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Here's the idea, you have an opportunity to write the future of any 40k character... who would you choose, and what would happen to them?

For fun, I created a press release from GW about Magnus the Red:

I'd kill off Marneus Calgar. For some reason, his continued existence cheeses me off to no end.

 BorderCountess wrote:
I'd kill off Marneus Calgar. For some reason, his continued existence cheeses me off to no end.

It does feel like they're cringily trying to have their cake and eat it too by having his "death" on Vigilus inspire the masses while simultaneously stating that he miraculously survived, actually.


I'd give Lady Malys some love. Let her story start going somewhere. Have her big scheme against Vect come to fruition forcing him out of the top dog position and requiring him to actually earn his old position for the first time in like, 8 millennia. Have the dark city fall into anarchy as the power vacuum calls everyone to acts of ambitious violence, daemons trying to slip through the no-longer-maintained measures Vect had holding them back. Double down on the connection between Malys, Cegorach, Veilwalker, and Yvraine.

I'd also like to see more phoenix lord novels like Asurmen and Jain Zar. I don't necessarily have like, directions for them. They just deserve to be given more personality and chances to be fleshed out.

I think I might let Yvraine actually find the 5th crone sword. Let that cause Ynnead to officially "be born" (he basically is in most of the ways that matter at this point) and have them set a new goal that's less of a dead end. Ynnead is born? Cool. Time for the attack on Slaanesh to begin, but she's too strong to tackle directly for now. Time to go around powering up Ynnead by collecting vestiges of the dead pantheon members' power. Or maybe he has to slice Slaanesh open in bits and pieces, letting some of the old pantheon's power bleed out of her. And then we turn Ynnari into the "daemon eldar faction" by introducing daemonic hounds of Kurnouse, Faolchu-kin, weavers, etc.

 Wyldhunt wrote:

 BorderCountess wrote:
I'd kill off Marneus Calgar. For some reason, his continued existence cheeses me off to no end.

It does feel like they're cringily trying to have their cake and eat it too by having his "death" on Vigilus inspire the masses while simultaneously stating that he miraculously survived, actually.


I'd give Lady Malys some love. Let her story start going somewhere. Have her big scheme against Vect come to fruition forcing him out of the top dog position and requiring him to actually earn his old position for the first time in like, 8 millennia. Have the dark city fall into anarchy as the power vacuum calls everyone to acts of ambitious violence, daemons trying to slip through the no-longer-maintained measures Vect had holding them back. Double down on the connection between Malys, Cegorach, Veilwalker, and Yvraine.

I'd also like to see more phoenix lord novels like Asurmen and Jain Zar. I don't necessarily have like, directions for them. They just deserve to be given more personality and chances to be fleshed out.

I think I might let Yvraine actually find the 5th crone sword. Let that cause Ynnead to officially "be born" (he basically is in most of the ways that matter at this point) and have them set a new goal that's less of a dead end. Ynnead is born? Cool. Time for the attack on Slaanesh to begin, but she's too strong to tackle directly for now. Time to go around powering up Ynnead by collecting vestiges of the dead pantheon members' power. Or maybe he has to slice Slaanesh open in bits and pieces, letting some of the old pantheon's power bleed out of her. And then we turn Ynnari into the "daemon eldar faction" by introducing daemonic hounds of Kurnouse, Faolchu-kin, weavers, etc.

Agreed regarding Calgar, his position is pretty redundant at this point with Guilliman back at the helm, and it feels like they had an easy out for him to die distracting the Despoiler at Vigilus. They was some interest in having him go through the "don't meet your heroes" phase of how Guilliman makes him feel conflicted on how all the things he saw as sacred with the Codex and other relics being disregarded by Guilliman and all of Calgar's achievements being undercut by Guilliman's return, but I feel him dying and having Sicarius take over as Chapter Master would work well given how he's also been humbled during his time being trapped in the warp.

Both Dark Eldar and Eldar have definitely been given the short end of the stick, with GW shoehorning them so hard into the dying race trope they basically don't know how to write them as effective foes anymore. I think your ideas would be really cool to explore and it would be cool as well to see the impact of Kheradruakh expanding the realm of Aelindrach.

