Summary
The introduction of the first female Adeptus Custodes to theWarhammer 40Kcanon caused a heated debate to break out among fandom members. The elite faction of gene-edited soldiers has primarily been regarded as an all-male force in previous tidbits of lore, but a recently revamped codex has since confirmed the existence of female custodes. While this wasn’t the first timeWarhammer 40Kdeveloper Games Workshop retconned the franchise’s canon, this specific change was not entirely welcomed by all members of the community.
For context, the Adeptus Custodes are regarded as one of themost powerful factions in theWarhammer 40Kuniverse. Acting as the personal guards of the God Emperor, they have been described as the pinnacle of humanity’s soldiers, overshadowing even the various Space Marine chapters in terms of military might. Previous pieces of lore notably stated that custodes from the 41st millennium were conscripted from a pool of noble-born infants, with one entry in particular specifically claiming they were sons of aristocratic families. However, the 10th edition of theCodex: Adeptus Custodesrevealed the Imperium did not limit its recruitment to just sons.
A post from the official Twitter account fortheWarhammer 40Ktabletop gamehas since confirmed that there have always been female members of the Adeptus Custodes since the organization’s conception. The post was met with mixed reactions. Some members criticized Games Workshop for how it introduced the female custodes and claimed there were better or more innovative ways to implement such a drastic change in the established canon. Some fans also questioned why, if there were always female custodes, were there never any mentions of them in previous stories or lore.
In contrast, others celebrated the retcon and believed it was an admirable change by Games Workshop. Several commenters additionally defended the franchise, stating thatWarhammer 40K’s grimdark lorewas previously vague regarding whether biologically female humans could be recruited into the ranks of the Adeptus Custodes, while pointing out that theWarhammerfranchise frequently changed the established lore.
Warhammer 40K’s Latest Retcon
Retcons have always been one of the tools of theWarhammer 40Kfranchise, but the introduction of female Adeptus is notable for the heated reactions it provoked in such a short amount of time. It could also be argued – as many fans have – that the change was too arbitrary, and that several otherneglected factions such as the Adepta Sororitasand the Sisters of Silence would have provided better material for an expansion.
