heretic forces of Chaos. Although the game follows Titus, a lieutenant in the Ultramarine ranks and protagonist of the first Space Marine game, and his squad, there are also a few named, preexisting characters from Warhammer 40K lore. One example of this is Marneus Calgar, a big name in the Warhammer 40K universe who is also the subject of a short comic book run.

Those familiar with the Warhammer 40K universe and lore have probably seen more than they would have liked from Calgar, but also thoroughly enjoyed the cinematic where he comes in to save the day in Space Marine 2. To those unfamiliar, they might not have known what the fuss was about and why Marneus Calgar got so many dramatic, slow-motion shots. He was introduced in the game's best cinematic and starts a mass counterattack to start Space Marine 2's final battle. While the game does tell players his station, it doesn't elaborate on how much of a monster Calgar is.

Marneus Calgar Is The Chapter Master Of The Ultramarines

And Is One Of 40K's Most Recognizable Names

Marneus Calgar is the Chapter Master (essentially the leader) of the Ultramarines, and is Lord of Macragge, the capital world of the realm of Ultramar. On top of this, he underwent additional arcane processes to become a powerful Primaris Space Marine, making him far mightier than the average brother in his Chapter's ranks. Unlike many other Space Marines, he was not the son of a noble house. He was a servant of House Calgar, and named Tacitan, although he was friends with the original Marneus Calgar before both became Ultramrine Aspirants.

Aspirants are the best recruits among humanity selected to become Space Marines, although the recruitment process varies between Chapters.

Together, Tacitan and Marneus discover that their trainer had been corrupting Aspirants, and fought him, only for Marneus to fall in battle. Tacitan was saved by the late intervention of an Ultramarine, and then took Marneus' name to share his glory with his best friend. There ended up being a lot of glory to share. Calgar is famed as a champion of Mankind, a brilliant tactician, and a general that leads his troops from the front. He is everything that Ultramarines aspire to be and one of the most powerful warriors in the ranks of the Imperium of Man.

Calgar Is Controversial Despite His Popularity

He Is Far Too OP For A Space Marine

Warhammer Marneus Calgar comic cover.

Because Calgar is one of the named Warhammer 40K characters, he gets a lot of special treatment through comics and general story telling, so much so that he starts breaking the lore through how overpowered he ends up being written. For context, Calgar should be just a very mighty, experienced, and clever Ultramarine, yet he has feats on par with Primarchs. He defeated an Avatar of Khaine with a single punch, an enemy that fought toe to toe with Fulgrim, one of the 20 Primarchs, which should be a feat far beyond Calgar's means.

Primarchs are 20 genetically-engineered trans-human "sons" of the Emperor of Mankind whose genomes were used as templates for the twenty Space Marine legions. Space Marine lineages are kept alive by gene-seeds in Warhammer 40K.

This is not the only instance in which Calgar does outrageous things by being the superhero of the 40K universe. He beat a Daemon Prince into submission (by tearing him limb from limb in the official records), who was too powerful to banish and was known to kill Space Marines with a single thought. Daemon Princes are essentially demi-gods, and Calgar even comes back to finish the job later when this Daemon Prince returns. He also killed a Swarmlord by punching it to death, and this seems to be his signature way of killing his foes.

Calgar Is One Of The Faces Of Warhammer 40K

He Gets A Bit Too Much Love, However

A comic  of Marneus Calgar on a tank.

The crux of Calgar's controversy comes from how overpowered he is, and almost all of his greatest feats were accomplished before he underwent additional processes to become a Primaris Space Marine. He seems to be able to solve almost any issue by punching it in its face, and this issue is further compounded by the extra attention that Ultramarines tend to receive. Still, Calgar is cool enough to have his fans, lovingly referred to as "Papa Smurf," since he is in charge of the blue Ultramarines, and his inclusion during Space Marine 2's ending is well-liked.

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Calgar's controversial nature, and ability to punch seemingly anything to death with his gauntlets, doesn't change how amazing his entrance is during the events of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. He comes in to save his Ultramarines, as he usually does, but Titus still gets to be the savior of the day, despite Papa Smurf being within punching distance of Imurah. The game handles his inclusion better than most other material by having him be an awesome and powerful commander while letting its protagonist, Titus, be the hero.

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Your Rating

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
Third-Person Shooter
Hack and Slash
Released
September 9, 2024
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
Developer(s)
Saber Interactive
Publisher(s)
Focus Entertainment
Engine
Swarm Engine
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

The galaxy is once again plunged into chaos as Lieutenant Titus returns to battle the relentless Tyranid swarm. With unmatched power and brutal combat skills, he leads the Ultramarines in a desperate fight for survival against overwhelming odds, showcasing the grim reality of endless war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Franchise
Warhammer 40K
Platform(s)
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S