The Warhammer multimedia franchise has been witnessing a meteoric rise in its popularity for quite some time now. So naturally, its prequel series and the most historic event in the universe, titled The Horus Heresy, has been attracting the same attention.
Although it was the most pivotal event in Warhammer history, its literary series author, Dan Abnett, revealed that it was created because Games Workshop was still struggling to create new models for the tabletop game. In an interview with SciFiNow, the author said:
I think it was red and blue, the same models of Space Marines and everything, but some were red and some were blue, and they had to come up with a reason for why they’d be fighting themselves, so somebody went ‘Oh, it’s a civil war!’ And somebody else went ‘Let’s call it the… oh I don’t know… Horus Heresy!’
Since the company was unable to make different moulds for the models due to financial constraints, they had to create an entire lore behind the same models fighting each other in a civil war, and this little idea made an entire franchise.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Was Born From a Desperate Idea
Warhammer 40,000 might still be the cash cow for Games Workshop, but The Horus Heresy isn’t far behind when it comes to a loyal fanbase. In fact, this is what shaped the lore of the past and present of the franchise.
Since it is the most influential event in the history of the Imperium of Mankind, it boasts a vast, extensive history that spans over 60 full-length novels and numerous supplementary lore materials to support those.
And with so much history surrounding the series, it’s almost impossible to think that it came into existence because of Games Workshop’s desperation. As stated by Abnett in the interview, the company was still young back in the days of the first version of the tabletop game. Therefore, they only had a handful of moulds to create the models.
But at the same time, what the game lacked was diversity in terms of factions and different armies to go against. And when they couldn’t afford to make different moulds for new models, they had to improvise and give the players a reason why the same-looking Space Marines, only different in color of red and blue, were fighting each other when they should be fighting together.
Thus, the idea of a civil war came to one of the employees working in the company, which was later suggested by another to be called The Horus Heresy.
Thus, the history of Warhammer 40,000 was born. And after decades, it stands as the pillar of all historic events that would transpire in the franchise, even including the tragic demise of the Emperor of Mankind.
Why The Horus Heresy Is the Most Impactful Event in Warhammer History
Although the Horus Heresy was coined out of sheer necessity and improvisation, its impact was, and is still felt throughout the history of not just the Imperium, but throughout Warhammer 40,000.
The setting of the 41st and 42nd Millennium would have looked a lot different if Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the Sons of Horus, had not turned traitor and corrupted 8 of his other siblings.
This plunged the Imperium into a civil war spanning 7 years, where comrades turned on each other, entire worlds fell, and the Emperor’s Great Crusade to unify all of human civilization under one banner was burned to the ground.
Today, the aftermath of this event is still felt across the galaxy, where entire legions are divided into smaller chapters, Chaos spreads its seeds within the galaxy, and humanity is beset on all sides by enemy forces.
And the Imperium, which was once a bastion of technological and scientific advancement, is now reduced to a hyper-fanatical, superstitious, and dangerously religious society where these advancements are considered heresy.
What do you think about The Horus Heresy? Tell us in the comments down below.
Warhammer 40,000 Live-Action Series is expected to release on Prime Video in mid-2026/ early 2027.