Warhammer 40K: The Grimdark’s Most Powerful People
40K tells us, “The strongest are strongest alone.” Today, we look over the entire Grimdark to determine who is truly the most powerful of them all.
The Grimdark is teeming with life, from the teeming powerless masses to world-conquering tyrants. Yet, in a galaxy of a billion worlds, even such power is fleeting. The true powers of the galaxy command entire races, or governments of such scale and scope as to be difficult to mentally grasp. They must be more than personally powerful, but more importantly be able to fully grasp and control their power, bending the galaxy to their will. Here is our list of the greatest of the great. Truly, the strongest of the strong.
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Roboute Guilliman
The first of the pair of surviving loyal Primarch, and Regent of the Imperium. Roboute isn’t merely a being of unspeakable power, but wields the entire force of the Imperium under his gaze. He has the acumen to study his surroundings, and the wisdom of millennia to enact policy and actions to bring the enemies of Mankind to heel. He has the backing of the High Lords of Terra, and the Emperor himself, or so he says.
Lion ‘El Jonson
Just returned to an Imperium he will not recognize, The Lion will have strong opinions, and even stronger options how to remake the galaxy in his father’s image. The leader of The First Legion is an uncompromising son, with the entire strength of the Unforgiven, The Forgiven, the Rock, and the pure unadulterated power of a Primarch behind him. He defeated his brother Angron in single combat. Woe be to any other who would stand against Jonson’s will.
Ezekyle Abaddon
The evil reflection of Guilliman, The Warmaster has unified the fractious powers of Chaos under his banner. He has even gotten the tacit acceptance of the Ruinous Powers and the Daemonic Primarchs to allow him to enact his vengeance upon the Imperium. With the Traitor Legions, the Dark Mechanicus, and the Neverborn of Nurgle behind him, the power of Abaddon is unimaginable. The Warmaster has ten thousand years of battlefield experience to draw on to make the Galaxy burn. Now with an alliance with Vashtorr the Arkifane and his sentient planet Wyrmwood within the Webway – anything is possible.
Szarekh, The Silent King
There are millions of Tomb Worlds from thousands of Necron Dynasties scattered across the galaxy. The Silent King has already defeated a grand alliance of races and conquered the entire galaxy once before. Now he seeks to awaken his race and repeat the process. While the Necrons are slowly awakening, the Silent King’s power is not fully realized, but he alone is the most patient of all. He has waited, awake, for 20 million years, and he remembers all. The Necron race is pledged to him. He has the experience and the plan to achieve his goals. The cracking foundations of many of the galaxy’s races are built atop his still-slumbering servants. Szarekh is the ultimate player of “the long game”.
Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka
Bestial power and fury personified. The Ork race is numberless and unstoppable once roused. They are survivors, enduring since the War in Heaven, blissfully unaware of their own latent tenacity and power. If only the fractious race had a singular leader to give them a common purpose. Ghazghkull is that singular leader. A force of nature that can smash any obstacle and reshape the galaxy into the primal vision of Gork and Mork. He has a plan and is moving around the galaxy at speed to implement it. The question with Ghaz and his gods is who is the puppet, and who is the puppeteer? When he decides to strike, the galaxy will crumble.
Asdrubael Vect
An ancient spider sitting deep within its galaxy-spanning web, Vect has endured. He has survived the Fall of the Eldar. He fought his way to the top of Commorragh and beat all comers with ruthless wisdom, violence, and subtle action. He is the secret hand that sets the galaxy in motion behind the scenes. His agents are everywhere, and he is watching, always watching. While he may not have the overt power to conquer the galaxy, he has the power to twist and manipulate those who would try.
Trajann Valoris
The Captain General of the Custodes is a true “power behind the throne”. His power is vast, and he could take Terra and the Imperium if he wished. The Custodes predate the Marines and have purged humanity’s super-soldiers once before. If he so chose, Trajann could order it again and take the Imperium in the name of The Emperor. He backs Guilliman… for now, but who can say what the future holds.
Swarmlord/Hivemind
In some ways similar to Ghaz, the Swarmlord is designed to best the best tacticians in the galaxy. Deathless and constantly evolving, the Swarmlord represents the collective strategic wisdom of the entire Tyranid race. They have already conquered other galaxies, and are focussing on feeding on this one till there is nothing left. But is the Swarmlord even capable of true sentience, or is it merely a reflex of its race? Does it even matter?
Honorable Mentions
Eldrad Ulthran
The counterpart to Vect. Eldrad is old, and while the Eldar Race’s time is past, he sees the strands of fate and plucks them to his tune. He was integral to the birth of Ynnead, and sees a way to grant the Aeldari ultimate salvation from Hee Who Thirsts. Perhaps the power to steer the fate of the galaxy to your ends, is the ultimate power of all.
Blackstone Fortress
The Blackstone Fortresses have sentience of a kind. While normally dormant or occasionally yoked to the will of transient powers, recently, one has been up to… something. It sits on the galactic edge, drawing all manner of races to itself for unknown reasons. It is just one of several. If one or more Blackstone Fortresses decided to set an agenda of their own – who or what could stop them?
Did I miss anyone? Who do you think is the most powerful of these?
