Not long ago, the Warhammer 40K community experienced significant upheaval over the introduction of female Custodes into what was previously an all-male lore. For those unfamiliar, the Adeptus Custodes are the elite of the elite—ultimate warriors tasked with guarding the Emperor himself.
The decision by Games Workshop to introduce female Custodes has sparked controversy within the community. Traditionally, the lore has specified that all Space Marine applicants must be male due to the gene-seed zygotes being keyed to male hormones and genetic structures. This has led many to question the introduction of female Custodes.
Why Female Custodes Now?
Games Workshop maintains that there have always been female Custodians, stating, “Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians.” This position underscores their creative control over the Warhammer 40K intellectual property, allowing them to make changes as they see fit. Unlike Space Marines, Custodes are constructed differently, which, according to Games Workshop, justifies the inclusion of female members without breaking the established lore.
Enter Amazon Studios
A significant factor in this change may be Amazon’s influence. In June 2021, Amazon announced their Inclusion and Policy Playbook, which emphasized a commitment to diverse storytelling across various dimensions, including gender and gender identity. The press release stated:
These guides offer detailed and actionable recommendations as Amazon Studios continues to seek out stories and storytelling that amplify voices across race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability (including mental health), body size, gender, gender identity, and gender expression for the global Prime Video audience.
The traditionally male-dominated setting of Warhammer 40K appears to be in conflict with Amazon Studios’ vision for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This alignment with Amazon’s policies might explain the timing and reasoning behind the introduction of female Custodes.
‘Wokehammer’?
This hasn’t stopped the community from raging about ‘Wokehammer’.
Numerous Warhammer players are cancelling their subscriptions and announcing a boycott of Games Workshop following the company’s decision to retcon their Adeptus Custodes faction to include female characters.
The backlash has been significant, with many hobbyists and former customers expressing their dissatisfaction by cancelling their subscriptions to Games Workshop’s Warhammer+ service and pledging to boycott the company.
One former fan shared a screenshot of his subscription cancellation, stating, “Kiss my a** GW. Not another penny.” Another user, responded by saying he was also boycotting Games Workshop, adding, “Right there with you. I don’t think I’ll buy anything else from GW. And I’m not even sure if I want to keep anything anymore.”
Other users echoed similar sentiments. One wrote, “I cancelled mine too. I’m married with kids.” He included a screenshot explaining his decision: “You betrayed the lore and the fans. I will no longer spend money with your company, and I will advocate others do the same. You better hope the woke mob supports you, because I will not.”
Another stated, “I cancelled mine, too. I’m married with four kids. One is gay, another is trans. I’m not against female Custodes even though they’ve been the Emperor’s favourite sons for years. I’m against the gaslighting from GW. A good lore-based explanation would have minimized this.”
The backlash against Games Workshop’s decision has been significant but they’re resolute in their plans. Female Custodians are here to stay.
Custodes in Warhammer TV
If we subscribe to the theory that this retcon was introduced at the behest of Amazon, we can draw an inference that we’ll see Custodes in a future Warhammer 40K TV show or movie; otherwise Games Workshop have just pissed off the vocal minority for no reason. As much as people are calling out GW as stupid, you don’t preside over a business multi-billion dollar business without some understanding of the consequences of your actions.
How will they be presented on screen? Will we see a Custodes-based series, something involving the Emperor himself? Or will female Custodes be relegated to a walk on part in the rumoured Eisenhorn adaptation? Only time will tell, but let us know what you think in the comments.
