Magnus Did Nothing Wrong.

[vallorn]

It's right there in the title. Magnus did nothing wrong. Rather, as many will note, he was unfairly persecuted for his psychic gifts by both society and his family.

Magnus was born, not on the world he regarded as his home, but a laboratory, constructed to be a truly magnificent redhead, going so far as to have gloriously copper skin as well. Out of all the brothers, he has the most fantastical hair, as it breezes in the currents of the immaterial realms.

Upon being placed on Prospero by his wise and knowing father, Magnus quickly instituted government and educational reforms, managing to shield the civilian populace from a virulent plague unleashed on the planet in the past known as the Psychneuein. Truly, Magnus was the best and wisest of the primarchs since he championed not only the safety of his subjects but their progress as a species towards a glorious psychic future.

Such majesty was not without detractors however, barbarous and uncivilized people decried him as a 'sorcerer' and other barbs, even going so far as to stage a mocking, fake trial of him to censure him for his wisdom. Magnus, ignoring the babblings of such fools, continued to lead his people to a glorious tomorrow.

This was cut short when, at the manipulations of Lorgar, the barbarian Leman Russ assaulted Magnus' homeworld unprovoked, forcing them to flee.

 

[jademunky]

Magnus also inadvertently wrecked the big E's webway project, nearly caused earth to get flooded with demons and necessitated the Emp. to spend the Heresy sitting on that goddamn throne rather than taking the fight to Horus.

There was a good reason the Emperor warned his sons about messing with the warp.

But yeah, still hands-down my favourite traitor Primarch.

#blamelorgar

 

[Canadamus Prime]

If I knew who Magnus was this would mean something.

 

[jademunky]

If I knew who Magnus was this would mean something.

Warhammer 40K reference.

Magnus was one of the Emperor's test-tube-grown "sons." He was one of the nine who turned traitor and was the last to do so owing more to his desire to save his own life than out of hatred for his father.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjBmT8y9PAU

skip to 4:30

 

[crimson5pheonix]

If I knew who Magnus was this would mean something.

Warhammer 40K reference.

Magnus was one of the Emperor's test-tube-grown "sons." He was one of the nine who turned traitor and was the last to do so owing more to his desire to save his own life than out of hatred for his father.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjBmT8y9PAU

skip to 4:30

Not even his own life. He was fine with dying for what he did, but he couldn't stand to see Russ kill his legion and homeworld.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Few things:
The Emperor didn't place Magnus on Prospero, the Chaos Gods did when they stole him from the genelabs of Luna. Also as an embryo Magnus was corrupted by Tzeentch to basically be incredibly arrogant yet absurdly stupid.
He was duped from day 1 into thinking the Warp was a sterile place, and that the Warp familiars he and his men used to help channel their powers were basically Harry Potter patronus ie a psychic manifestation of the psykers's own will, instead of what they actually were, Chaos daemons pulling the long game on the TS.

One could make the argument the Nikae mandate was a mistake, and its hinted it was brought about by Lorgar to neuter the Librarians who could detect Warp taint. And it's bullshit the Thousand sons were basically the only Legion ever held to that law. I mean the White Scars and Space Wolves both refused to follow it, as did the Night Lords, Alpha Legion, World Eaters and Salamanders. The Emperor's Children, Iron Warriors, Iron Hands, Death Guard and Sons of Horus never used Librarians anyway, and Rogal Dorn, Sanguinius, the Lion, Corax and Guilliman each individually chose to ignore it after a time.

And yes the Space Wolves themselves were tricked by Horus into destroying the TS instead of arresting them, but Magnus did violate the edict of Nikea and with their backs to the wall they fully embraced Chaos and its daemons in exchange for power. So the entire thing was just one great big fuck up on everyone's part, Magnus included.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Huh, for some reason I thought this would be about Ultra Magnus from Transformers.

 

[vallorn]

Few things:
The Emperor didn't place Magnus on Prospero, the Chaos Gods did when they stole him from the genelabs of Luna. Also as an embryo Magnus was corrupted by Tzeentch to basically be incredibly arrogant yet absurdly stupid.
He was duped from day 1 into thinking the Warp was a sterile place, and that the Warp familiars he and his men used to help channel their powers were basically Harry Potter patronus ie a psychic manifestation of the psykers's own will, instead of what they actually were, Chaos daemons pulling the long game on the TS.

One could make the argument the Nikae mandate was a mistake, and its hinted it was brought about by Lorgar to neuter the Librarians who could detect Warp taint. And it's bullshit the Thousand sons were basically the only Legion ever held to that law. I mean the White Scars and Space Wolves both refused to follow it, as did the Night Lords, Alpha Legion, World Eaters and Salamanders. The Emperor's Children, Iron Warriors, Iron Hands, Death Guard and Sons of Horus never used Librarians anyway, and Rogal Dorn, Sanguinius, the Lion, Corax and Guilliman each individually chose to ignore it after a time.

