Dark Angels

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The Dark Angels are a Chapter of Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000. They were the first legion of Space Marines. Their homeworld was Caliban, where their Primarch, Lion El'Jonson, grew up. However, half their number rebelled following the Horus Heresy, and they ruthlessly hunt these "Fallen Angels" while keeping the Fallen's existence secret.

They feature in the novel Angels of Darkness and the Space Marine Battles novel The Purging of Kadillus, both by Gavin Thorpe. They also feature in the Horus Heresy novels Descent of Angels and Fallen Angels.

Not to be confused with Dark Angel.

Also check out the Character sheet.

Tropes used in Dark Angels include:


  • Badass Long Robe: The Dark Angels wear their robes over their Powered Armor.
  • Better to Die Than Be Killed: With a doomsday virus having been tampered with, and unwilling to sacrifice the planet to escape their base, the squad in Angels of Darkness decide that it would be better to kill themselves than show weakness when their power armor fails to sustain their lives.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: It is, however, neurotically paranoid about trying to cover up its failings.
  • Death World: Caliban was not a nice place before it blew up. Mostly due to warp taint. These days, the Dark Angels get their recruits from a number of Death Worlds, such as Piscina V.
  • Empire with a Dark Secret: Legion, actually, but it still applies.
  • Energy Weapon: Power swords and plasma weapons are particularly popular among the Dark Angels.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The Deathwing used to have some Native American connotations in previous editions, but lately they and the rest of the Chapter have moved more toward a Medieval order of knights.
  • Five-Man Band: The squad in Angels of Darkness:
  • Heroic Blue Screen of Death: Boreas has such a massive one following his learning that the Chapter never told him about the annihilus, proving that Astelan's claims of Lion El'Jonnson's mistrust of the Dark Angels was right, that he nearly kills himself.
  • In the Hood: They wear their hoods over their helmets.
  • Interservice Rivalry: They have a pretty infamous rivalry with the Space Wolves.
  • Knight Templar: They tie with the Iron Hands for being the second most fanatical Space Marine Chapter (Black Templars hold the top spot). Boreas nearly destroys Piscina IV over it before he gets a hold of himself.
  • Lightning Bruiser: The whole purpose of the Ravenwing, the Dark Angels second company, is to provide fast attack bikes and Land Speeders.
  • Meaningful Name: Lion El'Jonson was named after Lionel Johnson, who wrote the poem The Dark Angel.
  • The Mothership: The Tower of Angels, the Dark Angels fortress-monastery from Caliban, survived the planet's destruction due to impressive void shields. It was subsequently repurposed into a mobile fortress-monastery called the Rock.
  • The Reveal: The Fallen on Piscina IV were after the gene-seed being stored in the Dark Angels basilica, which Nestor was guarding. And they tampered with a virus installed as a fail-safe after the Ork invasion. All of which was kept secret from Boreas.
  • Secret Keeper: The Inner Circle, who keep the secret of the Fallen from their fellow battle-brothers and the galaxy at large.
  • Serious Business: Everything Boreas does.
  • Sinister Minister: Interrogator-Chaplains, who are tasked with interrogating Fallen Space Marines to make them atone for their sins.
  • The Stoic
  • Teleporters and Transporters: A major plot point of The Purging of Kallidus.
  • Treachery Cover-Up: Following the rebellion, the Dark Angels have hidden all information regarding the destruction of Caliban and the Fallen's existence. This includes up to and including killing Inquisitors who investigate Caliban's destruction.
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