Rank 2: Angron
If someone says that raw strength isn’t everything, Angron is likely the best example that this isn’t always true. He is the only Primarch who did not voluntarily join the Emperor but had to be forced to do so.
Angron’s raw brutality partly stems from the fact that he was subjected to “Butcher’s Nails” early on on his home planet: lobotomy-like spikes that are driven into the skull to heighten aggressiveness.
Even before his rise and before he even had a legion, Angron killed a Custodes, who are generally considered significantly more powerful than Space Marines. During the Heresy, he fell to Khorne fittingly to his character and ultimately became a Daemon Prince of Khorne.
Angron can boast many victories, including against Greater Demons like a Keeper of Secrets of Slaanesh – whom he beat to death with a metal rod – or an Avatar of Khaine, a remnant of the god of war of the once-mighty Aeldari.
In battle, he is vastly superior to Primarchs like Roboute Guilliman, and his status as the Daemon Prince of Khorne grants him strong wound regeneration and resistance against many attacks. Additionally, Angron cannot truly die: Eight weeks, eight days, and eight hours after his death, he simply returns. His greatest weakness is that his blind rage can be easily exploited: if he doesn’t directly defeat his opponent and they fight strategically (like Perturabo), Angron can easily fall into traps.
