Today marks a significant milestone for Warhammer animation fans, especially those who favour fan-made projects over Warhammer+ offerings (and no, I still haven’t subscribed). We’ve just been treated to the teaser trailer for Astartes 2, and it’s got the community buzzing.
For those unfamiliar, Astartes was—emphasis on was (more on that in a moment)—a fan-made Space Marine animation created by Syama Pedersen. It is widely regarded as one of the most faithful and immersive depictions of Space Marines to date. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Few other works manage to convey the sheer presence of a Space Marine—their efficiency, precision, and sheer, unrelenting weight. Watching Astartes, you can feel the impact of every footstep, every bolter round, and every devastating melee strike. While Space Marine 2 does a solid job of portraying this in video game form, animation allows for an even more cinematic and purposeful portrayal of these giants of war.
Syama Pedersen’s Astartes was released in segments over the years, growing in popularity and admiration within the Warhammer community. However, a lot has happened since then. Chiefly, James Workshop cracked down on third-party use of their intellectual property. Even when fans were spending their own time and resources to create incredible animations—ones that undoubtedly boosted Warhammer’s reach and likely encouraged more sales—GW tightened the reins.
Unrelated, of course (wink), but soon after, Pedersen found himself unable to continue the project independently. Around the same time, Warhammer+ was announced, bringing “official” animations to the franchise. A cynical mind might suspect GW wasn’t keen on fans outshining their own in-house efforts.
Astartes 2 Trailer Breakdown
The new Astartes 2 trailer gives us tantalizing glimpses of what’s to come, showcasing what appear to be five different Space Marine Chapters battling distinct foes. Based on the footage, I’ve identified:
The Retributors (Pedersen’s own fan-made Chapter) engaging against a rising Chaos cult.
Angels Vermillion fighting in a snow-covered battlefield (though I couldn’t quite catch their opponent).
Sons of Medusa clashing with the Tau.
Mortifactors tearing through Orks.
Scythes of the Emperor cutting down Tyranids.
The trailer concludes with a dramatic close-up of a Terminator helmet adorned with an Inquisitorial badge—a major hint at the possible direction of the series.
Predictions: A Deathwatch Connection?
My best guess? Astartes 2 will be structured as a series of episodic vignettes, each following a different Chapter and their unique struggle. As the series progresses, these narratives might converge into a Deathwatch storyline. For those unfamiliar, the Deathwatch is an elite force of Space Marines handpicked from various Chapters, often the best warriors or those seeking redemption, tasked with facing threats too severe for any single Chapter to handle. This theory would explain the Inquisitorial badge on the Terminator at the end of the trailer.
If true, this would be an exciting direction. Deathwatch not only allows for a diverse array of Marine aesthetics and combat styles but also showcases the often-overlooked variety of successor Chapters rather than defaulting to the ever-present Ultramarines.
The Significance of Firstborn Marines
Another fascinating aspect of Astartes 2 is its exclusive focus on Firstborn Space Marines—no Primaris in sight. This is notable for several reasons.
For context, in Warhammer 40k, the original Space Marine Legions were split into smaller Chapters after the Horus Heresy. While the Ultramarines remained a dominant force, their successors, like the Scythes of the Emperor, developed their own identities and histories. Most GW media tends to focus on the Ultramarines, given their status as the franchise’s poster boys, so seeing a project highlight lesser-known Chapters is refreshing.
More importantly, the absence of Primaris Marines is striking. A few years ago, GW introduced Primaris Marines into the lore, effectively retconning aspects of Space Marine history to justify larger, more proportionate models. While this change made sense from a model-scaling perspective (the original Marines were often the same height as standard human models), it created a divide within the fanbase. The lore now insists that Primaris Marines are faster, stronger, and more capable than their Firstborn counterparts—an unnecessary tweak that alienated some longtime fans.
Favorite Scene: Sons of Medusa Tanks in Action
One of the standout moments in the Astartes 2 trailer for me was the scene featuring two Sons of Medusa Predator tanks rolling down the blacktop. As they advance, one of the tanks nonchalantly knocks aside a wrecked civilian vehicle, clearing its path before opening fire into the distance. The sheer momentum and weight behind these armoured behemoths are palpable, perfectly capturing the unstoppable nature of Adeptus Astartes war machines. It was, without a doubt, my favourite part of the trailer—and, once again, a firm nod to Firstborn Space Marine hardware.
The Primaris Debate and GW’s Lore Retcons
The Primaris range itself has been divisive. While some appreciate the updated proportions, others argue that the new models lack the gothic, brutalist aesthetic that made classic Space Marines so iconic. The Mk7 helmet, with its signature skull-like visage, screams Warhammer 40k in a way the more generic sci-fi look of Primaris doesn’t quite match.
Beyond aesthetics, the lore gymnastics surrounding the Primaris introduction have been questionable at best. If the Chaos Space Marines are all from Firstborn stock, why are they suddenly as tall as Primaris Marines? GW’s answer: Fabius Bile may have performed some experimental surgeries to enhance Chaos Marines. Really? Every single Chaos Marine in the Warp got a free height boost overnight? More likely, GW just updated the Chaos range to match modern scale expectations without feeling the need to justify it in the lore—exactly what they could have done with Primaris.
This inconsistency is frustrating. Warhammer fans have long accepted model updates and scale adjustments without demanding elaborate lore justifications. My own Thousand Sons army includes newer Rubric Marines that are taller than my 90s-era models, and rather than complain, I embraced the change—converting some new bodies with old metal parts for a mix of nostalgia and modern scale. If GW had simply stated that new models were a true-scale update rather than rewriting history, much of the Primaris controversy could have been avoided in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I’m not a Primaris hater—I just don’t see why GW felt the need to force a lore upheaval that divided the fanbase. If Astartes 2 is indeed sticking with Firstborn Marines, it may be a nod to the classic era of 40k, an era that many fans still hold dear.
Whatever the case, I’m beyond excited to see what Syama Pedersen delivers with Astartes 2. If it’s anything like the first, we’re in for something truly special.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Astartes 2 will lead into a Deathwatch storyline? Are you excited about the focus on Firstborn Marines? Let’s discuss in the comments!
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