Warhammer 40k Primarch Lion El’Jonson will return with a new model in the final book of the Arks of Omen series, Games Workshop has revealed. The new model was previewed at the Adepticon livestream on Thursday, where GW also explained what we can expect in the newly announced expansion book, Arks of Omen: The Lion.
The Primarch of the Dark Angels has been asleep in the chapter’s fortress monastery The Rock for the last 10,000 years, which – according to the Adepticon livestream – is why his model looks a lot older than his brother Primarch Roboutte Guilliman, who enjoyed 10,000 years of stasis beauty sleep.
Lion El’Jonson is wielding a new blade. His favourite sword, the Lion’s Blade, is still with the sinister Chaos Space Marine character Cypher. According to the GW preview, the enormous shield he’s carrying is the Emperor’s Shield – a gift from dad, just like the Ultramarines’ Primarch gets to wield the Emperor’s Sword.
There are four head options in the kit, so if you don’t think the Primarch should go into battle with his Charles Dance-like face on show, you’ve got options to hide it behind a helmet.
According to the Adepticon livestream, Arks of Omen: The Lion will bring the narrative to a conclusion with a huge showdown between the forces of Chaos and the greatest heroes of the Space Marines, including the newly embiggened commander Dante of the Blood Angels.
The biggest fight of them all will be between The Lion and Angron, daemon Primarch of the World Eaters.
People have speculated about the Lion’s return for years. The Arks of Omen expansion series has advanced the Warhammer 40k narrative to an even more apocalyptic pitch, as the new Chaos character Vashtorr the Arkifane allies with Abaddon the Despoiler in search of artefacts of unparalleled power. Naturally enough, all seems lost – the perfect time for the Lion of the First Legion to return.