Games Workshop (GW) has taken a decisive strike at their own intellectual property (IP) by retconning well known lore surrounding the brotherhood of the Adeptus Custodes by saying this male contingent of fighters are also female … this entire time?
Warhammer 40k is a fantasy gaming universe (tabletop and video) beset by brutal war with cosmically unfathomable power in the hands of multiple factions all fighting for control and or complete erasure of the known universe. Many players would think that such a large universe would be immune from modern day political pandering, but sadly, it seems that it’s corruptible.
The decision to introduce female characters into the established all-male brotherhood of the Custodes, the esteemed elite guards of the God Emperor himself, has received massive fan backlash, as other factions serving a similar purpose with similar style are completely ignored. The Sisters of Silence, a rogue Psyker-hunting faction loyal to the Imperium is all female, yet despite GW’s recent emphasis on inclusiveness, they don’t do anything with them anymore. No developments, no expansion of their story.
For anyone not up to date on the lore of Warhammer 40k, or even if you don’t know about it at all, female space marines and Custodes used to exist way back when 40k was brand new. The figures did not sell as well as their male counterparts, so after production for them stopped, lore was finally implemented which cemented that Custodes and space marines were exclusively male. Since then, numerous books recounting cannon were published following this rule, and as more and more female players got into the game, all-female factions such as the Adepta Sororitas were implemented as their own, unique thing. This and The Sisters of Silence provided inclusivity to women by adding entirely original all-female factions, with fascinating new lore and expanded arsenals. With the small history lesson wrapped up, you can see why fans of Warhammer 40k are angry since this breach of lore isn’t just a controversial inclusion, but lazy political pandering.
X user Grummz (CEO & Designer. Former Team Lead for OG World of Warcraft. Producer, Diablo 2, Starcraft) has monitored the response from the more left-leaning audience of 40k that claims there is no reason as to why this brotherhood can’t also have women.
Grumm notes from the 8th edition codex: "It is known that all Custodians begin their lives as the infant sons of the noble houses of Terra. It is a mark of incredible prestige to surrender one’s child to this most glorious of callings within the Imperium, and many notable clans amongst the Terran aristocracy have willingly given up almost entire generations of newborn sons to earn it."