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Not really naked, but more along the line of "almost" naked, or as naked as they can get. What does the black carapace look like? I can find 0 images of it online and it's killing me not being able to imagine it when reading about marines hanging up their army on a rack and walking around. A friend said they were castrated when being implanted and I recognize the fact they have no sex drive, however, I would have thought more along the lines of them keeping their "parts" and simply having the drive somehow surgically removed, which doesn't seem too far fetched what with the Betchers Gland (wtf) and all of the other crazy implants they are receiving. Two part question, help clear it up for me.

***SIDENOTE: I'd really appreciate pictures of the black carapace if anyone can get a hold of them. As for the castration or whatever, keep those to yourselves

I am pretty sure the black carapace is UNDER the skin, meaning it would not be visible. Except they would probably have hard points where the black carapace and armor meet, that would be visible.

And I am pretty sure they are not castrated, as that would be insulting to them and their honour, as well as making peeing really awkward and serving no practical purposed.

So sans the armor, what are they wearing? Do SW's run around in viking clothing while DA where smocks? Or is there a sort of uniform they sport around?

BLOODCLAWallday wrote:Do SW's run around in viking clothing while DA where smocks? Or is there a sort of uniform they sport around?

Yes, yes, no.

Mostly they wear robes.

Black Carapace, from the 40K Compendium:


Two schools of thought on this. If it really is black, it would probably tint the skin of the Marines as skin isn't entirely opaque. But, the Marines probably have pretty tough skin, and there is always the melanochrome which leaves Marines (at least those of caucasian and other light skinned background) tanned in most light settings to protect them.

Castrated? Probably not physically. Maybe chemically. There's really very little about the sexuality of the Space Marines. I'd assume it's been muted either via chemical castration, or through the indoctrination process in order to make them more resistant to the temptations of the flesh.

Clothing has been represented dozens of ways in the fluff, so really it probably is left to your imagination and preference, especially if you're inventing your own chapter. Some of the art shows, or fluff describes, them in robes, some in functional form fitting body suits, some in utility type fatigues, others in more formal attire. Other fluff suggests they're so hard they just wear their armor all the damned time because f' you, that's why. I imagine chapters like the Ultramarines (and many of their successors), or Blood Angels, Imperial Fists, etc, have some kind of "service" uniform that they wear when not in combat, and functional uniforms for training outside of power armor . Space Wolves might have something more styled to their native dress. Dark Angels seem don robes over their armor so there's no reason they wouldn't wear them (perhaps over something functional) out of armor too.

Brings up another question..

How long does it take to get into SM power armour and power it up (such as in an emergency).

Platemail takes ages to climb into or out of, but tech should speed it up a bit.

Im doubt it's quite as fast as Iron Man's suit..

Termie armor takes a little longer than power armor but it's a relatively quick process, I imagine you throw it on and it makes the connections to the BC its self. Termie armor is a little more of a process, it might even take two people to fully suit up, but I know that in the SW omnibus when they are boarding a ship they toss on the PA with relative ease. But that's it for thread jacking. If anyone has pictures of SM in a more "casual" wear, by all means post them!

Yet another question with title "naked Space Marine".

Why is everyone interested in Space Marines naked and no one is asking the same question for Sisters? What are they wearing under their armor?

To answer OP. Black carapace probable looks something like diving suite ( remember that black, rubber suit all over your body except hands and head ).
Adn for the last time they have ding dongs. Nowhere is stated that they are removed because they are important part of the sacred Human body.

Just for coa, i reveal all..

Sisters wear everlasts that grant a 4+ armour save


http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1300023a

I would imagine something like this:

bra + tanga, that givs 3+ AS.

Re. what marines wear when they're not in armour, apart from robes I specifically remember it being mentioned in A Thousand Sons that at one point Ahriman was wearing a crimson tunic and khaki combat fatigues.

So yeah, not just robes. I'd think they'd wear whatever's practical for them, be it robes or fatigues or whatever else they can get that'll fit 'em.

DarknessEternal wrote:

BLOODCLAWallday wrote:Do SW's run around in viking clothing while DA where smocks? Or is there a sort of uniform they sport around?

Yes, yes, no.

Mostly they wear robes.

Loken from the Horus Heresy books is decribed wearing fatigues and boots when he's training.

Most chapters sport robes or fatigues displaying their Chapter's emblem.

Some chapters just roll with it and wear whatever the hell they want. Some probably go all out pimp and bling bling.

And the badasses have no reason to ever take the armor off.

Brother Coa wrote:


Why is everyone interested in Space Marines naked and no one is asking the same question for Sisters? What are they wearing under their armor?

That'll be in Playadept

I imagine that outside of actually deployment, they only wear their armour for battle training purposes. After all, they have to eat sleep and attend theory training sessions. Armour is constantly inspected and repaired, you can't do that while wearing it.

