Warhammer 40K: Loyal Primarchs – Who Could Join Guilliman
Forge World has a new Horus Heresy Lion El’Jonson model – could we see him join 40k as well? What about the other Primarchs? Let’s chat.
This one is just a quick refresher for folks who might not know the statuses of all the other Loyalist Primarchs. Many are dead but Guilliman was locked in status for 10,000 years and if he can come back I wouldn’t completely rule some of these primarchs out either.
Jaghatai Khan – Missing In The Webway
After the Heresy, Khan went on to lead the White Scars in the Great Scouring. During the campaign to conqueror the Yasan Sector, Khan came into conflict with both traitors and Dark Eldar raiders. During the Battle of Corusil V against a mighty Dark Eldar Lord, it was reported that Khan was lost within the Webway during the pursuit of the Xenos.
Khan is lost but there is always the possibility he could return from the Webway one day…
Rogal Dorn – MIA, Presumed Dead
Rogal Dorn is missing and presumed dead after attacking a Chaos fleet with a vastly outnumbered force. Seeing the importance of attacking the enemy fleet while they were still preparing he relied on hit-and-run attacks until his reinforcements could arrive. Dorn went missing on board the Despoiler Class Battleship Sword of Sacrilege after leading a desperate attack on its bridge. Only his hand (Hand of Dorn) was recovered which is kept in stasis by his chapter.
Only his hand was recovered. Konrad Curze told the assassin M’Shen that he was ripped apart by his enemies and was killed. But during the War of the Beast Primarch Vulkan told Koorland he would speak well of the Imperial Fists to Rogal Dorn. If Dorn was dead at the time, what did he mean by that? Did Vulkan (who is a perpetual) think he would die and speak within Dorn in the afterlife? Or is Dorn alive and Vulkan know how to commune with him?
Corvus Corax – MIA, Last Seen In The Eye of Terror
After locking himself in a tower for a year due to the guilt he felt, Corvus Corax left on his ship Deliverance on a course for the Eye of Terror. He has been hunting the Traitor Primarchs in the Warp.
Corax went on to hunt the traitor Primarchs, seeking revenge for the Drop Site Massacre. At some point he became mutated by the powers of the Warp, turning into a creature made of darkness and shadow itself. Using his new abilities, Corax wreaked havoc on a Word Bearers Daemon World in the Eye of Terror. Far beyond the abilities of average Word Bearers, the Daemon Primarch Lorgar himself appeared before Corax and the two engaged in a vicious duel. Corax managed to dominate the battle, forcing Lorgar to retreat and close the portal he had arrived from. As Lorgar vanished, Corax vowed that he would hunt down and slay the Daemon Primarch.
Ferrus Manus – KIA
Fulgrim personally killed Ferrus during the battle at Isstvan V, using the daemon weapon he acquired fighting the Laer to strike his head from his shoulders in one fell swoop. Fulgrim, distraught with grief that his closest brother was dead by his own hand, was soon thereafter possessed by the daemon within the sword. The possessed Fulgrim then delivered Ferrus’s head to Horus.
Not only was he killed by his brother, he was beheaded and that head was taken to Horus. So yeah, he’s dead and the Iron Hands couldn’t even recover all of his body.
Vulkan – MIA, Presumed Dead(?)
Vulkan is a Perpetual. But during the War of the Beast he appears to have been “killed” after battling The Beast in a blast caused by the detonation of a temple-gargant’s generator. He has been missing ever since.
Vulkan was presumed dead by the Imperium and Koorland stated that his sacrifice would be forever remembered. However, the Salamanders still hunt him in the 41st Millennium. They believe that he will return to them after they have found all nine of the Artefacts of Vulkan.
Lion El’Jonson – MIA, Sort of…
One of the greatest secrets of the Dark Angels is that Lion El’Jonson is asleep in a hidden chamber on the Rock.
Leman Russ – MIA, Waiting on the Wolf Time
In 211.M31 Russ, at a great feast with his Legion in attendance, stood and said: “In the end I will return. For the final battle. For the Wolf Time.” He then left the Fang and embarked into the Eye of Terror accompanied by his personal retinue bar one — Bjorn the Fell-Handed, who remained on Fenris in the role of Great Wolf. The tale of his disappearance is retold every thousand years by Bjorn, now the oldest dreadnought alive. Every once in a while, the Space Wolves embark on what is called the Great Hunt to search the galaxy for their missing leader. Though they have searched far and wide, they still haven’t found any sign of their Primarch. Many within the Space Wolves believe that Russ has sought out the Tree of Life to restore the Emperor to health. Apparently The Wolf Primarch’s Arch-nemesis Magnus knows the Wolf King’s whereabouts, but keeps it secret.
Sanguinius – KIA
Sanguinius was slain by Horus in the final stages of the Siege of Terra.
In the later stages of the Siege Sanguinius fought valiantly, organising the final defence of the Imperial Palace and held the Eternity Gate alone when no others could withstand the horror of the assault, even breaking the back of the same Greater Daemon Ka’Bandha who wounded him on Signum. When the Emperor teleported aboard Horus‘s Battle Barge, the Vengeful Spirit, Sanguinius was with him but they became separated and the Primarch was forced to face Horus first. Despite being in the pit of Horus’s tainted and mutated Chaos fuelled Battle Barge, Sanguinius tried to revert his brother to the side of the Emperor, using their old friendship as a lever. Horus would not listen to or agree with any of Sanguinius’ words and the two argued and tried to sway the other to the side of the heresy they stood upon. Sanguinius was eventually struck down by Horus, the only damage Sanguinius did was create a small dent in Horus’ armour. Some say, however, that it was through this chink in Horus’s armour that the Emperor was able to deliver the fatal blow. Thus the belief is that Sanguinius did not die in vain; but by dying, allowed Horus to be slain and the Heresy destroyed.
His body was recovered and is currently laid to rest in the Golden Sarcophagus on Baal.
Want to learn more about the Primarchs? Visit the Lexicanum!
Well there you have it. If you didn’t know the status of the loyalist Primarchs, now you know.