If I had to personally write the character's future, probably it would be for Wazdakka. Would love to see him coming into conflict with Necrons trying to loot their tech to build his interstellar highway for his WAAAGH!, and using that as a way to cross through the Great Rift.

Magnus redeems himself, unites psykers, and reshapes Imperium's future balance.

Eldrad Ulthwe guides the Aeldari to reclaim the galaxy that was usurped from them, and become the rightful poster boys and girls of 40K.

Eldrad not only breaks the forth wall but smashes it apart with an Avatar of Khaine and enters our reality, traveling to Nottingham itself and taking over the CEO position of Games Workshop. The first plastic Eldar Phantom Titan is announced on Warhammer Day, and Space Marine players?

For the Space Marine players...nothing.

MIC DROP.

For gaks and giggles...let Dante get killed in some ridiculous way, say accidentally shot in the face by a gretchin, and then turns out he's actually a Perpetual. =)

"And as for all of that stuff about historical characters, it was all a dream. The warhammer universe is yours to make, not to have it dictated to you."

I would like to tackle a little known Dark Eldar named Veth Raiden. For those of you who don't know her, she is the Blackstone Fortress Character that wasn't: an expansion set (I forget which) included a card for her ship... Without including a model and rules for playing the character.

She steals a stealth ship from Vect and uses it to find and travel to the Blackstone Fortress. I don't know the character well, but I'd like to field her as a Corsair character, so I'd line her up with the Anrathe.

I'd also like to see Kheradruakh the Decapitator developed a bit.

I'd also like to take a shot at developing a GSC Patriarch character- tracking the development from a vanguard Purestrain, to the growth of his psychic ability, tracing all the telepathic interactions with other cult members, including the infected among the host species, and how his strategic prowess develops over time as his Brood grows larger and ranges farther.

Lhykhis has a lot of potential right now too- I'd like to know more about her.

I'd also like to see more movement on Yvrainne and the Ynarri.

I'd have the timeline jump and have all of them die in the intervening years.

New characters emerge only to die as well. 40k is a meat grinder, not DBZ.

Either we're experiencing a time where miraculously every character is the best version of what they represent, or every person before them was that hardcore and how did they ever die?

You don't get Captain Tychos anymore, just never dying comic book heroes in repetitively boring fights.

Isn’t Tycho dead, though?

 JNAProductions wrote:
Isn’t Tycho dead, though?

Yes that's my point. He appeared in the game alive and then the story advanced and he died. His original introduction in 2nd ed had him alive on Armageddon. The 3rd armageddon war killed him.

We just don't get that anymore.

 Hellebore wrote:

 JNAProductions wrote:
Isn’t Tycho dead, though?

Yes that's my point. He appeared in the game alive and then the story advanced and he died. His original introduction in 2nd ed had him alive on Armageddon. The 3rd armageddon war killed him.

We just don't get that anymore.

Well, there was Commissar Yarrick and Ursukar Creed. Looks like Armageddon's coming back, so we'll see if Yarrick stays dead... But Creed is pushin up daisies, and his death made room for Ursula.

It probably doesn't happen as often as it should, although I think you could make a good case that some of the Blackstone Fortress characters whose models have been reassigned as generic units are dead. We're never getting an update on the lore that includes Ammalyn Shadowguide, Taddeus the Purifier or Pious Vorne, so they're probably dead... Or rather, they were never important enough for us to know whether they are alive or dead in the first place.

I’m sorry, I thought you meant “We don’t (should not) get Captain Tychos anymore.”
Not “We don’t (literally) get Captain Tychod anymore.”

That’s my bad! And for what it’s worth, 100% agreed.

No worries, I should have written it more clearly.


Genercising character models once they die might actually be a good way to get more mileage out of the mould. Although it's harder for things like primarchs.

And I'm certainly not expecting wholesale slaughters of every character they release regularly. Each new edition killing off a big character though might actually give it stakes.


The irony I see is that they are 'moving the narrative' but actually keeping the setting static with immovable characters peppered throughout.

Creed is not dead, he's in Trazyn's museum.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Here's the idea, you have an opportunity to write the future of any 40k character... who would you choose, and what would happen to them?

