History Characters / Warhammer40000Imperium

* DropTheHammer: Partly ''named'' after this trope. Thunder hammers, a gigantic hammer with a tank-splitting energy release, are a favourite of Space Marine Terminators and the Ordo Malleus... which translates to "Order of the Hammer."

* TheExtremistWasRight: Nobody denies that the Imperium is the most dystopian and tyrannical government humanity has ever known, but nothing else could survive the unending torrent of horrors that are trying to devour, exterminate, seduce, brainwash, corrupt, vaporize and/or otherwise destroy humanity. That was the official line, anyway; when Guilliman (one of the major Imperial founders) returned and took up the reins of leadership he was absolutely horrified and instituted massive reforms. The Imperium also suffers from a ''legendary'' case of FascistButInefficient, and the stopgaps they use to muddle along often involve giving total lunatics way too much power.

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000ForcesOfChaos Forces of Chaos]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ChaosGods Chaos Gods]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000ChaosPrimarchs Chaos Primarchs]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000ChaosMarines Heretic Astartes]]\\

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Generally speaking, the Imperium takes a lot of inspiration from AncientRome and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire with a dash of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany and the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]].

'''Imperium of Man:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialFounders Founders]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChaptersFirstFounding First Founding Chapters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChapters Other Chapters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters Characters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000PrimarisSpaceMarines Primaris Marines]]), [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialGuard Astra Militarum]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Sororitas Adepta Sororitas]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition Inquisition]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Mechanicus Mechanicus]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000CurrentImperialFactions Other factions]]\\

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000LeaguesOfVotann Leagues of Votann]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000OrksCharacters Characters]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000GenestealerCults Genestealer Cults]])]]-]]]

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000LeaguesOfVotann Leagues of Votann]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000OrksCharacters Characters]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]]]]-]]]

* AntiHero: In stories told from the Imperial POV, the Imperium can most charitably be described as this, and least charitably as {{Villain Protagonist}}s. They may be defending humanity from aliens, heretics, and worse, but they also uphold a xenophobic warmongering empire that brutally opresses the very people it tries to protect. It's explicitly called the "cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable", yet if the whole thing collapsed, humanity would [[KillAllHumans probably go extinct thanks to bigger xenos factions]] or [[FateWorseThanDeath something even worse would happen thanks to Chaos]].

** Space Marines themselves are a great example. To start with, a Space Marine can only be created from a pre-adolescent human boy; even selecting aspirants worthy of being implanted with gene-seed tends to be a bloody affair with a high casualty rate. Once chosen, the process of implantation takes decades, and at any point the aspirant could die from genetic incompatibility, the catastrophic malfunction of a bio-engineered organ, or an infection allowed to fester as part of some archaic, ritualized surgery. Or they could be killed, either accidentally during the TrainingFromHell, or deliberately due to failing some test of loyalty, physical endurance, or spiritual purity. The end result is that it usually costs the lives of a hundred to a ''thousand'' aspirants (who themselves might have been one in a hundred or thousand) to get a nascent Space Marine... who may still be killed during the decades long training before they are given their PoweredArmor and considered a full-fleded Space Marine. And then there's the Space Marine ''Psykers'', which require even rarer raw material and have an even higher attrition rate due to adding the psyker training casualities ''on top'' of the standard Space Marine casualty rate. It can literally take ''centuries'' to get a fully fledged Space Marine ready to replace an existant casualty. And that's not getting into some of the more exotic Space Marines, such as the Space Wolves, who are genetically restricted to a much smaller recruit base bool, or the Grey Knights, whose TrainingFromHell is considered ludicrously extreme ''[[EveryoneHasStandards by other Space Marines]]''.

* BanOnAI: After humanity invented artificial intelligence and was plunged into the Age of Strife because of the Men of Iron, the Imperium has kept alive the species wide ban on developing artificial intelligence. The Imperium despises the idea so much that A.I. actually stands for "Abominable Intelligence" and even the members of the Adeptus Mechanicus view this technology as heretical. That said, the relatively simple machine spirits within the Imperium's every cogitator are actually accepted.

