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Warhammer 40K: The Grimdark’s Most Powerful People

5 Minute Read
Jun 9 2023
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40K tells us “the strongest are strongest alone”. Today we look over the entire Grimdark to determine who are truly the most powerful of them all.

The Grimdark is teeming with the 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.

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.

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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 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.

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 are 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 crumple.

Asdrubael Vect

An ancient spider sitting deep within it’s galaxy spanning web, Vect has endured. He has survived the Fall of the Eldar. Fought his way to the top of Commorragh, and beaten 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.

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. 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. 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 are the most powerful of these?

 

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Author: Larry Vela
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