A new rumor alleges that Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video wanted female Space Marines for their upcoming Warhammer film or series being helmed by Henry Cavill. However, Games Workshop compromised with female Adeptus Custodes.
Warhammer 40,000: Codex: Adeptus Custodes (2024), Games Workshop
This latest rumor comes in the wake of Games Workshop introducing a female Adeptus Custodes character named Custodian Calladayce Taorvalia Kesh in their Codex: Adeptus Custodes.
Not only did Games Workshop introduce the character, but the official Warhammer social media account gaslit fans claiming “there have always been female Custodians” despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Warhammer on X
In the wake of this announcement a rumor surfaced on 4Chan claiming, “Female custodes are only going to be mentioned in the codex. No new sculpts or characters after the fact. Social media department jumped the gun and tried to put out fires with the wrong hose.”
“Intent is to push female custodes character in Amazon show without it ‘breaking lore’ because Amazon execs wanted a woman in power armor and wouldn’t settle for [Sisters of Battle]. People involved in the show are pissed because they’ve been moving ahead on Eisenhorn. Talks of inserting said female custodes into Eisenhorn story with Cavill threatening to walk away from the project. Small stock drop today, but GW figures it can ride it out if it stays mum on the subject. They really need better social media employees,” the leaker added.
“Cavill will be in an article due to ‘heading to GW to work on the new series’ this week or next,” the leaker concluded. “If he leaves, it’ll be a noticeable hit to the share price, meaning the show is dead (good ending) or Amazon is calling the shots (bad ending [not black Chogorians but similar scenario]) You can trust me, my dad works at Nintendo.”
Screenshot of alleged Warhammer 40K leak
Now, a new rumor from YouTuber The ArchCast and his inside source at Amazon MGM Studios alleges that Amazon did indeed influence the introduction of a female Adeptus Custodes and it was the result of a compromise because the streamer wanted female Space Marines.
Arch begins his video stating, “My Amazon Insider has given me some more information in regards to the female Custodes debacle and Amazon’s involvement in it, which may, at least in part, exonerate Games Workshop.”
A bit later he detailed, “According to my insider, here, the attitude at the Amazon GW meetings reached downright threatening levels, where the two sides were not happy with one another at all with Games Workshop actually pushing back quite aggressively on the idea of female Space Marines. Probably understanding to do so would be devastating to their company. I mean look at the sheer scale of the s**tstorm that was created by female Custodes, which is not anywhere near as massive a faction as the Space Marines.”
He continued, “GW knowing this would be a terrible idea pushed back a lot, but Amazon were not willing to give up on this either and may have carried out various little tactics like threatening to bring back people on Amazon, who were selling third party goods for 40K related stuff as they did even take down things like alternative dice sellers and people were selling bases and so on. That might have been a thing. And they might also have, perhaps, been talking about leaving the conversation all together.”
Warhammer 40,000 Guilliman vs. Black Legion
Next, Arch details, “Eventually [my insider] says GW caved in part and the female Custodes was a compromise solution intended both to ameliorate relationships with Amazon by going, ‘Okay, okay. How about this? You’ll have your female power armor, but we won’t do it with the Space Marines, okay?’ And also as a way to demonstrate to Amazon that this was not going to go over very well.”
In fact, Arch detailed that an automated Amazon system has noticed significant complaints regarding the company’s various IP-related shows such as Wheel of Time, Rings of Power, and Warhammer. Arch shared, “And indeed Amazon’s bots, as well, that monitor the feedback that Amazon gets has been noticing a sharp uptick in people sending in complaints about them ruining universes like the Rings of Power and mentioning the 40K TV show in specific. Now, these have not been acted upon nor is there any indication that Amazon is particularly concerned yet, but there is now a sufficiently large enough volume of these complaints ahead of time to the point where their scraping bots, the software looking for feedback, is picking up on it and going, ‘There’s a lot of these. Should some human take a look at this maybe? Do we do we know what’s going on here? What is causing this trend of negative feedback?'”
“Which, hey, it might be a wonderful way of teaching Amazon that this might not be something they want at all,” Arch suggested.
A screenshot from Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters (2022), Complex Games
READ: Games Workshop CFO Sells Two-Thirds Of Her Shares Amid Growing Warhammer Boycott
Following this portion of the rumor, Arch turned his attention to what a source told him about Cavill’s reaction. He stated, “As for Henry Cavill I have also heard something related to him now namely that he is quite upset about this change. He is pissed at it, but he is not going to walk.”
“Bearing in mind that we don’t even know if it is possible for him to walk at this point as his introduction and you know co-staring and producing in this was one of the earliest fundamental piece of news about the Amazon Games Workshop TV show,” he added. “For all we know he could be bound hand and foot by contractual obligation and penalties at this point. Alternatively, again, well, it’s an Amazon paycheck. I’m not entirely sure I would be willing to turn that down much less somebody who is an actual actor and this is being his job.”
Arch then opined, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he is indeed quite upset about this because this is also his main faction, the Adeptus Custodes.”
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher (2023), Netflix
What do you make of this latest rumor regarding Warhammer 40K and the introduction of the female Adeptus Custodes?
NEXT: Warhammer 40K Fan Site Attacks Players As “Bigots” For Disliking Female Adeptus Custodes Retcon
If the rumor is true, then, I had a feeling Jennifer Salke was going to start interfering on this show.
This man is cursed. He has the ability to be in shows for series he absolutely loves… But in “modern day”. He can’t win and they’ll certainly throw him under the bus
Its his own damn fault for partnering with Amazon knowing full well what they had done to their Middle Earth and Wheel of Time shows. If he didn’t anticipate them demanding to “diversity” 40k then he’s a grade A moron.
Looking forward to pirating this show. GW will never receive my financial support