For fun, I created a press release from GW about Magnus the Red:

Spoiler:

**Official Announcement from Games Workshop: Magnus the Red to be Redeemed!**

**Date: April 2026**

In a groundbreaking development that is set to reshape the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Games Workshop is thrilled to announce the redemption of Magnus the Red, the Primarch of the Thousand Sons. After millennia of conflict and strife, Magnus will be rejoining the Imperium of Man, heralding a new era of unity and hope for humanity.

This monumental shift comes with the unexpected assistance of Ynead, the Aeldari god of the dead, who has offered his guidance in the restoration of the Rubric Marines. As part of this unprecedented alliance, players will soon have the opportunity to field their Thousand Sons as Imperial Space Marines, led by the newly redeemed Magnus the Red. This unique gameplay experience will allow players to explore the duality of their forces, choosing to fight for the Imperium or to embrace the darker paths alongside Ahriman and the Chaos Space Marines.

The upcoming release will feature a new range of miniatures, including a stunning new model for Magnus, showcasing his transformation into a beacon of hope for the Imperium. Additionally, the Rubric Marines will receive a significant update, allowing players to customize their units to reflect their allegiance, whether it be to the Imperium or the forces of Chaos.

We understand that this announcement may come as a surprise to many, but we believe that the time has come for the narrative of Warhammer 40,000 to evolve. The redemption of Magnus the Red is not just a story of personal growth; it is a testament to the power of unity in the face of overwhelming darkness.

Stay tuned for more details on this exciting development, including new rules, lore, and upcoming releases. We invite all players to embrace this new chapter in the Warhammer 40,000 saga and to prepare for the epic battles that lie ahead.

For the Emperor!

**Games Workshop Team**

One of the things I like is that nobody's a villain. I mean a lot of people default Chaos and/or Xenos as the "villain" but if you pay attention its all ambiguous. I mean sure Humanity isn't going to particularly thrilled at the idea of their own extinction - but that's technically neither heroic nor villainous.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ArcaneHorror wrote:
Creed is not dead, he's in Trazyn's museum.

Almost nobody they make a mini for dies. Ventris went to Chaos Planet. Sicarius was lost in the warp and recovered. Lysander was lost in the warp, captured by his worst enemy, somehow wasn't killed, and was able to escape and fight his way free. In a way you could say model molds make great plot armor, but I'd point to GW's skill at changes that don't change anything but the year in the "news" report.

I'm not particularly interested in 40k having a moving narrative, so characters having a 'future' isn't something I'd dabble in, but I'd canonise some footnotes. The Lord-Commander Eidolon who exists in the 41st Millennium (or 42nd or whatever we're in now, again, not interested) isn't the man Eidolon - who probably did die ages ago - but the idea of Eidolon, who'll keep turning up so long as there's someone out there who thinks he'll keep turning up (it's mainly the Inquisition's refusal to stamp his file 'dead, forget about it' that keeps him kicking). Fulgrim's issue wasn't pride but dysphoria, but it's too late to save her now. And Asdrubael Vect dies; he's not my favourite anything, but I've never liked him or felt he brought anything worthwhile to the setting.

Oh, and Doomrider rides again. His still-living disembodied head kept by the White Scars managed to dislodge a tooth, chew it into the shape of a D6, and roll a 1 to disappear back into the warp.

Just leave them alone. I'm so tired of GW ruining characters and/or having them become comic book super heroes.

 PenitentJake wrote:
Looks like Armageddon's coming back, so we'll see if Yarrick stays dead...

They confirmed on the Adepticon stream that Yarrick is, in fact, dead. The live chat was filled with 'f' for a few seconds.

 PenitentJake wrote:

 Hellebore wrote:

 JNAProductions wrote:
Isn’t Tycho dead, though?

Yes that's my point. He appeared in the game alive and then the story advanced and he died. His original introduction in 2nd ed had him alive on Armageddon. The 3rd armageddon war killed him.

We just don't get that anymore.

Well, there was Commissar Yarrick and Ursukar Creed. Looks like Armageddon's coming back, so we'll see if Yarrick stays dead... But Creed is pushin up daisies, and his death made room for Ursula.

