Your top 5 favorite Horus Heresy characters

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Leman Russ. Savage, cunning and far more human than most would give him credit for. 

 

Argel Tal. An interesting character and perfect example of the tragedy of the Word Bearers

 

Khârn. All around nice guy and came close to ending Erebus. His duel with Sigismund is one of my favorite Heresy scenes so far. His acceptance of what became of the War Hounds is tragic

 

Lotara Sarrin. Shot an Astartes in the face to make a point, earned props from Angron himself. Also got to fire the Ursus claws

 

Sevatar. For all the reasons listed here, especially his erasure of the Night Lords leadership

[MarineRaider]

Tarvitz- The Everyday Captain who rises and leads to the bitter end.

 

Loken- Everyone has said enough but he is what all SM should strive to be

 

Malcador- He is just fascinating. I love the short story where he plays a board game on the eve of the invasion-and- when he recruits a human to his ranks in the dungeon as the war is raging

 

Sigismund- His finding of faith and how Dorn reacts is riveting

 

Big E- So much I want to know, the teases of why he emerged when he did, was the HH planned to cull the numbers like the Thunder Warriors...so many questions!

 

Best supporting actor, Vipus, Half Heard and a couple of humans that became Saints and Lords of Terra.

[b1soul]

Shiban/Torghun - arguably the best character arcs in the HH series

 

I really like Grammaticus, Persson, and Hawser as well...

 

EDIT: Cario is an excellent character...the best EC character by far

[Manchu warlord]

I like Erebus, because he killed Argel Tal...  ..... Okay, maybe I don't like him, but I'm glad the oh-so noble bad guy is dead.  

I hate Khârn, because he didn't kill Erebus...  ..... Okay, maybe I don't hate him, but I'm sad he didn't kill Erebus.

[Fedor]

Most of my favourites have already been mentioned. A few other more minor ones i liked...

 

Atticus. Well depicted Iron Hands leader showing one of the more extreme machine-like warriors in the legion at the time.

 

SKRAAL!. Enjoyable early look at a 30k World Eater. I'd have liked more of him rather than the boring main character or 40k Space Wolf.

 

Spear. A bit comic bookish in conception, being basically all the assassin temples rolled into one, yet i thought Swallow wrote him as a very entertaining creepy antagonist.

[The Lord Angel]

Archamus. A veteran Astartes out of his element, making it up as he goes. 

Sevarion. A great hunter, noble and honorable, even as a savage Luna Wolf.

Jago. Interesting look at a legionary exploring his own forbidden gift.

Nasagena. Love the way he pursues his prey.

 

[Manchu warlord]

Eikos Lamiad-Tetrarch Ultramarines fought back Word Bearers on Calth. Super badass who was almost entered into dreadnought but his body was salvageable enough to survive with a less drastic measures.

 

Telemechrus-Newly formed dreadnought that battled along with Eikos Lamiad on Calth. It would be great to have stories expanded on those two together.

 

Remus Vantanus-Calm, cool, collected leader Ultramarines.

 

 

 

I have a confession to make..... Today, I march for Calth.

[Newtoncain]

 

 

Nathaniel Garro:

Like Loken, a true Champion of the Emperor and the ORIGINAL Grey Knight

I don't think Garro became a Grey Knight.  I mean, how could he?  He isn't a psyker.  

 

He didn't, He is the Chapter Master for the 13 legion of renown Winters SEO.

[JH79]

SKRAAL!. Enjoyable early look at a 30k World Eater. I'd have liked more of him rather than the boring main character or 40k Space Wolf.

Yes! I can totally get behind this. His brutal loyalty to The Emperor and complete rejection of Lorgar's nut job followers was great. Yes TFA was a flawed release, but he was a memorable character... now that you reminded me of him that is lol! 

[Corswain]

Alright. This was tougher than I thought it would be, there are a lot of characters I’ve enjoyed in the series.

1. Sevetar. Everyone loves Sevetar.

2. Corswain. Awesome, just needs more exposure and he’d be number 1.

3. Khârn. AD-B made him more than just a 2D killing machine. He told Angron what to do and didn’t get murdered, ballsiest act of the Heresy.

4. Targutai Yesugei. I wasn’t a big White Scars fan before Scars but I am now and Yesugei is a big part of why.

5. Shiban Khan. Another big reason I like the White Scars now. He was particularly good in Path of Heaven.

 

So no Primarchs. While I do like almost all the Primarchs, for me they are probably the weakest overall part of the book series. They work really well when observed from the outside but that’s happening less and less. I still like them, but there’s just better characters out there.

I also don’t have any humans on the list because, let’s face it, we’re here for the Space Marines.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

In no particular order:

 

1. Hurtado Bronzi. He's affable, a good leader, intelligent, loyal to his friends and inspires loyalty in return. His devil-may-care attitude and admittedly creepy infatuation with Honen Mu made him a very human lens through which we get to watch the Alpha Legion in action.

 

2. Ostian Delafour. I have a soft spot for all the remembrancers, but Ostian in particular because he is such a tragic character. He also reminds me a little of my youth at times: shy, low self esteem, a little scatter brained, filled with unrequited love but brilliant all the same. His death and especially the form it took was something of a turning point for Fulgrim, but at least he got a Romeo & Juliet ending.

