This week’s Warhammer+ update features a new episode of Hammer and Bolter entitled Artefacts, in which terrifying Chaos Space Marines and sadistic Drukhari battle over an overwhelmingly powerful trinket, while a mysterious Necron influence presides over everything.
Above all of this, one character makes an immense impact. The Warmaster himself, Abaddon the Despoiler, makes an unforgettable cameo. He rightfully dominates his screentime, and left us wondering – just how do you bring the most recognisable figures in Warhammer 40,000 to life?
According to director Dylan Shipley, one of the many talented people who took on the challenge of animating the Warmaster. It’s no easy task to translate such formidable evil from the page to the screen.
“We felt excited, but also trepidation at being able to do him justice,” he explains.
“To make him feel as much like Abaddon as we could, we decided to make him as faithful to the miniature as possible. We wanted to make sure every spike and skull was in the right place.”
In the episode, Abaddon appears before Brother Hesiod and his Chaos Terminators, absolutely towering over them, his presence forcing a squad of ancient demigods to kneel just moments after they effortlessly dispatched a horde of Necrons.
“We made sure to include a shot of the scale of Abaddon standing next to Hesiod kneeling, and wanted to show Abaddon’s power to people who know who he is – and introduce him well to those who don't,” explains Dylan.
Despite his immense power, Abaddon still resists many of the gifts of Chaos, so his face appears (relatively) normal.
“We wanted to show how he has shunned the gifts of Chaos, so although his face is powerful, it's still quite human-looking,” says Dylan. “Hesiod's face is more demonic than Abaddon's with his red eyes and pronounced forehead ridges. That's all deliberate.”
The animation is only half the story, however. Once Abaddon had life on screen, he needed a voice, and that voice has been provided by Greg Jones, a voice actor who has been a fan of Warhammer 40,000 since he was 13.
“It was an honour to create my version of his voice,” says Greg. “With his size, I wanted to give him a really deep, growling voice, a voice that he could simply whisper with and it would drive fear into the hearts of even the bravest of souls.”
With an idea for his approach in place, Greg ran out and bought the miniature – “I used his pose as a reference for how he would hold himself. It was a really useful tool. I even found myself acting like I had the Talon of Horus on while in the recording session!”
Greg has kindly even shared his paint job of the Warmaster with us – a man of many talents.
“Knowing just how important this character is to the story, as well as to fans of the hobby, is the biggest challenge,” Greg continues. “It was essential to create a sound and rhythm of speech that sets him apart from other Chaos Space Marines, to really drive home just how terrifying Abaddon is.”
This is a truly memorable and terrifying portrayal of the Despoiler – but don’t take it from us, check out Artefacts right now on Warhammer TV.
If you’re hungry for more Warmaster action – and we can’t blame you – check out the Abaddon episode of Loremasters, which goes into great detail on the man and his many Black Crusades, and where he’s been recreated in all his glory in a sumptuous 3D render.
It’s the perfect chaser to his show-stopping appearance in Hammer and Bolter and an excellent refresher on his many exploits.**
There’s plenty more on there too. This week’s Citadel Colour Masterclass covers how to expertly paint the pallid Idoneth Deepkin skin tone, perfectly timed for the release of Fury of the Deep. Alongside that there’s more lore from the End Times, with part two coming to the Warhammer Vault, accompanied by White Dwarf issues 392, 393, and 394.
There’s still time to enter the Warhammer+ competition, which will see 20 people win six never-before-seen concept art prints from the Hammer and Bolter series. If you’re already subscribed, you're already entered, but if you’re not, you’ve got until the end of January to join in.*
** We know better than to call the Machieavelian plots of Abaddon and the ruinous powers “failures”.