Space Marine aficionados can rejoice thanks to a new Warhammer 40K fan film on YouTube

The recent success of Space Marine 2 means that many people are watching more of these heavily armored, transhuman soldiers of Warhammer 40K and all the war crimes they commit in defense of the Imperium of Man. A recently released Warhammer 40K fan-made animation, called The awakeningby Gabriel Christtiane, features nearly an entire hour of Space Marines—specifically the secretive and stoic Dark Angels—as they battle the enigmatic machine race known as the Necrons.

Community members, such as YouTuber Baldemort and audio drama narrator A Vox in the Void, play characters in The Awakening. Most of the attention, however, is on the spectacle of seeing the Dark Angels in action, lining up en masse with Thunder Hammers and bolters to stand strong against the ancient and far more technically advanced Necrons. Seeing two cool armies go head to head is a good 40% of the appeal of Warhammer 40,000, but Christtiane also sneaks in all sorts of Easter eggs and little details as an added bonus for fans.

Christtiane has been working on the project for almost four years and collaborates with Legio Symphonica for the audio and music. In the video description, Christtiane writes: “It was created as a desire to tell the story of our beloved universe and to bring goodwill and new fans to the Warhammer brand, and to satisfy all existing fans.”

Warhammer 40K fans are some of the most dedicated fans; after all, this is a franchise with hundreds of books, tons of video games, and an entire subscription service in Warhammer Plus. And the depth of the hobby is rewarded with the creations of dedicated fans, some of whom are willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears to create an original work of animation as deep as this one.