Warhammer 40K: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Space Marines

Space Marines are the backbone of the Imperium’s army in the Warhammer 40K Universe. Space Marines are genetically enhanced humans that essentially leave their humanity behind to become something greater all in service of the Emperor and The Imperium.

Space Marines’ life is eternal service and war, going from one battlefield to another in the Grim Dark of the Far Future. Being such a staple of the Imperium makes the basics of them well known; but here are some of the lesser-known facts about Space Marines.

10 Becoming A Space Marine

Few Are Chosen, Fewer Make It

• Many kids die or are driven mad from the trials.
• Lasts roughly 8 to 10 years.

The exact process of becoming a Space Marine varies from Chapter to Chapter, though some common factors are how young this process starts and what those new recruits must go through. On the older end, a kid of 10 to 12 is selected to become a Space Marine and begins their trials, training, and modification right away; some chapters even go as low as taking infants.

Once selected, the next few years include many surgeries, hypno-suggestive therapy, and mental and physical training to turn them both mentally and physically into a Space Marine. Every stage of this process is difficult, and only a small percentage of those who go through it survive and become a Space Marine.

9 Looking Down On Humans

They Are Replaceable

• Few Chapters value human life.
• Some Chapters accidentally kill humans in combat without thought.

A Space Marine’s goal is victory over the enemies of the Imperium, and following the Emperor’s orders no matter what. This often leads to Space Marines not caring for the lives of those around them outside of the Battle-Brothers.

While Space fights fight alongside many other factions of the Imperium, not many chapters actually care about those humans or the ones of the Imperium, and instead see them as lesser beings that do serve a function for the Imperium but are replaceable with other simple humans.

8 They Spit Acid

A Hidden Tool

• Some Gene-Seed disables this mutation.
• Not a reliable consistent weapon in combat.

One of the many organs surgically added to a Space Marine is the Betcher’s Gland. This turns the Space Marine’s saliva into a powerful acid, able to break down just about any material.

Compared to the other weapons of a Space Marine this additional ability is mostly for utility use in breaking down and digesting certain things that may be dangerous to consume or to escape from a dangerous situation where they have been unarmed. Over time this Gland has also become unusable for many chapters and is not used very often if at all by most Space Marines.

7 Functionally Immortal

Age Is No Longer An Issue

• Studs in their head represent centuries of service.
• Most live well beyond an average human lifespan.

Due to all the modifications of a Space Marine, they are functionally immortal and stop aging once they reach adulthood and all their implants have been received. Space Marines no longer have to worry about dying of old age or just about any other age-related sickness or issue humans experience.

While they don’t have to worry about dying from old age, they are always going into battles and run the risk of dying. Because of this, most Space Marines live about a few hundred years or so if even that, though some of the elites in a Chapter live well over a few hundred years.

6 Living Coffins

Eternal Service Until Death

• Can keep a Space Marine alive even when almost dead.
• Held in very high regard in the Chapter.

Should a high-ranking and honored Space Marine fall in battle with their body mostly dead, they will be moved into a machine that is essentially a living coffin. This machine will keep whatever is left of the Space Marine and his mind alive before being placed in a Dreadnought.

These machines continue the Space Marine’s eternal service and keep them alive even longer, now even stronger than before. Dreadnoughts are often held in extreme honor, as their service goes well beyond that of the average Space Marine in what is essentially suspended life right before death.

5 Lots Of Genetic Modification

They Leave Humanity Behind

• Roughly 20 additional organs.
• Grows Space Marines in size to make room for new organs.

During the process of becoming a Space Marine, they will get somewhere between 19 to 21 new organs implanted into their body. This is done over the course of many years and in a specific order as the recruit’s body grows the make room for the additional implants.

Many of the additional implants are additional organs, letting Space Marines breathe in low oxygen environments, filter blood quicker to make poisons ineffective, or the Black Carapse, which allows a Space Marine to directly interface with their Power Armor. While all of these implants are a necessity to be a Space Marine, the most important is the Gene-seed.

4 Gene-Seed & Mutations

Making Every Chapter Even More Unique

• The most important implant.
• Gene-Seed comes from existing Space Marines.

Gene-Seed is a chapter-specific implant given to every Space Marine that truly makes them a Space Marine and makes all their additional implants function as a whole. Gene-Seed is the most important part of a Space Marine, and on death, the Gene-Seed of a dead Space Marine is extracted to be put into another new recruit.

Gene-Seed varies greatly from Chapter to Chapter, with many leading to unique mutations or changes to the Space Marine’s bodies or minds. Blood Angels get the Black Rage from their Gene-Seed, while Space Wolves have enlarged canine teeth just to name a few. Not every Chapter’s Gene-Seed has these side effects, but each Chapter keeps its own Gene-Seed and holds them as the most precious part of the Chapter.

3 Incredibly Rare

The Average Human Will Never See One

• They are always fighting across the galaxy.
• There are only roughly 1 million Space Marines.

Despite being the backbone of the Imperium, Space Marines are not often seen throughout the galaxy in the 41st Millennium due to the size of the galaxy and the number of Space Marines. Even fighting on the front lines, many of those in the other factions of the Imperium will go their entire lives without ever seeing a Space Marine.

A Space Marine’s strength usually means the entire Chapter is rarely all in one place, as the various companies are off fighting on different fronts. It’s incredibly rare to see an entire Chapter right all together, making the events of Baal one of the largest gatherings of Space Marines since the Heresy.

2 The Codex Astartes

Keeping Space Marines In Line

• No more than 1,000 Space Marines in a Chapter.
• Some Loyalist Chapters don’t follow.

After Guilliman’s return and seeing the state of the Imperium during the 41st Millennium, he wrote the Codex Astartes as guidelines for all the Chapters of Space Marines. While not every chapter follows this book, the goal of the book is to lead but also restrict the Astartes.

Because of the Codex, a Chapter is limited to only 1,000 Space Marines, leading to the creation of many Successor Chapters. The goal is to split the singular control of whoever is at the head of a Space Marine chapter to make sure no one person ever leads a force of thousands of Space Marines and leads to another Heresy.

1 Primaris Space Marines

Space Marines, Only Better

• Upgrades that many see as heretical.
• Current Space Marines can be upgraded and enhanced.

A new aspect of Space Marines in the 41st Millennium are Primaris Space Marines, which are bigger, stronger, and faster than regular Space Marines. While this may seem like a good idea, the acceptance of Primaris Space Marines varies, as it is changing the basis of Space Marines, which came from the Emperor.

Guilliman is the current leader of the Imperium, and by his command, Primaris Space Marines are being created and added to the various Chapters, as the dangers of the galaxy are said to have grown bigger than what the “Firstborn” Space Marines can handle.