 

3. Shadrak Meduson. I despise what the Iron Hands have become in the latest 40K fluff, though their 30K incarnation is generally more appealing...and Meduson is a great exemplar of what the Iron Tenth was and could have remained. In some ways, his arc mirrors that of his Primarch: angry and vengeful, he sets out to settle an account with a traitor only to fall due to unforeseen betrayal. His leadership of the Shattered Legions may not have stopped the war, but like any insuegency, it dragged the campaign out long enough to give the loyalists a fighting chance.

 

4. The Alpha Legion. Because of how they operate, it can be difficult to really narrow all the XXth Legion characters into individuals, so I've lumped them all together. It doesn't matter if the man behind the helmet is Ingo Pech, Sheed Ranko, or one of the Twins, they're all equally awesome. There are some things I wish were handled slightly differently, but overall, I love the Alphas.

 

5. Garviel Loken. As the POV character for the opening trilogy, it's hard not to like him. He's everything a Space Marine should be: respected, loyal, fierce, inventive. His death had tragic meaning and lent a LOT of weight to the storyline. His revival was, to me, a crime against his character and for all that I liked him and his arc, I wish GW had let him stay dead the same as Saul Tarvitz (who is another awesome character and deserves a spot on someone's list).

[Manchu warlord]

Alright. This was tougher than I thought it would be, there are a lot of characters I’ve enjoyed in the series.

1. Sevetar. Everyone loves Sevetar.

2. Corswain. Awesome, just needs more exposure and he’d be number 1.

3. Khârn. AD-B made him more than just a 2D killing machine. He told Angron what to do and didn’t get murdered, ballsiest act of the Heresy.

4. Targutai Yesugei. I wasn’t a big White Scars fan before Scars but I am now and Yesugei is a big part of why.

5. Shiban Khan. Another big reason I like the White Scars now. He was particularly good in Path of Heaven.

 

So no Primarchs. While I do like almost all the Primarchs, for me they are probably the weakest overall part of the book series. They work really well when observed from the outside but that’s happening less and less. I still like them, but there’s just better characters out there.

I also don’t have any humans on the list because, let’s face it, we’re here for the Space Marines.

1.  Except me and one other friend of mine.  But don't feel bad, we're just special, that's all.

2.  You honour me greatly, and are now a brother of mine.  I, Corswain, is just a badass that needs for screen time.

[Xisor]

1- Skraal

2- Mhotep

3- Ilya Ravallion - easily the most interesting "perspective" to view the Heresy from. Senior, outside the Astartes, slightly perceived to be 'past it', but also out of the way. She's really well done, competent and an excellent foil/lead-in for the other supporting characters.

4- Yesugei

5- Lucretius Corvo - awkward but professional Space Marines are a delight.

[bluntblade]

Amazed no one mentioned Ilya until now.

[Brother Lunkhead]

In no particular order:

 

1. Hurtado Bronzi. He's affable, a good leader, intelligent, loyal to his friends and inspires loyalty in return. His devil-may-care attitude and admittedly creepy infatuation with Honen Mu made him a very human lens through which we get to watch the Alpha Legion in action.

 

2. Ostian Delafour. I have a soft spot for all the remembrancers, but Ostian in particular because he is such a tragic character. He also reminds me a little of my youth at times: shy, low self esteem, a little scatter brained, filled with unrequited love but brilliant all the same. His death and especially the form it took was something of a turning point for Fulgrim, but at least he got a Romeo & Juliet ending.

 

3. Shadrak Meduson. I despise what the Iron Hands have become in the latest 40K fluff, though their 30K incarnation is generally more appealing...and Meduson is a great exemplar of what the Iron Tenth was and could have remained. In some ways, his arc mirrors that of his Primarch: angry and vengeful, he sets out to settle an account with a traitor only to fall due to unforeseen betrayal. His leadership of the Shattered Legions may not have stopped the war, but like any insuegency, it dragged the campaign out long enough to give the loyalists a fighting chance.

 

4. The Alpha Legion. Because of how they operate, it can be difficult to really narrow all the XXth Legion characters into individuals, so I've lumped them all together. It doesn't matter if the man behind the helmet is Ingo Pech, Sheed Ranko, or one of the Twins, they're all equally awesome. There are some things I wish were handled slightly differently, but overall, I love the Alphas.

 

5. Garviel Loken. As the POV character for the opening trilogy, it's hard not to like him. He's everything a Space Marine should be: respected, loyal, fierce, inventive. His death had tragic meaning and lent a LOT of weight to the storyline. His revival was, to me, a crime against his character and for all that I liked him and his arc, I wish GW had let him stay dead the same as Saul Tarvitz (who is another awesome character and deserves a spot on someone's list).

 

Oooooohh...... Good call Iron Father on Hurtado Bronzi With so many great characters I completely lost track of ol' Hurt. What a grand and colorful character.... one of Dan Abnett's best!

[no I'm alpharius]

Lotara Sarrin

 

I know you're not going to make it through all of this. 

I know it's going to be messy. 

Really messy. 

 

But the room ain't half going to be dusty when you do go.