takeover of Fyrestone. During the mission Written by the Victor, Blake narrates Hyperion's version of Pandoran history. Jack often refers to Blake as Jimmy, instead of Jeffery, of which Blake is unhappy about.

In Borderlands 3, Mr. Blake is President of Mercenary Relations and Tourism. Whenever Vault Hunters make 100 kills with Hyperion weapons, they receive a Hyperion weapon in the mail along with a message signed by him.

Appearances

Quotes

When approached

"Exciting opportunities await!"
"Greetings, consumer."
"How can we help you this fine day?"
"Let's think outside the box."
"Ready to take it to the next level?"
"Welcome back."
"Why, WHY did I decide to wear wool in the desert?"
"Your opinion is important to us."
"You survived! Good for you!"

When left

"Better get going."
"Break's over. Get back to work."
"Carry on."
"Don't you have some robots to dismantle?"
"Good luck. Hyperion cares about your safety."
"This covert operation isn't going to implement itself. Get going!"
"Time is money!"
"You are dismissed."
"You're not getting paid by the hour. Get a move on!"
"Your mission will be completed in the order it was received."

Trivia

Blake's name is a reference to the poet and artist William Blake, whose work dealt with theological themes such as his illustrations of Dante's Divine Comedy. That he is portrayed very devilishly in the game- literally in his cutscene and figuratively as a corporate bureaucrat- and that Tartarus Station is a reference to a place both in the Underworld of Greek mythology and Hell in Christian theology makes this all the more apparent. However, despite these traits, he has exhibited some benevolence in Borderlands 2, as he assisted two of Hyperion's targets in evading assassination.