Warhammer 40,000 is a beloved sci-fi franchise that, unlike other space drama IPs like Star Wars and Star Trek, looks at the concept of hope and laughs. Tragic and “grimdark” before this term was cool, Warhammer 40k is set in a future where humanity first conquered the stars and then, collapsing under the weight of its own pride and the dark influence of evil forces beyond reality, retreated into an age of decadence and constant warfare against alien threats and demonic foes. With a setting like that, you would think gender would be the last thing on everyone’s minds, but not this time.
After years of controversy around this topic, Games Workshop just made history by adding female options to Custodes kits. For the uninitiated, the Adeptus Custodes are elite warriors who are responsible for protecting the Emperor of Mankind, serving as his most powerful warriors and the keepers of his secrets. Their combat prowess is legendary, and they act as enhanced versions of the already mighty Space Marines, the Adeptus Astartes. Until now, all Space Marines, Custodes included, were considered to be male in the canon. However, this changed via an announcement during Games Workshop’s New Year Preview livestream, where the company showed off a new range of models of Custodes. The big reveal was that some of these new models featured female heads.
Warhammer 40K’s female representation hasn’t been overwhelming, but nor has it been non-existent. The Sisters of Battle, an all-women military arm of the Ecclesiarchy, have been around since the ’90s. The Sisters of Silence, introduced in Warhammer 40K‘s Seventh Edition in 2017, are an all-female order of Imperial witch-hunters that deal with violent psychic threats across the galaxy. These groups are largely considered the female equivalent of the Custodes, though their function as a militant arm is, overall, different.
However, Game Workshop’s inclusion of female Custodes models isn’t actually the first time that female Custodes have appeared — only the first time that models have been crafted for the tabletop game. In 2024, a new Warhammer 40K rulebook revealed a female Custodes named Calladayce Taurovalia Kesh, who, as pointed out by Gizmodo, was the only female representation within the Custodes at the time. This was later added on with the Tithes animated series, featuring Tyrith Shiva Kyrus, another female character added to the Custodes.
And this isn’t actually the first time that female Space Marine miniatures appear, either. In fact, according to a Facebook post by Alan Merret, former head of intellectual property at Games Workshop, the reason why there are no female Space Marines is that the first models produced by Citadel (GW’s miniatures-producing brand) in the late ’80s sold really badly.
In a franchise as male-heavy as Warhammer 40k, the addition of even a few women was a huge deal. Things haven’t changed much, judging from the misogynistic comments on Games Workshop’s latest video featuring the female Custodes.
Regardless of the cries of lore retcons — something which Games Workshop has already addressed in the past as being untrue — that have monopolized public discourse, the new models make one thing clear: female Custodes, and female Space Marines, whether you like it or not, are here to stay.