Warhammer 40,000might be one of the most significant untapped media properties. Sure, there are a million books, games, comics, and fan projects for fans to enjoy, but the movie and TV studios have ignored Games Workshop’s beloved title. Proud fan Henry Cavill intends to rectify that oversight, but Games Workshop is testing the waters with some animated projects.Pariah Nexusis the newest and perhaps the best.
Most fans who want to experienceWarhammerthrough non-interactive mediums turn their attention to the massive community of fan filmmakers on YouTube. There was an officialanimatedWarhammerfilm in 2010, but it’s outdated today. The endless fan content scratches the itch. Games Workshop suffered a cataclysmic blow to their cultural perception when they announced a zero-tolerance policy toward fan films. The onset of official animated projects visibly designed to fill the void they’d create by stamping out creativity makes their reasoning clear.Pariah Nexusand Games Workshop’s other animated shows will always exist in the shadow of the fan films the studio worked to destroy.
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Release Date
May 29, 2025
The titular Pariah Nexus is a carefully constructed region in space. Through Necron engineering and the liberal application of Blackstone, the area is untouched by theinfluence of the Warp. Deep within the Nexus lies a planet called Paradyce VI. Paradyce once flourished under the protection of the Sisters of Battle and the 23rd Paradycian Peltasts. The unique effects of the Nexus infected the planet’s citizens with a disease called the Stilling. Their homegrown warriors gradually lost the will and strength to fight, leaving the Sororitas to defend Paradyce alone. The planet’s weakened state allowed the Necron to invade and dominate. Humanity exists in small pockets across the surface, struggling to survive and flee to safety.
Pariah Nexusfollows Sister Danica, one of thelast Sororitas soldierson Paradyce. She’s suffered through more violence than most could survive, leaving her hardened for better and worse. Danica has lost whatever compassion she had, her sympathy comfortably suffocated by an unending rage. She wants to continue her futile battle against the Necron, sacrificing her life and the lives of countless others to settle a justifiable grudge. Her foil is a Space Marine named Sa’Kan. Though most Marines are typically driven by battle fury and righteous zeal, Sa’Kan comes from the Salamanders chapter of the Astartes. Sa’Kan lives up to his chapters' notorious desire to save civilians, struggling against impossible odds to rescue the terrified innocents. In a world without hope and a battle that has long been lost, two soldiers must rectify their opposing desires to find the path off of Paradyce. It’s aquintessentialWarhammer 40,000story premise, complete with the kind of downer ending any seasoned Space Marine would expect.
How to watchWarhammer 40k: Pariah Nexus
How doesWarhammer 40k: Pariah Nexusend?
The evil Illuminor Szeras hires a Deathmark assassin to hunt down theremaining Imperium forceson Paradyce. As Danica sees through her guilt-fueled hallucinations and starts to agree with Sa’Kan, the Deathmark shoots her with his sniper rifle. She’s left near death, but continues to struggle to save lives. Sa’Kan intervenes and mortally wounds the Deathmark. Sa’Kan loses his arm, but the Deathmark is considerably worse off. He calls Illuminor Szeras to request repairs, but the mad scientist declares him a waste of parts and leaves him to die. Though the city falls to the Necron, Sa’Kan saves a few children. The military guns them down, potentially seeing signs of the Stilling in them and offering them a quick death. It’sas grim as expected.
Pariah Nexusis a compelling example of the type of story talented filmmakers could make in theWarhammer 40,000universe. It and its stablemates on Warhammer TVstill remain fairly one-note, but their slight deviations offer hints at potential future outings. The moral struggle between Danica and Sa’Kan is a genuinely engaging narrative beat. Fans of the franchise may be missing out if they don’t look into thePariah Nexus.
