The Great Brother War, or the “Horus Heresy”, is one of the great turning points in the history of Warhammer 40,000. While the eponymous Horus is the cause of the tragedy, another man played a significant role – although he never intended to. At least, that’s what a fan believes, sparking a major discussion.
Who is the man?
- Leman Russ is the Primarch of the Space Wolves, one of the Legions of the Space Marines from the First Founding. He is thus a direct “son” of the Emperor.
- The Primarch is known for his lust for battle, which he likely developed partly because he was raised among wolves. His entire culture is heavily influenced by the Vikings. A tank of the Imperium was even named after him.
- At the moment, Russ is said to be in the Eye of Terror looking for a cure for the Emperor.
In the role-playing game Rogue Trader, you will meet a Space Wolf:
Leman Russ – A Too Hot-Tempered Leader
What did Russ do? A user on Reddit suspects that Russ is largely responsible for the outbreak of the Brother War. During the Brother War, the Primarch Horus betrayed the Emperor, and several Legions of the Space Marines fell to Chaos.
As a result, the entire Imperium was nearly wiped out, and the Emperor almost died. You can read more about it in the history of the Imperium of Man. Russ was already involved at several points beforehand.
The Primarch was supposed to bring his brother, Magnus the Red, back to Terra. Instead, he attacked and didn’t even give his brother a chance to explain. The homeworld of the Thousand Sons, Magnus’s Legion, was destroyed. Magnus later became a traitor himself – presumably due to Russ’s attack.
During the later attack on Terra, Russ was supposed to help defend the world. Instead of obeying orders, he preferred to launch an attack against Horus himself. In direct combat, Russ is wounded, and his Space Wolves save him, but the entire Legion is later overwhelmed by a more powerful enemy, Abaddon. The Space Marines are missing in the battle against Chaos.
“If Russ hadn’t been made a fool of, it would have been someone else”
The Reddit user questions whether Russ could have prevented the entire heresy with a bit more sense. Indeed, many users agree: If Russ had acted more wisely, much could have been prevented. At the same time, it’s noted that it’s only partly his fault. The Space Wolves would have been able to accomplish little on Terra anyway.
Russ was deceived during the attack on Magnus. A message was supposed to lead to negotiations, but a disguised Chaos cultist as a messenger never delivered this message. A Reddit user explains: Magnus had been deceived by Tzeentch, the God of Deception, his entire life.
Magnus only wanted the best and failed because of his positive traits, not because of his negative ones. Russ was merely the tool to set Magnus’s fall in motion: “Russ had more than enough evidence that something was very, very strange. But if Russ hadn’t been made a fool of, it would have been someone else.”
If Magnus’s warnings and the messages had reached their intended recipients, even Russ might have been convinced. But in the end, the plan of the Chaos God Tzeentch succeeded, as is often the case. His ranking among the strongest Chaos gods is therefore not surprising: All Chaos gods in Warhammer 40,000 ranked – Who is the most powerful?
