Jaghatai Khan is the primarch of the White Scars, the V Legion of Space Marines. He’s the wild card of the Emperor’s sons: a plains-born horseman and poet who spent the Horus Heresy deciding which side he was on, then tore across the galaxy once he’d made up his mind.
Who is Jaghatai Khan?
The Khan is one of the twenty primarchs, gene-forged sons of the Emperor. He’s known as the Great Khan, the Warhawk, and to his own people as the Khagan or Khan of Khans.
He landed on the world the Imperium later called Mundus Planus, but which its people knew as Chogoris: green plains, white mountains, blue seas. He was raised by Ong Khan, leader of a wandering tribe, and grew up fighting the horse-tribes’ wars before uniting them.
Most records of him come from the White Scars themselves, so treat some of it as legend rather than hard fact.
- Title: primarch of the V Legion (White Scars)
- Homeworld: Chogoris, also called Mundus Planus
- Also called: the Great Khan, the Warhawk, Khagan, Khan of Khans
- Genetic father: the Emperor; genetic mother: Erda
What he’s actually like
People write him off as a barbarian. That’s a mistake. The Khan is cultured, thoughtful, and deliberately hard to read, which is exactly how he likes it.
He keeps his own counsel and rarely lets anyone close. When he does speak, it tends to land. He told Revuel Arvida that there’s more under heaven than victory and defeat, and that the White Scars might lose everything but would do it knowing they stayed true.
His Legion inherited that streak: fast, unpredictable, and allergic to being told what to do.
The Horus Heresy
When Horus turned, the Khan didn’t rush to either side. He weighed it, which made him one of the last primarchs to commit, and the wait cost him.
He chose the Emperor. From there the White Scars fought a hit-and-run war that suited them perfectly, striking, vanishing, striking again, and they were there for the Siege of Terra.
After the Heresy he kept going, hunting the remnants of the traitor forces.
| Stage | What happened |
|---|---|
| Choosing a side | Held back, then declared for the Emperor |
| Hit-and-run | White Scars raided traitor supply lines and fleets |
| Siege of Terra | Fought in the defence of the Imperial Palace |
| Post-Heresy | Pursued traitor remnants into the void |
Where is he now?
That’s the question every White Scars fan asks. The Khan vanished chasing traitors into the webway, and he hasn’t come back.
The Legion, now a Chapter, has spent ten thousand years waiting. Some believe he’s still out there. Others think he’s dead. Nobody knows, and Games Workshop hasn’t settled it.
Why he matters
The Khan gives 40k one of its best counterpoints to the usual grim, rigid Space Marine archetype. He’s a primarch who thinks before he swings, and who’d rather stay true to himself than win on someone else’s terms.
He also anchors the White Scars’ whole identity: speed, independence, and a culture that isn’t just ‘Space Marine but with a different paint scheme’.
Key facts
- Primarch of the White Scars, the V Legion of Space Marines
- Raised on Chogoris by Ong Khan after landing there as an infant
- Known as the Great Khan, the Warhawk, Khagan, and Khan of Khans
- Sided with the Emperor in the Horus Heresy after a long delay
- Vanished into the webway after the Heresy; fate unresolved
FAQ
Which Legion did Jaghatai Khan lead?
The V Legion, better known as the White Scars. He was their primarch from the Great Crusade through the Horus Heresy.
Which side did he take in the Horus Heresy?
He sided with the Emperor, but only after a long delay while he worked out who was telling the truth. Once he committed, the White Scars fought hard for the loyalists.
Is Jaghatai Khan still alive?
Unknown. He disappeared into the webway after the Heresy and hasn’t been seen since. The setting deliberately leaves it open.