Anyone who reads about Warhammer 40,000 will sooner or later come across the Space Marines and from there on to their fathers, the Primarchs. Their names are almost always mentioned with a certain reverence, even among fans. But where does this veneration come from? MeinMMO explains why Primarchs walk among humans as living gods.
Strictly speaking, however, they are no longer human, but artificially created super soldiers. Primarchs, just like all Space Marines, have left humanity behind.
They are larger, stronger, and smarter; even their anatomy differs from that of humans. The gene-seed of the Primarchs is used to create new Space Marines, their “Legions” or “Chapters,” who like to refer to themselves as their sons.
To give you an idea of how strong a Primarch really is: Even some of the most powerful tanks in the universe could not kill a Primarch. There is no mortal being that could pose a danger to them, and even among the Daemons of the Warp there is little to nothing that could stand against a Primarch in direct combat.
They are not simply physically superior and the best fighters with sword and bolter that you can imagine. Many of them master psychic abilities or are such brilliant administrators that that alone counts as a superpower.
For comparison: The Imperium needs 9 planets for administration, the current chief is a Primarch and reformed almost everything by himself. All of this is not a coincidence but planned to the letter.
Dawn of War 4 dares what no game has dared before: a playable Primarch:
20 perfect sons meant to lead humanity
Primarchs descend directly from the God-Emperor of Mankind, they carry his DNA. However, the Emperor did not conceive them but created them – using the DNA of a kindred, the Eternal Erda, who can be referred to as the mother of the Primarchs.
The “Primarch Project” was a secret genetic research program in which only a few initiates participated besides the Emperor, aimed at creating the perfect human, or rather: superhuman.
Why exactly there are no female Primarchs remains unresolved to this day. Allegedly, women would not survive the “transformation”, but the Emperor himself has never commented on this.
At least one of his closest confidants even advised him to make the Primarchs sisters instead of brothers. How many Primarchs there really are continues to spark discussions in the community because depending on the counting method various answers between 9 and 21 can be correct:
The names and Legions of all Primarchs
- Lion El’Jonson of the Dark Angels
- Fulgrim of the Emperor’s Children
- Perturabo of the Iron Warriors
- Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars
- Leman Russ of the Space Wolves
- Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists
- Konrad Curze of the Night Lords
- Sanguinius of the Blood Angels
- Ferrus Manus of the Iron Hands
- Angron of the World Eaters (originally War Hounds)
- Roboute Guilliman (or Guillaume in German) of the Ultramarines
- Mortarion of the Death Guard (originally Dusk Raiders)
- Magnus the Red of the Thousand Sons
- Horus Lupercal of the Sons of Horus (originally Luna Wolves)
- Lorgar Aurelian of the Word Bearers (originally Imperial Heralds)
- Vulkan of the Salamanders
- Corvus Corax of the Raven Guard
- Aphlarius Omegon, the twin Primarch of the Alpha Legion
- as well as the two Primarchs of the 2nd and 9th Legion, whose names and Legions have been expunged from the records of the Imperium
Each of these sons was bred with a specific task in mind. Their role was to serve as a shining example for humanity and to lead the entire species, both militarily and civilly – depending on their own strengths.
A gift for each son – And a flaw
Apart from the special abilities of each Primarch – in addition to their “general” superpowers – each of them also received a certain flaw. This is not equally pronounced in all Primarchs.
Some are simply not very empathetic or have a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder that forces them to extreme tidiness or adherence to rules. Others, like Sanguinius, have a severe “flaw” genetically rooted.
Sanguinius, like each of his sons, can fall victim to the Red thirst or the Black Rage, a kind of berserker state in which the affected no longer differentiate between friend and foe. In the worst case, this state is permanent.
By the way, it is not exactly clear whether the Primarchs all developed exactly as the Emperor planned. Even before they reached adulthood, a Warp Storm scattered them across the galaxy and separated them from their “father.” Allegedly, Erda herself was the trigger because she did not want “her children” to be used merely as tools and weapons.
If they are so powerful, where are the Primarchs today?
This question is posed by many fans as well as people in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but the answer can rarely be given precisely. Almost all Primarchs are lost or fallen, half of the Primarchs have betrayed the Emperor and turned to Chaos.
Of the traitors, five or six are still alive if you count Magnus’ shard as “alive.” One of them was even officially shown only recently, however, all surviving traitor Primarchs are now Daemon Princes. As such, they cannot exist indefinitely in realspace.
With a seventh Primarch, it is still unclear whether he is still alive and whether he even betrayed the Emperor. His entire Legion and his modus operandi are designed for deception, and each of his sons claims to be Alpharius.
Among the loyalists, three Primarchs are confirmed or presumed dead, and four more are considered “lost in the Warp.” Their sons are either actively searching for them or … leave them their task of hunting demons and traitors. Only two Primarchs have returned, Lion El’Jonson and Roboute Guilliman.
Did you already know how the Primarchs came to be and what makes them so special? Which Primarch or Legion do you find most interesting? Leave a comment!
Even though the Primarchs are considered the first Space Marines, there were even prototypes before them – even under the same name. The Thunder Warriors are the first super soldiers created by the Emperor, and their officers held the title “Primarch.” However, their fate was less glorious: Warhammer 40,000 had already bred superhumans before the Space Marines, but they were too problematic
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