Rank 1: Black Legion
The undisputed strongest traitor legion is the Black Legion, which originates from the Sons of Horus – the legion whose Primarch started the heresy in the first place.
The Black Legion does not follow a single Chaos god but the Undivided Chaos and thus has access to blessings and advantages from all domains, albeit not to the same extent as the respective “specialized” legions.
Ezekyle Abaddon is the current Warlord of Chaos and the leader of the Black Legion. Unlike many of the Primarchs, he has rejected ascension to demon prince – as this allows him to remain permanently in realspace and conduct his crusades there. Abaddon is the one who literally broke Cadia. Allegedly, he is even a clone of Horus himself.
While the Black Legion usually acts in war packs, like many traitor legions, under Abaddon it is often unified into the Black Crusades under one banner. The legion is by far the largest of all traitor legions, reportedly ten times larger than the Word Bearers.
They also have a huge fleet with several kilometer-long battleships and weapons like the “Planet Killer,” which can destroy entire worlds just like an Exterminatus. Their combat power and organization make them the de facto leader of the Chaos legions already.
Few can stand up to the Black Legion, at least not without uniting their strength – which has happened before. In particular, the loyal Space Marines constantly fight against their treacherous brothers. If you’re interested in who holds the greatest power here, read our power ranking of the strongest loyal chapters of Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000.