And yes the Space Wolves themselves were tricked by Horus into destroying the TS instead of arresting them, but Magnus did violate the edict of Nikea and with their backs to the wall they fully embraced Chaos and its daemons in exchange for power. So the entire thing was just one great big fuck up on everyone's part, Magnus included.

I was basically trying to write it like propaganda.

 

[jademunky]

I was basically trying to write it like propaganda.

Oh, we all get that. Your Simpsons reference was spot-on.

 

[WindKnight]

Huh, for some reason I thought this would be about Ultra Magnus from Transformers.

The fans are still too mad at Hot Rod to deal with him now.

Or at least everyone loves Minimus Ambus now.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

The one thing that will forever be the Emperor's fault is for him NOT to talk about his Sons about the trueness of the Warp.

The Emperor knew the Chaos Gods were actively gunning for him. That's why they were cast all around the galaxy.

He knew they were targets. He knew some of their sons were touch with Psyker abilities. And he supplied them with nothing. Ignore everything. Do nothing. Fight and die. Ignore that I'm a God, hell, you don't know what a God is. Vote Republican.

And the biggest betrayal that the Red did? Try to warn his father who he loved.

This was always a weak part of the lore for me.

 

[kurokotetsu]

For a second there I thought the 1kSons fans followed me here... Fun little post. Magnus had it coming. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. So if you want to find yourself with the smiles of the axes of the Rout, do not incur the wrath of the Allfather.

 

[Trunkage]

I think the Emperor second mistake was trying to eradicate his son and his men just becuase he didn't listen. Total overkill and pretty much got himself entombed chasing a lesser enemy

 

[crimson5pheonix]

For a second there I thought the 1kSons fans followed me here... Fun little post. Magnus had it coming. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. So if you want to find yourself with the smiles of the axes of the Rout, do not incur the wrath of the Allfather.

Space Corgis

 

[vallorn]

For a second there I thought the 1kSons fans followed me here... Fun little post. Magnus had it coming. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. So if you want to find yourself with the smiles of the axes of the Rout, do not incur the wrath of the Allfather.

I actually play Thousand Sons. They aren't as tragic as the Night Lords but you can't beat mass Psychic fuckery.

Also, it's called Shitposting, and it's Art.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Magnus was a supporter of Horus, and Horus was condemned by PETA as being evil because he wears fur.

I'm not sure what that proves, but probably something?

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Allow me to quote the Librarian from Dawn of War: There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt. Magnus atones for his sins by suffering at the hands of his vile masters every day.

 

[Thaluikhain]

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

Hmmm, under the new ownership of the site, am I allowed to pretend to think it's a big deal that a mod said that?

 

[Zontar]

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

Hmmm, under the new ownership of the site, am I allowed to pretend to think it's a big deal that a mod said that?

OT: Magnus is a big mean red chaos man not nice

 

[Terminal Blue]

Magnus also inadvertently wrecked the big E's webway project, nearly caused earth to get flooded with demons and necessitated the Emp. to spend the Heresy sitting on that goddamn throne rather than taking the fight to Horus

See, to me, that was one of the first signs that 40k and I were going to have a falling out.

Magnus was originally written as a tragic figure. His crime was to try and use sorcery (the magic of chaos) in the service of mankind, because he believed that with his vast occult knowledge he could control it. The Emperor disagreed and send Russ to purge the thousand sons, because the Emperor was kind of ruthless and uncompromising and ruled over a xenocidal fascist empire which killed billions. The siege of Prospero was so atrocious that, in a great example of dramatic irony, Magnus lost focus and was overwhelmed by the sorcerous power he had called on, being consumed by Chaos. It's a neat little story in which every character is flawed and it isn't clear who is right. Magnus is arrogant and careless with the incredibly dangerous things he's doing, Russ is a hateful bigot who murders planets because daddy told him too, and even the Emperor is flawed, and ultimately his own actions end up causing the very thing he is trying to avoid.

Then the Horus Heresy books came along.. and the Emperor is not allowed to be flawed in any way. He is perfect and beautiful, and if he ever did anything questionable it is entirely justified. He is a very special boy, and if only everyone had just listened to the Emperor and obeyed his every command without question, nothing would have gone wrong.

And I have two problems with that:

1) It's just fundamentally less interesting. The Horus Heresy always had this hint of mythology, where there was a good side and an evil side but ultimately the good side were a bunch of flawed human beings who were doing their best and were maybe even responsible in some ways for all the bad things happening. Now, it's become like judeo-Christian scripture, in fact it's become a fairly straightforward retelling of the fall of lucifer.

2) 40k is a setting about literal space fascism. To appreciate that, you need a layer of detachment. You (the player) do not have to root for the Emperor just because the people in the game literally worship the Emperor. It is not necessary for a genocidal warlord to be perfectly right and justified and always sympathetic, in fact it's weird.