Lieutenant Titus from Space Marine 2 has become one of the most recognizable faces in all of Warhammer 40,000 following the massive success of the video game. We've already seen Games Workshop double down on the Ultramarines hero with merchandise, an appearance in the Warhammer 40,000 episode of Amazon's animated anthology The Secret Level, and various cameos in the setting. But now the tide has leveled out – not only for Titus as a Space Marine, but also for his place in the ongoing Warhammer 40,000 narrative.
This week, Games Workshop revealed Captain Demetrian Titus, Master of the Watch, meaning Titus has received a well-deserved promotion following the now iconic events of Space Marine 2 and Secret Level. Titus once again becomes captain of the Ultramarines' Second Company, a position he already held before being taken into custody by the Inquisition for suspected heresy following the events of the first Space Marines game. What does Titus' promotion mean for Sevastus Aheran, the former Second Company captain and Marine Master we see in Space Marine 2? Let's be honest: he's probably dead. I guess he couldn't allocate enough people.
For Titus, his promotion comes with bigger and more difficult responsibilities: he is tasked with protecting the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, the realm of the poster boys of the Space Marines, the Ultramarines. With Primarch Roboute Guilliman departing on his Indomitus Crusade, Titus is now responsible for maintaining the security of the home, where, as always, new Necron threats arise.
Games Workshop has released a new trailer (below) to hype this narrative expansion, and it features Titus in the foreground as he accepts his new position and what he calls his “impossible mission.” He's been noticeably glowing since we last saw him, and to boot, he's got a cool new model for use in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. Titus is joined by friends his fans know well: Ancient Gadreel from Space Marine 2 and veteran Sergeant Metaurus from Secret Level (he's alive!).
500 Worlds: Titus is the title of the next major story expansion for Warhammer 40,000. According to a post on Warhammer Communitywhich includes a set of four books that tell the story of the Ultramarian Restoration and Vespator's battle front, where Titus and the Ultramarines' Second Company are “engaged in a desperate struggle against Necron forces rife with the Destroyer's Curse.”
This is an important moment for Titus, as well as the Space Marine video game franchise. It's a testament to the character's importance to Warhammer 40,000 and the seismic impact that Space Marine 2 had on the setting.
Conversation with IGN at gamescom 2025Tim Willits, head of development at Saber Interactive, said the popularity of Space Marine 2 has opened the door to the darker Warhammer 40,000 setting for an army of new fans who aren't necessarily aware of the intricacies of the universe.
“I've heard a lot of people now think that the Thousand Sons are the only Chaos faction because that's what was in the game,” Willits said, reflecting on Space Marine 2's first year.
“And so people are like, 'Oh, I think Thousand Sons is Chaos.' It's like, “Actually, no.” In fact, this is just a small faction. But people are just like, “That’s who I played against.”
This assumption of Chaos extends to the Space Marines themselves. The Ultramanes – a chapter that Games Workshop itself uses to introduce newcomers to the board game through starter sets – are the main protagonists of Space Marine 2's campaign, although there are plenty of other factions available to play in both PvE and PvP modes.
“People have misconceptions about the Warhammer 40,000 universe,” Willits continued. “For example, the Thousand Sons are the only Chaos faction. It's a kind of humor. And like, “Oh, Space Marines are only blue!” Honestly, it was pretty funny and good for us.”
One of the big questions surrounding the already confirmed Space Marine 3 is whether Saber will expand beyond the Ultramarines and Thousand Sons in terms of the next campaign. The plot seems to involve the addition of the Necrons, which probably won't be that much of a surprise for Space Marine 3 at this point. But could there be other chapters of Space Marines coming as well? Perhaps other Chaos factions too? We asked Willits about Space Marine 3, but he didn't say anything..
But now Titus is back in action, and we are left to wonder what the overly suspicious Chaplain Leandros is thinking? He spent almost the entirety of Space Marine 2 threatening to end poor Titus at the first sign of corruption, and even after Titus' heroic actions, praise from Chapter Master Marneus Calgar and, some say, words of encouragement from the Emperor himself, Leandros was not convinced. If Titus manages to complete this impossible task and protect the 500 worlds, will he finally defeat Leandros? Somehow I doubt it.
All of this likely impacts Space Marine 3 in some way. Assuming Space Marine 3 picks up after the events of 500 Worlds, we could very well see Titus leading armies into battle rather than just one squad.
Wesley is IGN's News Director. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
