By now, you’ve probably seen the astonishing Armouring of a Space Marine. If not, what are you waiting for? This stunning sequence gives us unprecedented insight into the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and a close look at the revered suits of power armour that protect Space Marines in battle – give it a watch.
This is one of the most intricate depictions of a Space Marine ever made, and brings to life an iconic sequence that we’ve all imagined while painting and playing. It’s packed full of details that have only been described in Black Library fiction and glimpsed in Warhammer artwork, so let’s polish our magnifying glass and take a closer look.
Silhouetted on either side of the screen we see the life of the lowly servitors – lobotomised cyborgs who exist only to perform their dedicated function in the service of the Imperium. These unfortunate creatures are physically bonded to those cranes, which suggests they’re always waiting in the sanctum for this one purpose.
If you keep a close eye on the servitors, you’ll see that their arms are specifically designed to carry and fix the components of power armour to its Space Marine wearer.
This is our first glimpse of the Space Marine, preparing in a candlelit chamber. The scarring and mechanical ports are the outward signs of the black carapace – the final gene-seed implant applied to any initiate, an organic film transplanted beneath the skin. This layer of neural tissue allows a Space Marine’s power armour to interface directly with his nervous, circulatory, and other biological systems.
The Tech-Priest takes his place of honour at the pulpit, and we hear whispered litanies of purity and appeasement for the machine spirits. The sign of the Imperial Aquila and the huge hanging Chapter banners mark the importance of the chamber – and, of course, there are skulls. So many skulls.
The skinsuit interfaces directly with the black carapace, tightening around the Space Marine’s body to form a vacuum seal. Along with his power armour and gene-seed organ implants, this will allow the Space Marine to survive atmospheric conditions on any world he’s deployed to.
The greaves, torso, and arm sections are applied first. Up close, we can see that there’s a layer of armour sat between the skinsuit and the ceramite plating. In battle, this middle layer adjusts in real time to meet the balance and direction of movement of the Space Marine. It even allows the Space Marine to shift his pauldrons depending on whether he’s getting ready to fire his bolter, move to deflect fire, or simply charge through a wall.
As each piece of armour is applied, we catch glimpses of countless details hinted at in the description of power armour from Codex: Space Marines:
“Power armour has a range of auxiliary systems that improve the Space Marine’s effectiveness, including auto-senses made up of thought-activated comms-augurs, audio filters, targeting reticules and numerous other features.
Life support functions include pain suppressors, combat stimulants and anti-venoms. Reinforced greaves incorporate gyroscopic stabilisers and power units that magnetise the soles of the armour’s boots.”
We know from Black Library fiction – and all those times you’ve been on the receiving end of a rapid-fire fusilade in games of Warhammer 40,000 – just how deadly Space Marine bolters and bolt rifles can be – but this rendition gives us a real sense of the sheer size and weight of such a weapon. It takes two serfs just to carry the bolt rifle to the Space Marine.
“With humility, I bear the Imperialis.”
The chestplate and pauldrons bear special significance. This part of the ceremony honours both the Chapter markings on the Space Marine’s pauldrons, and the Imperialis – the signature winged skull on the breastplate.
That backpack contains a small nuclear power plant that fuels the power armour’s systems. As all of the connections in the skinsuit and the black carapace fire up, the Space Marine’s eyes dilate, and the warrior becomes one with his armour. It becomes practically weightless to him – and thanks to some pretty advanced life support systems, he can stay in his armour nearly indefinitely if needed.
“I am iron. I am wrath. I am doom.”
The armouring of this Ultramarine is complete, and the Space Marine is ready to deliver retribution to enemies of the Emperor. Frankly, we’re terrified on behalf of anyone who has to face him.
If you want to learn even more about the technological wonder that is Adeptus Astartes power armour, there’s a fantastic Loremasters episode on the subject coming to Warhammer+ subscribers on Wednesday. Plus, share your thoughts with us on Twitter and Facebook.