Space Marines are the Emperor's Angels of Death: genetically engineered super-soldiers in power armour, the most famous warriors of Warhammer 40,000. There are around a thousand Chapters of them, each with its own colours and history, and together they are humanity's greatest defenders. Here is how they began, how they are made, and what makes the famous Chapters different.
Army guide, last updated November 4, 2026. Lore summarised in our own words from Black Library novels, codexes and community wikis. For game rules, use the official codex or the official app.
Space Marines in 30 seconds
| Official name | Adeptus Astartes |
| Created by | The Emperor, from the genetic code of his Primarchs |
| Organised in | Chapters of about a thousand warriors |
| Famous Chapters | Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, Black Templars, Salamanders |
| Enemies | Everyone: Chaos, Orks, Tyranids, Necrons, Aeldari and more |
| Colours | Any: each Chapter has its own |
The Primarchs and the Legions
Long ago, the Emperor created twenty super-human sons, the Primarchs, to lead his armies. Before they were grown, a disaster scattered them across the galaxy as infants. The Emperor used their genetic code to create the first Space Marines anyway, forming twenty Legions, each tied to one Primarch.
During the Great Crusade, the Emperor found his lost sons one by one and gave each his Legion. Two Legions, the IInd and XIth, were later erased from all records, and their fate is one of the setting's great mysteries.
How a Space Marine is made
A Space Marine starts as a young, tough recruit, often from a harsh world. Through years of surgery and training, he receives around nineteen implanted organs grown from his Chapter's gene-seed: a second heart, reinforced bones, a fused ribcage, an organ that lets him learn by eating his enemies' flesh, and the black carapace that connects him to his armour. Most recruits die in the process. Those who survive become giants who feel little fear, heal from terrible wounds and can fight for centuries.
Each Marine carries a progenoid gland, which is recovered after death so the gene-seed can create new Marines. Losing it is one of a Chapter's greatest tragedies.
The Horus Heresy
At the height of the Great Crusade, the Emperor's favourite son, Horus, was corrupted by the Chaos Gods. Half the Legions followed him into rebellion. The civil war that followed, the Horus Heresy, ended with the Siege of Terra, Horus's death and the Emperor mortally wounded on the Golden Throne. The nine traitor Legions fled into the Eye of Terror and became the Chaos Space Marines.
The Codex and the Chapters
To make sure no single commander could ever lead such power against the Imperium again, the Primarch Roboute Guilliman wrote the Codex Astartes. It broke the Legions into Chapters of about a thousand Marines, divided into ten companies. Some Chapters follow the Codex closely; others, like the Space Wolves, Blood Angels and Dark Angels, keep their own traditions.
The famous Chapters
- Ultramarines: by-the-book heroes from Ultramar. Read their lore.
- Blood Angels: noble, artistic warriors cursed by a thirst for blood.
- Dark Angels: secretive knights hunting their own traitor brothers, the Fallen.
- Space Wolves: wild warriors from Fenris. Read their lore.
- Imperial Fists: master defenders and siege experts.
- Black Templars: zealous crusaders who never stop moving.
- Salamanders: fire-born protectors of ordinary people.
- White Scars, Iron Hands, Raven Guard: lightning raiders, cold machine-lovers and shadow warriors.
The Primaris era
When the galaxy split apart in the Great Rift and Guilliman returned, he brought a new weapon: the Primaris Space Marines, created in secret over ten thousand years by the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl. They are larger and stronger than the old Marines and have extra implanted organs. Thousands were sent to reinforce every Chapter, and veteran Marines can now cross the "Rubicon Primaris" to become one.
Black Library books to read
- Horus Rising (Dan Abnett): the first Horus Heresy novel and the perfect starting point.
- Dark Imperium (Guy Haley): the Primaris era begins.
- Space Marine Battles series: short, action-packed stories of famous Chapters.
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Find them as Black Library paperbacks and audiobooks.
Collecting Space Marines: a quick guide
Space Marines are the most popular army in the game: flexible, forgiving and with the biggest range of models. Start with: a Space Marines Combat Patrol, or the discounted Christmas Battleforce. Pick a famous Chapter, or invent your own with its own colours and history.
Painting tip
Spray a primer in your Chapter's main colour, wash the recesses, then pick out details like eye lenses, weapons and badges. A paints and tools set is the cheapest way to start.
Latest Space Marines news
New to the hobby? Start with our Warhammer beginner's hub, and see the other army guides.
Sources
- Warhammer Community warhammer-community.com
- Games Workshop: Warhammer 40,000 warhammer.com
- Lexicanum: Space Marines wh40k.lexicanum.com