1. Primarchs, the fathers of all Space Marines
The undeniably strongest variants of Space Marines are their fathers, the Primarchs. Each of the originally created super-soldiers carries a part of the Emperor himself within them. Their respective legions are based on their gene-seed.
Primarchs are no longer just ordinary Space Marines or especially strong superhumans; they are quasi-literal demigods, assuming that the Emperor has indeed become a god.
A single Primarch could defeat hundreds of Space Marines without probably taking a scratch. And indeed, such battles have occurred, as some Primarchs have betrayed the Emperor…
As sons of the Emperor, there is nothing in the Imperium that can come close to them in terms of power, except for the Emperor himself – and he must never leave his throne, by his own decree. They are the best strategists, the best swordsmen, the best smiths, and at least one of them is literally immortal. One of his brothers has tested this multiple times.
Partially, Primarchs are so powerful that they can defeat great demons single-handedly, even after a long fight against other powerful foes. On the other hand, they are powerful enough to ascend to become daemon princes themselves and therefore directly rule among the four great Chaos gods…
Bonus: Stormcast Eternals, the “Fantasy Space Marines” from Age of Sigmar
Stormcast Eternals may not originate from Warhammer 40,000, but they are often referred to as the Space Marines of Warhammer Fantasy. These men (and women) are “blessed” humans by Sigmar, whose souls have been forged into a body of celestial metal.
These demigods are essentially a combination of all the characteristics of Space Marines:
- They were created by Sigmar, the God-King, himself, like the Primarchs by the Emperor.
- At the moment of their death, their souls were preserved to be reforged and transformed into war machines, like Cybots.
- Like Primaris Marines, they wear special equipment that only they can use, including armor made of Sigmarite designed to protect against many dangers.
- In terms of strength and power, they surpass every normal human by far, just as Space Marines of any kind do.
- Just like Space Marines, the Stormcast Eternals are divided into something like “chapters,” called Stormhosts.
Sigmar uses the Stormcast Eternals as his spearhead to unite the realms of mortals, similar to how the Emperor did with the Thunder Warriors (and later the Space Marines).
Whether the Eternals could defeat a Space Marine in battle is hard to say, but they have one advantage: They are indeed immortal. More or less, as with each “death” they return, but with a little less of their soul. Stormcast Eternals are one of the reasons why more and more fans of Warhammer 40,000 are becoming interested in Age of Sigmar: Age of Sigmar was long considered the least popular Warhammer, now it excites fans: “High Fantasy meets Heavy Metal”
