Magnus the Red is the primarch of the Thousand Sons and one of the most tragic figures in Warhammer 40k. A brilliant sorcerer who tried to save the Imperium, he ended up damned by the very power he trusted.
Who Magnus is
Magnus is the genetic son of the Emperor and the primarch of the XV Legion, the Thousand Sons. He’s a giant in body and mind, and even as a mortal he was one of the most powerful psykers the Imperium has ever produced.
These days he’s a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of change, magic and scheming. He rules the Planet of the Sorcerers, also called Sortiarius, from a tower where he plots the Imperium’s downfall.
From Prospero to damnation
Magnus landed on Prospero as an infant, and unlike his brothers he remembered everything from birth. Prospero was a world of outcast psykers, so his gifts made him normal there rather than a freak, and he grew up studying the warp openly.
He and the Emperor even spoke telepathically before they met in person. When the Emperor finally found him, Magnus took command of the Thousand Sons and their psychic abilities became the legion’s defining trait, which a lot of other primarchs hated.
Magnus’ folly and the burning of Prospero
When Horus turned to Chaos, Magnus tried to warn the Emperor using his own warp powers. The message smashed through the Emperor’s psychic defences and wrecked a vital project, and the Emperor responded by sending Leman Russ and the Space Wolves to bring Magnus to Terra.
Horus twisted the orders so the Wolves would destroy Prospero instead. The Thousand Sons were nearly wiped out, and Magnus survived only by throwing himself into Tzeentch’s arms, becoming a daemon and taking his legion into exile with him.
What he’s done since
Magnus fought for Horus during the Heresy and survived it, then spent the next ten thousand years scheming from Sortiarius. He’s shown up in several big modern events, including the war in the Fenris system and the return of Roboute Guilliman.
He’s also been shattered into shards more than once, and he’s obsessed with gathering them back to restore his full power. That makes him one of the most active daemon primarchs in the current setting.
Abilities and wargear
Magnus is a top-tier psyker, capable of telepathy, telekinesis and destructive warp fire on a scale few beings can match. In daemon form he’s also monstrous in close combat.
He carries the Blade of Ahn-Nunurta and the Book of Magnus, and he wears the Horned Raiment. His armour is often called the Armour of the Crimson King.
- Blade of Ahn-Nunurta: his personal force sword.
- Book of Magnus: a tome of warp lore he’s famous for.
- Horned Raiment: his daemon primarch armour.
Key facts
- Magnus the Red is the primarch of the Thousand Sons legion.
- He’s a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch and rules the Planet of the Sorcerers.
- His homeworld, Prospero, was destroyed by the Space Wolves during the Horus Heresy.
- He tried to warn the Emperor about Horus using warp powers, which backfired badly.
- He’s been shattered into shards and has spent millennia trying to restore himself.
FAQ
Is Magnus the Red a traitor?
Yes, though it’s complicated. He sided with Horus during the Heresy after the Emperor sent the Space Wolves to punish him, and he’s served Tzeentch ever since.
Which Chaos God does Magnus serve?
Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. Magnus became a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch after the burning of Prospero.
What happened to Magnus’ eye?
Sources differ on how he lost it. The common story is that he traded an eye for knowledge of the warp, but the details vary between accounts.