The recent success of Space Marines 2 means that many people are becoming more concerned with these heavily armoured, transhuman soldiers of Warhammer 40K and all the war crimes they commit in defence of the Imperium of Mankind. A newly released Warhammer 40K fan animation called The Awakeningby Gabriel Christtiane, spends almost an hour watching the Space Marines – particularly the mysterious and stoic Dark Angels – battling the enigmatic machine race of the Necrons.
Community members such as YouTuber Baldemort and the radio play narrator A Vox in the Void play characters in The awakening. The biggest focus, however, is the spectacle of seeing the Dark Angels in action, arrayed en masse with Thunder Hammers and Bolters to take on the ancient and far more technologically advanced Necrons. Seeing two cool armies go head to head is a good 40% of Warhammer 40,000’s appeal, but Christtiane also sneaks in all sorts of Easter eggs and little details to further spoil fans.
Christtiane worked on the project for almost four years and cooperated with Symphonic Legion for audio and music. In the description of the video, Christtiane writes: “It was born out of a desire to tell the story of our beloved universe and bring sympathy and new fans to the Warhammer brand, as well as satisfying all existing fans.”
Warhammer 40K fans are some of the most dedicated around; after all, this is a franchise with hundreds of books, many video games, and a full subscription service in Warhammer Plus. And the depth of the hobby is rewarded with creations from devoted fans, some of whom are willing to shed blood, sweat, and tears to create an original work of animation as profound as this one.
