40K: Heroes And Villains: Lords Of The Dark Angels
Whether they are exemplary heroes or heretics, the Lords of the Dark Angels are legends among the Imperium. Here are five.
The Dark Angels are a unique chapter in that they’re home to some of the greatest heroes and villains in the Imperium. Each one is beholden to a dark secret, kept hidden from the rest of the chapter, for fear they would lose themselves to vengeance–or to Chaos, but here’s a look at some of the greatest lords of the Dark Angels.
Azrael
The Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels, Azrael is one of the most secretive figures in the Dark Angels. Coming from the feral world of Kimmeria, Azrael the Kimmerian is a black-haired and sullen-eyed, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth. And while this Kimmerian might not wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia–er–Ahkwilohnia–he is a great leader among the Dark Angels.
Azrael is responsible for orchestrating the Hunt for the Fallen. And whether this is a noble endeavour to help cleanse the chapter of a great sin, or a distraction from the orders of the Imperium, Azrael is also responsible for the new Primaris Marines becoming accepted into the inner ranks of the Dark Angels.
Ezekiel
The Dark Angels’ Grand Master of Librarians, Kepper of the Book of Salvation, and Holder of the Keys, is the most powerful psyker in the Dark Angels. Ezekiel bore witness to a dark vision of a Traitor legion of Dark Angels loyal to Luther–one of the greatest heretics in the Chapter’s sealed history.
Asmodai
Asmodai is the Master Interrogator-Chaplain of the Dark Angels, which should tell you a lot about the Dark Angels. He is less of a heroic figure and more a grim spectre of retribution. While he was once a tactical marine, Asmodai has dedicated his career towards making the Fallen repent. Most would rather die than fall into his hands, since Asmodai is rumored to be able to keep a victim alive for weeks while undergoing torture.
His brutality and sadistic wickedness, on full display, would have him branded a villain, and has led to his actions being covered up by Azrael. From ordering the slaughter of new recruits to silencing an entire company when he heard someone laugh, Asmodai is a feared figure for good reason.
Cypher
Of all the people in the Imperium, Cypher is one of the most mysterious. Possibly an ally, possibly an enemy, Cypher is loyal to no-one save himself. He has killed Chaos Lords and Chapter Masters. He has worked to return Guilliman to Terra, but also entered the Throne Room, alone. No one knows what has happened only that the white-robed man in power armour has carved a swath through the galaxy on both sides of Chaos and the Imperium.
Luther
Finally there’s Luther himself, the man who found Lion El’Jonson. One of the greatest villains the Dark Angels have known. Luther discovered that Chaos Sorcerers had infiltrated Caliban, and became convinced his world would be destroyed by the Emperor, and moreover that El’Jonson had hid the fact from him as a death sentence. When he came to believe that no help would come, he turned on the Lion, rallying the Dark Angels on Caliban to his cause.
He tried to use the powers of the Chaos Cultists for his own benefit, and took many followers with him. Or so the official record goes. And yet, if you believe the words of one of the original Dark Angels, flung from the past into the present milennium, it was in fact El’Jonson who betrayed the Dark Angels, not Luther. A fact maintained by Luther, who now believes that one day the Fallen will be absolved.
Though it’s best to take that with a grain of salt, since he was recently freed and is presumably gathering the Fallen into a legion ready to be unleashed upon the galaxy at large.
Are the Dark Angels heroes? Or villains? What do you think the truth of the Fallen is?
