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Amazon Prime will soon be the official home of Warhammer 40,000‘s on-screen campaign. Movie star Henry Cavill has stepped up as the Amazon Primarch on the project, excitedly leading the mysterious upcoming adaptations. With all the excitement, everyone barely noticed the streamer dropping its first official collab with Games Workshop. What did Amazon’s Secret Level manage to do with the Warhammer universe, and what did fans think about it?
As it stands, Warhammer fans don’t have a lot of official on-screen entertainment to choose from. YouTube creators have been filling that gap with aplomb, creating many of the best works of art ever to feature chainsaw swords. The leap to more legally viable offerings has left many fans crossing their fingers and praying to the Emperor for a faithful adaptation. As Secret Level suggests, being faithful is one of many concerns.
Amazon Prime’s Secret Level Nailed the Feel of Warhammer 40,000
Secret Level‘s fifth episode, “And They Shall Know No Fear,” is a short film set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. You could probably guess the basic plot without much lore knowledge. It follows Demetrian Titus, the protagonist from the Space Marine games, as he joins his fellow supersoldiers on a brutal campaign. Titus and his armored pals slaughter their way through armies of hostile cultists. It’s a quick rush of violence, but it manages to pack in a little pathos. Titus is a fan favorite, despite his relatively limited presence across the franchise. It’s exactly what fans were expecting with very little variation. A bunch of Space Marines do violence, briefly reckon with the grim darkness of the future, and head home. You don’t really need much more to briefly satisfy the fanbase’s endless appetite for “bolter porn.” You need a bit more to tell a compelling story, though.
“And They Shall Know No Fear” isn’t much of an introduction to the Warhammer universe. Like a lot of Secret Level episodes, it feels like an extended trailer. The episode boasts few lines of dialogue and many dead aliens. Its priorities are clear, but new fans likely didn’t get as much out of the action as they could have. The thing about the Warhammer universe that probably tied up that Amazon Prime deal for so long is that it’s comically expansive. Think of a thing from a science fiction universe, and you can probably find it or something like it in a Warhammer story. This is a brief introduction to the most common selling point of the franchise. It’s a fine standalone short and a decent experience for newcomers. It could have been much more, but we’ve only just begun.
Fans Shall Know No Fear
But what do the hardcore fans think of Amazon Prime’s first foray into the Warhammer universe? I went to Reddit, where I assumed I’d find the biggest collection of wargamers, and cataloged some fan reactions. I found overwhelming support on the sub’s most popular post on the subject. Most commenters praised the short’s action, visuals, and narrative details. There’s a strong strain of fondness for Titus, with many fans playing with theories that explain critical elements of his character. Criticism is hard to come by beyond the initial poster’s distaste for the episode’s conclusion. A couple of commenters attempt to assume the perspective of a newcomer, noting that this isn’t the ideal entry point. Overall, this subset of the fanbase seems delighted with the first official Amazon adaptation. There is, however, one consistent element among the comments that I found telling.
If you’re a newcomer, you’ll notice commenters consistently mentioning a piece of media called Astartes. The lore would tell you that the term refers to the entire Space Marine military structure, but it’s also an iconic YouTube series. In 2018, Syama Pedersen put together the six-part fan film series that’s still available on YouTube. It fits neatly into a massive network of fan projects that keep the fanbase happy. In 2021, Games Workshop reached out to Pedersen and made Astartes a canon part of the universe. That partnership extended to Secret Level, where Pedersen has a credit. Those fans on Reddit are delighted to see Pedersen involved with another official project. It’s a good sign to see the official teams reaching out to these dedicated creators who keep the franchise alive. Competing with them was never an option, so recruiting them works.
All things considered, “And They Shall Know No Fear” is a great first outing in the Warhammer universe from a fan’s perspective. The question I find myself asking is how Amazon’s future Warhammer efforts might balance hardcore veterans and fresh-faced new recruits. You don’t really need to understand anything about Warhammer to enjoy the episode, but you also don’t come away from it with any new knowledge. I think the real challenge in Henry Cavill’s future franchise won’t be winning over fans. He’ll do that naturally. It’ll be selling what they love about the grim darkness of the future to people who’ve never even painted a minature.
