10 Things You Didn't Know About Space Marines

Space Marines are the backbone of the Empire's military Warhammer 40K Universe. Space Marines are genetically enhanced humans who essentially abandon their humanity to become something greater, all in the service of the Emperor and the Empire.

The life of a Space Marine is one of eternal service and war, moving from one battlefield to another in the Grim Darkness of the far future. Being such a staple of the Empire makes their foundations well known; but here are some of the lesser known facts about Space Marines.

10 Becoming a Space Marine

Few are chosen, fewer can

• Many children die or are driven insane by the trials.
• It lasts about 8 to 10 years.

The exact process of becoming a Space Marine varies from chapter to chapter, although some common factors are how young the process begins and what these new recruits must go through. At the older end, a child between the ages of 10 and 12 is selected to become a Space Marine and immediately begin his trials, training, and adjustments; some chapters even go as low as taking children.

Once selected, the next few years will involve many surgeries, hypno-suggestive therapy, and mental and physical training to become Space Marines mentally and physically. Each stage of this process is difficult, and only a small percentage of those who make it through survive to become a Space Marine.

9 Looking down on people

They are replaceable

• Few chapters value human life.
• Some chapters will randomly kill people in combat without thinking.

The goal of a Space Marine is to defeat the enemies of the Empire and follow the Emperor's orders no matter what. This often leads to Space Marines not caring about the lives of those around them outside of the Battle-Brothers.

While the space wars are fought alongside many other factions of the Imperium, many chapters don't really care about these people or those of the Imperium, and instead see them as lesser beings who, while performing a function for the Imperium, are replaceable by other simple humans.

8 They spit acid

A hidden tool

• Some Gene-Seeds disable this mutation.
• Not a reliable consistent weapon in combat.

One of the many organs surgically added to a Space Marine is Betcher's gland. This turns the Space Marine's saliva into a powerful acid, capable of breaking down almost any material.

Compared to other Space Marine weapons, this additional ability is mostly useful for breaking down and digesting certain things that might be dangerous to consume or escape from a dangerous situation when unarmed. Over time, this Gland has also become unusable for many Chapters, and most Space Marines don't use it very often, if at all.

7 Functionally immortal

Age is no longer a problem

• The studs in their head represent centuries of service.
• Most of them live much longer than the average human lifespan.

Due to all Space Marine modifications, they are functionally immortal and stop aging once they reach adulthood and all their implants are accepted. Space Marines no longer have to worry about dying of old age or just other diseases or age-related problems that humans experience.

Although they don't have to worry about dying of old age, they always go into battles and risk dying. Because of this, most Space Marines live for about a few hundred years, although even that, though some of the elites in the Chapter live well beyond a few hundred years.

6 Living coffins

Eternal service until death

• He can keep a space marine alive even when he is almost dead.
• He is highly respected in the chapter.

Should a high-ranking and respected Space Marine fall in combat with a mostly dead body, he will be transferred into a machine that is essentially a living coffin. This machine will keep alive whatever is left of the Space Marine and his mind before being placed in the Dreadnought.

These machines continue the eternal service of the Space Marines, keeping them alive even longer, now even more powerful than before. Dreadnoughts are often held in extreme honor, as their service goes far beyond that of the average Space Marine in what is essentially a suspended life just before death.

5 Lots of genetic modification

They leave humanity behind

• About 20 other organs.
• Increases the size of space marines to make room for new organs.

During the process of becoming a Space Marine, they get 19 to 21 new organs implanted into their bodies. This is done over many years and in a certain order as the recruit's body grows to make room for more implants.

Many other implants are additional organs that allow the Space Marine to breathe in low-oxygen environments, filter blood faster to render poisons ineffective, or black armor that allows the Space Marine to connect directly to their Power Armor. While all of these implants are essential to being a space marine, the most important is the gene seed.

4 Gene-Seed & Mutations

Each chapter is even more unique

• The most important implant.
• The Gene-Seed comes from existing Space Marines.

The Gene-Seed is a chapter-specific implant given to each Space Marine that truly makes him a Space Marine, and all of his other implants work as a whole. The Gene-Seed is the most important part of a Space Marine, and upon death the Gene-Seed of a dead Space Marine is extracted to be inserted into the next new recruit.

Gene-Seed varies greatly from chapter to chapter, with many leading to unique mutations or changes in the bodies or minds of Space Marines. Blood Angels gain Black Rage from their Gene-Seed, while Space Wolves have enlarged canine teeth to name a few. Not every Chapter Geneseed has these side effects, but each Chapter keeps its own Geneseed and holds it as the most valuable part of the Chapter.

3 Incredibly rare

The average person will never see

• They are constantly fighting across the galaxy.
• There are only about 1 million Space Marines.

Although the Space Marines are the backbone of the Empire, they are not often seen throughout the galaxy in the 41st Millennium due to the size of the galaxy and the number of Space Marines. While they will be fighting on the front lines, many of the other factions of the Empire will go their entire lives without ever seeing a Space Marine.

The strength of a Space Marine usually means that the entire Chapter is rarely in one place, as different societies fight on different fronts. It's incredibly rare to see the entire chapter together, making the events of Baal one of the greatest gatherings of Space Marines since the Heresy.

2 Codex Astartes

Keeping the Space Marines in line

• No more than 1000 Space Marines in one chapter.
• Some loyal chapters do not follow.

After Guilliman returned and saw the state of the Empire during the 41st Millennium, he wrote the Codex Astartes as guidelines for all Space Marine chapters. While not every chapter follows this book, the book aims to guide but also limit the Astartes.

Due to the Codex, the chapter is limited to only 1,000 Space Marines, leading to the creation of many successor chapters. The goal is to divide the singular control of who heads the Space Marine Chapter to ensure that no one ever leads a force of thousands of Space Marines and leads to further heresy.

1 Primaris Space Marines

Space Marines, only better

• Upgrades that many consider heretical.
• Current space marines can be upgraded and improved.

A new aspect of the Space Marines in the 41st Millennium are the Primaris Space Marines, who are larger, stronger, and faster than regular Space Marines. While this may seem like a good idea, the acceptance of the Primaris Space Marines is different because the foundation of the Space Marines that came from the Emperor is changing.

Guilliman is the current leader of the Empire and under his command the Primaris Space Marines are created and added to the various chapters as the dangers of the galaxy are said to be greater than the “Firstborn” Space Marines can handle.