Warhammer 40K: The Emperor Is Genderqueer And 4 Other Major Reveals From ‘The End And The Death Volume 1’

The penultimate book in the Siege of Terra is packed full of new information. The Emperor of Mankind is full of surprises.

After nearly two decades and scores of books the saga of the Horus Heresy is  coming to a close. The penultimate book in the Siege of Terra, has been released. In, The End and The Death Volume 1, Dan Abnett takes us through the closing hours of the great war. It is a massive jammed packed book. It’s a absolutely massive novel full of revelations and  new information.  Today let’s take a look at a few things we learned.

+++Warning, Heretical Spoilers Below!+++

5. The Emperor Is Genderqueer

The book reveals that the being known as The Emperor, has been many different people during their life. This isn’t really new knowledge. However while we know the being that sits the Golden Throne as He, it turns out that hasn’t always been hasn’t always been the case. In the past the Emperor has lived both as a man and a woman. Living whole lives as woman and changing at will and need. It seems clear the Emperor is genderqueer and can live and present as they wish. How the Emperor feels isn’t known, but how they present is. In fact we don’t even know for sure what gender was assigned to The Emperor at birth.

In Master of Mankind there is a section on “The Boy Who Would Be King” which seems to show the Emperor as male at a young age. However these visions are very likely lies. In addition they don’t confirm anything about the Emperor’s birth.

This is a great move by Abnett. The Emperor in many ways is above gender and this makes sense for their character. I hope we see more like this. Interestingly it opens up the possibility that the Emperor could become a woman again in the future.

4. The Emperor Is The Tarot

The Emperor’s Tarot is a pretty major part of the Warhammer 40K lore. It’s a deck of cards, based on the real world Tarot used to make predictions. It’s also tied directly to the Emperor. The End and The Death implies the connection is deeper than we might have known. It’s said that each of the cards, the arcana, or at least the major ones, all represent people the Emperor has been. In essence all the characters of the Imperial Tarot deck ARE the Emperor.

3. Sanguinius Was Dying

It’s a well known fact that during the final battles of the Heresy, Horus kills his brother Sanguinius. This tragic act had major repercussions for the setting. And yet The End and The Death reveals that it might not have mattered all that much. In the previous book, Echoes of Eternity, Sanguinius fights and beats not only Angron but also the greater daemon Ka’bandha. In this book we find out that The Great Angel was wounded badly enough that he could die from that encounter. The Emperor all but says that if Sanguinius goes with the attack on the Vengeful Spirit his wounds will kill him. It’s an interesting twist.

2. Magnus To Save Malcador

For quite some time its been clear that Magnus the Red is one of the few beings who could sit on the Golden Throne and survive. One major theory has been the plan was to effective trap Magnus on the Throne so that the Emperor could be free to go about. In effect Magnus was created to act as a proxy for the Emperor. The End and The Death twists this. Malcador thinks that Magnus was in fact created to prevent himself from having to sit on the Throne. Malcador might be able to sit the throne but it would change and possibly kill him. To spare Malcador the Emperor created a more disposable Magnus. Another little twist on what we know.

1. The Alpha Legion Was Loyal In The End

The XX Legion as always been a bit of an enigma. Early on in the Heresy it’s shown that they joined Horus’s side as part of a larger plan to undermine him and Chaos. It was sort of an action of loyalty. Later however that plan falls apart and it’s not really clear whose side they are on — though they are generally accounted traitors.

This book informs us that the Legion had stockpiled not just large caches of equipment but also many Alpha Legion Marines in suspended animation under the Imperial Palace. These troops were hidden within the inner walls and could reach the most well protected parts of the palace. When the time was right they would be awoken and ordered to join the side that the Alpha Legion command though was best. In the end they were ordered to awaken and join the Emperor. Fighting as loyalists they were supposed to help stop Horus and save the day. Sadly their awakening was prevented and the fate of the slumbering Alpha Legion is unclear. Of course all this knowledge comes from the Alpha Legion so it could be a lie. However, it’s pretty consistent with what we know. The Alpha Legion, traitors no more.

Let us know what you think of this new information down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.