It probably doesn't happen as often as it should, although I think you could make a good case that some of the Blackstone Fortress characters whose models have been reassigned as generic units are dead. We're never getting an update on the lore that includes Ammalyn Shadowguide, Taddeus the Purifier or Pious Vorne, so they're probably dead... Or rather, they were never important enough for us to know whether they are alive or dead in the first place.

And quote re: Yarrick: "there was a body".

 Hellebore wrote:
I'd have the timeline jump and have all of them die in the intervening years.

I was going to post the same thing.

Jump forward a thousand years, and all the characters we know are dead save for some Necron ones and the named Daemons and Daemon Primarchs.

I would drum up a conflict between Guilliman and the Emperor, that sees Guilliman exiled to Macragge and has several High Lords secretly siding with Guilliman. Then have elements of a behind-the-scenes civil war within the Imperium, while both sides still try to maintain a united front against external enemies.

Why? Because this is Warhammer, not Bookhammmer and not Trainingexercisehammer. Something like 30% of games are loyal Imperials killing loyal Imperials. It's time for the fluff to adequately reflect that. And I think the current Guilliman storyline is kind of lame.

Also I make Abaddon scary because right now I feel bad for him.

Everyone dies.

 Tyran wrote:
Everyone dies.

They tried that with Ghaz and Ragnar, and it just made them stronger!

I know the cartoonishly evil Kubrik Chenkov is already officially dead (without an explanation), but my headcanon is that he died in a "friendly fire" incident. It only makes sense for the kind of officer who once marched his soldiers across a minefield to clear the way for tanks. Frankly it's a wonder he didn't get fragged much earlier in his career.

In general though, I don't think too much about the future of characters. 40k is a setting, and killing off characters (or taking them out of commission) takes away from the setting. That's why I don't question why some T'au special characters have been around for centuries despite belonging to a short-lived species.

.

-Guardsman- wrote:
I know the cartoonishly evil Kubrik Chenkov is already officially dead (without an explanation), but my headcanon is that he died in a "friendly fire" incident. It only makes sense for the kind of officer who once marched his soldiers across a minefield to clear the way for tanks. Frankly it's a wonder he didn't get fragged much earlier in his career.

He should keep dying but it doesn't matter because they immediately bring in a replacement who's also named Chenkov.

 Insectum7 wrote:

 Hellebore wrote:
I'd have the timeline jump and have all of them die in the intervening years.

I was going to post the same thing.

Jump forward a thousand years, and all the characters we know are dead save for some Necron ones and the named Daemons and Daemon Primarchs.

If their mortality had already been planned into the setting I'd expect characters to last 2-3 editions before dying, the nominally immortal ones notwithstanding - they'd probably warrant a large campaign with big consequences for their deaths.

but if they did it piece meal now it would look a little anaemic or targeted to which ever factions lost characters first.

I'd kind of like the idea of each edition being an era of 40k, whether it be a 100 years, a 1000 or a random number reflecting a specific ongoing event (like the Age of Apostasy), with the dramatis personae of the era and you get to play with and around them as the galaxy changes and shifts based on everyone's actions. But then the next edition happens and it's a new era, with some outcomes of the last era setting up broad themes or consequences in the next. And then we get the new dramatis personae of the era rising to contend in the paradigm built on the last era.

They almost did this with the IA books, each set in a specific time period around a specific campaign, with its own dramatis personae. They could have done retrospective equivalents like the aforementioned age of apostasy or Macharius' crusade where you get to play in those as long ongoing campaigns.

The problem we're left with is established characters are too valuable an IP to kill off, so must be milked and simultaneously everything happens at the bleeding edge of the timeline - ie 'now' creating this heavily crowded space where everything is happening all at once, but it's all only happening within the orbit of a selection of characters.

Vect getting his soul eaten by Malys and her becoming the overlord of Commoragh would be a cool outcome. Eldrad succombing to his age but not before using his soul to supercharge Ynnead and further along that plot point, The chapter masters all getting killed in battle because that's what happens to every chapter master that's ever died, Ghazghkull finally encountering a bigger ork because there is always a bigger ork. etc.

What if they did Mission books set around different eras, with characters that can only be played in that specific era?