When most individuals consider Warhammer 40,000, they consider the hulking House Marines, notably the brilliant blue Ultramarines. That is comprehensible, as they’re typically entrance and centre of Video games Workshop’s advertising, and stellar collection extensions, like 2024’s House Marine 2 sport, have solely deepened this affiliation.
So when it was revealed that actor (and 40K superfan) Henry Cavill can be starring in a Prime Video collection primarily based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe, many followers assumed he’d be taking part in a House Marine, or at the very least one thing linked to them.
Some speculated that Cavill may play a personality like Titus, who’s the protagonist from the Warhammer 40,000: House Marine sport collection, whereas others thought he might even be taking part in the Emperor of Mankind or his treacherous son Horus.
This was completely affordable, particularly after Video games Workshop’s epic sixty-novel Horus Heresy collection ended solely comparatively not too long ago, re-establishing the franchise’s background lore, and spawning the “30K” Horus Heresy tabletop sportwhich is ready throughout that battle.
Others believed that Cavill could possibly be taking part in Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, the primary of the Emperor’s loyal sons to return, and arguably, the closest factor 40K has to a protagonist. Guilliman, too, can be a wonderful selection.
The Inquisitor will see you now
Nonetheless, as tiny snippets of data trickle out in regards to the upcoming streaming collection, the proof is beginning to help one other principle – that Cavill will not be taking part in a supersoldier like a House Marine, a Primarch, or the Emperor, however a human. And never simply any human, however one who’s turn out to be a agency fan favorite, and a personality who’s entrenched in a few of 40K’s most necessary storylines.
We’re speaking about Gregor Eisenhorn, an Inquisitor who’s the star of a number of books and likewise has his personal tabletop mannequin. Eisenhorn’s job is to smell out corruption by Chaos (primarily Warhammer’s model of Hell and the otherworldly drive that corrupted Horus), then cope with it accordingly, and sometimes ruthlessly.
Whereas Eisenhorn began out as an Inquisitor who did issues by the e-book, his more and more sophisticated story has seen him take a extra radical method to defending humanity, and one that usually places him vulnerable to corruption by Chaos. Because of this, he is seen as a rogue when in comparison with his fellow Inquisitors.
However whereas Eisenhorn hasn’t fairly entered anti-hero territory but, he’d nonetheless be a great selection because the sophisticated and morally gray protagonist of a Warhammer TV collection. And it is trying more and more seemingly that this would be the position Henry Cavill performs when the present begins edging into view.
In fact, that is removed from confirmed, however the stars are beginning to align that approach. For starters, a present that adopted House Marines primarily can be very costly for a studio to make. It would not be not possible, however focusing the motion on eight-foot-tall supersoldiers battling Tyranids and Orks could also be a bit formidable for 40K’s first live-action outing.
Nonetheless, a extra human story targeted on intrigue and the refined however insidious nature of Chaos could possibly be extremely compelling, and Eisenhorn is the obvious candidate for such a narrative. It will additionally present the viewers that there’s a lot extra to 40K than House Marines. As epic as they’re, they exist to guard humanity, so let’s examine some precise people now and again.
Extra proof for this casting comes from Eisenhorn’s creator, the creator Dan Abnett. When requested about Pandemonium, the following novel in his Bequin collection, which is a spin-off from the Eisenhorn books, Abnett revealed he’s below a non-disclosure settlement with Video games Workshop and can’t discuss it.
The delay of the Pandemonium e-book has baffled many Warhammer followers, but when components of its story are being tailored for TV, then this might clarify why. It additionally lends extra credibility to the speculation that Eisenhorn will probably be concerned within the collection, and most definitely performed by Henry Cavill.
This brings us to the ultimate piece of the puzzle. The adventures of Bequin and Eisenhorn have seen each characters on the path of the mysterious King in Yellow, whose identification was revealed within the final e-book of the collection. This character was as soon as generally known as Constantin Valdor, who was the Emperor’s bodyguard through the Horus Heresy and like a brother to his precise sons, the Primarchs.
For causes unknown, the now 10,000-year-old Valdor is looking for the means to take management of the Emperor – and subsequently humanity – with Eisenhorn and his allies racing to cease him. Valdor’s intentions, and what may occur if he succeeds, may have galaxy-shattering implications, and Eisenhorn may be the one one that can stop this from coming to move.
This primarily makes Eisenhorn one of the necessary gamers in all of Warhammer, and if Cavill has certainly been solid on this position, it means each followers and newcomers are in for one heck of a trip – and with no House Marine in sight.
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