They are obviously bigger than normal humans, but most implants are internal, though some implants may be visible on the surface.

I assume that space marines are capable of sex, but that they have little or no sex drive and would rarely have the opportunity. They aren't greatly interested in sex because their duty comes first. that said there are a lot of space marine chapters and all are a bit different, some are particularly erratic so it's possible that there are marines that have sexual relationships. Maybe the genetic modification they undergo with the gen-seed renders them infertile? We don't know.

First, to quell the line of thinking about "Hurr Space Marines and Sex!": The Astartes are chem-gelded. That means they physically and mentally have no sexual desires.

Second: The majority of descriptions of Astartes outside of their Power Armour have them wearing a fairly simple tunic, pants, and boots. Over that they'll wear a tabard or something else bearing the Chapter's livery. Depending on the Chapter or Astartes in question, he might also wear carapace armor and be fully prepared for war outside of being in his Power Armour.

Kanluwen wrote:First, to quell the line of thinking about "Hurr Space Marines and Sex!": The Astartes are chem-gelded. That means they physically and mentally have no sexual desires.

I have NEVER seen the supposed fluff that says this. Nothing has ever said they have been chemically steralized.

The only thing I have ever seen is that the psycoconditionaing they take basically reprograms their brain and removes their sex drive. They are still fully functional, but will have no urge or desire to have sex.

And I have never once seen anything about them being "fully functional", outside of fan assumption because "Slaanesh needs sex!".

Except the base line is that they are functioning.


Every marine starts life as a human. Humans can have sex.

Human becomes marine. Nothing says the process makes them unable to have sex. Ergo we MUST assume they are still able to have sex. key word=able.

Except we have nothing to support that, but do have reference to a cocktail of drugs which make them chemically sterile.

Wishful thinking, regardless of the answer you pick.

I deem it likely that the respective organs are either atrophied as a side-effect to the chemical treatment forced on their bodies (see real-life bodybuilders) or surgically removed. Certainly it would be much easier for the waste recycler in the armour to simply plug it into a valve than to insert a cathether every time the suit is donned. Not to mention that genitalia would simply occupy useless space in the armour and, at worst, evoke an unnecessarily uncomfortable feeling. Especially when the massive horsecawk that I'm sure a number of fans wish upon their oh-so-manly Marines begins to rub against the hard plating of the suit. When I look at the cross-section, I just don't see the armour being ergonomical enough for this - it looks rather "smooth around the bend". And let's be honest, given the extensive modifications made to a Marine's body and mind, why would the Emperor forget about this? Astartes are made for fighting, and nothing else. Allowing them to keep their "tools" brings only drawbacks and no advantages.

Also, and perhaps more importantly, I see it as being more grimdark this way. Sacrificing one's humanity and all. *shrugs*

But(!) we all have our own preferences and interpretations, so without a "canon" to go by there is no wrong answer to this.

I'm scared.

I am in agreement with Lynata.

*dramatic thundercrack*

im2randomghgh wrote:I am pretty sure the black carapace is UNDER the skin, meaning it would not be visible.

Skin is not that opaque.

Isn't testosterone required for the Space Marine transformation though, and that's produced mostly in the gonads. So they'd have to be removed pretty late in the process then.

It also seems unlikely that the Space Wolves and chapters like them would allow castration regardless of whether there was any need for the organs or not.

Kanluwen wrote:Except we have nothing to support that, but do have reference to a cocktail of drugs which make them chemically sterile.

That. I've always thought that, like Howard A. Treesong said, their sctrict monastic ideology and their devotion to duty had something to do with their lack of sexual urges, too.

Besides, I can imagine the reason why Space Marines are kept that way. If they were able and willing to reproduce they might establish themselves as a ruling aristocracy of übermenschen. Not good.

As for the Black Carapace, I imagine it being a milimetres thick layer of elastic phlebotinum-enriched kevlar under the skin. Probably not enough to stop a bolter round but sufficient to make stabbing a Marine without power armour a daunting challenge. It probably doesn't provide full coverage, though.

Kanluwen wrote:Except we have nothing to support that, but do have reference to a cocktail of drugs which make them chemically sterile.

We don't need evidence to support it. We need evidence that they are sterile/completely incapable of having sex.

The burden of proof is on the side that says they are sterile.



I think they are unable to have sex because of the psychoconditioning, not because they are actually neutered(chemically or otherwise) I don't have evidence, but I am ok with that and have no desire to push the subject and could care less if I am wrong.

They seem to have a very large codpiece on their armour for people who have no junk down there.

Maybe it's a compensation for what they removed, to keep their ego strong

Or maybe the target audience for marines like to see that their toy soldiers have large man-meat

There's still arteries and blood vessels down there, even without the wiggly bit.

Space Marines are chemically castrated, so it's more like they have an operation and you would see no external evidence of it. They have all the required parts, but due to whatever chemical they use, they cannot procreate.