Many think the Empire is the “good” side in Warhammer 40,000, but experienced fans know: that is not true. The man who first rebelled is considered a hero by some. However, a user had to realize: the guy isn’t that great and immediately gets a crash course in Warhammer.
Who is the traitor?
- Horus Lupercal is one of the first Space Marines ever, one of the original “Sons” of the Emperor, before he was bound to his golden throne.
- Through the Primarch, the Great Brother War, or the “Horus Heresy” occurred, resulting in thousands of Space Marines dying, many more humans, and nearly the Emperor being destroyed.
- The driving force behind the Horus Heresy was actually not Horus himself, but actually Erebus, one of the first heretics ever.
That’s why Horus is now “suddenly” evil: Horus’ plan back then was to save the universe, as he was convinced that the Empire would lead the world to a slow, suffering doom. Many fans think that he might be right in that regard – but that doesn’t make him nice.
On Reddit, a user writes: “I know people say Big E is evil, but after reading what Horus did on Istvaan III…” He refers to the Dropsite Massacre, the largest assassination of Space Marines in history.
There, Horus lured several chapters of Space Marines to the planet in order to obliterate them with a virus bomb. Virus bombs are a type of Exterminatus, a weapon capable of destroying entire planets.
Even for such weapons of mass destruction, virus bombs are still cruel: they release a devastating virus that can spread across the planet within minutes, penetrate armor and breathing apparatus, and cause any organic matter to rot in seconds. The gases released eventually ignite planet-wide. Horus not only annihilated other Space Marines but also his own – as collateral damage.
In the new Warhammer series Kill Lupercal, it is about the fight of the Empire against Horus and the attempt to destroy the traitor with a massive titan:
“Big E is evil, Chaos is evil, the T’au are evil – Welcome to the Grimdark”
In the comments, users now say: Just because Horus did something bad, it doesn’t automatically mean the Empire is good. Fans have known for ages, that the Emperor isn’t really that nice. He fights for a united humanity and does so with all violence. Anyone who refuses will be exterminated, even if they are completely peaceful. The Empire is an absolute dictatorship.
Accordingly, many players, especially newer ones, sympathize with Horus and his idea of destroying the Empire. The fact that the traitors follow the Chaos gods is either seen as a necessary evil or not even that bad. After all, the gods seemingly offer freedom – with an emphasis on seemingly.
Something like “good people” doesn’t really exist in Warhammer: Chaos is evil, the Orks, Tyranids, Aeldari, Necrons… they are all not on the morally good side. Even the seemingly peaceful T’au are inherently totalitarian and not really interested in general peace.
The thing about Warhammer 40,000 is more about finding a faction that you can identify with best and that seems the most reasonable (or coolest) to you. You are never the “good guy” anyway: a user asks if anyone was shocked during their first time with Warhammer 40,000, receiving seasoned responses