* EvilCounterpart: In a meta sense, the Imperium is the DarkerAndEdgier counterpart of the Empire of Man from the original ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''. They're both theocratic empires led by humans which serve as the bastion of light against Chaos and the other dark forces. However, the Empire of Man is more akin to TheFederation with the Elector-Counts enjoying high amounts of autonomy under Sigmar and has alliances with other nations whereas the Imperium of Man is an absolute monarchy ruled by multiple individuals and seeks to exterminate every alien species in the galaxy regardless of their attitudes towards humanity. For all the flaws of the Empire, it's darkest hours are still brighter than the Imperium on its very best days.

* FuturePrimitive: While they possess extremely advanced technology by modern standards, the Imperium is staggeringly primitive technologically and ''especially'' culturally compared to humanity at its peak in the Dark Age of Technology. The few beings from that time period who survived to encounter the Imperium have lamented with varying degrees of vitriol on how far humanity has fallen.

* KeystoneArmy: The Astronomican is absolutely vital to the functioning of the Imperium, giving Navigators a beacon in the Warp with which to orient travel for starships and effectively setting the limits and border of the Imperium. Multiple "[[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny who would win]]" discussions point out that many of the Imperium's opponents' only chance to win is to rush straight to Terra and take out the Astronomican.

* NecessarilyEvil: The alternative to some of the Imperium's policies is dying out or being conquered by things that make dying out much more preferable. Yeah, it's ''that'' kind of setting.

** Humanity ''was'' attacked by extensively by alien races during the dark time between the Fall of the Eldar and the Great Crusade, and many of the known alien races of the galaxy ''are'' AlwaysChaoticEvil, so the Imperium has legitimate reasons to have a kill on sight policy for Xenos. However, this policy has made them ''numerous'' enemies, which contributes directly to how they are under attack on all fronts. Its historical justifications are also somewhat suspect, as the only evidence for them is largely either Imperial records (hardly unbiased) or statements from the GodEmperor (again, hardly unbiased). There are ''at least'' two fully fledged human/alien alliances who were living in peace and harmony until the Emperor ordered them destroyed for refusing to capitulate to his authority.

* SpaceAgeStasis: Thanks to the repressive dogma of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Imperium's technology has barely changed in over 10,000 years. If anything, it's slowly regressing as more and more advanced knowledge is lost to time and what remains of old human technology is destroyed in battle.

* TokenGoodTeammate: While the Imperium is, as a whole, a repressive VillainProtagonist with the extermination of TheHeretic, the [[MugglePower mutant]], and the [[AbsoluteXenophobe alien]] as standard policy, the sheer scope and size of the setting, the focus on OrderVersusChaos and the [[DependingOnTheWriter number of different writers]] there have been over the years, there are many individual and organisations in the lore that fall on the lighter side of the BlackAndGrayMorality of the setting, although even these will typically fall somewhere between AntiHero and PragmaticHero to WellIntentionedExtremist and KnightTemplar. Planetary Governors who honestly work towards to provide the best conditions for their populace, Rogue Trader empires and Inquisitor cells who are accepting of xenos, and military commanders who don't throw away the lives of their men all exist within the Imperium. Unfortunately, they are vastly outnumbered by self-serving scum, fanatical zealots, and those who [[KnightTemplar believe the ends justify any means]]. Those with good intentions are all but powerless to enact any sort of change on the ossified, nightmarish behemoth that is the Imperium and more often than not are culled by the innumerable dangers in the setting.

* WeHaveReserves: Just about the only resource the Imperium has a surplus on is human lives. The Imperium makes up for every deficiency by [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer throwing bodies at the problem]] until it works itself out. Including [[ImAHumanitarian food shortages]] in the form of the aptly-named Corpse Starch. The lives of thousands citizens are considered far less valuable than a single bolter round.

'''Imperium of Man:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialFounders Founders]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChapters Chapters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChaptersFirstFounding Chapters of the First Founding]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters Characters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000PrimarisSpaceMarines Primaris Marines]]), [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialGuard Astra Militarum]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Sororitas Adepta Sororitas]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition Inquisition]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Mechanicus Mechanicus]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000CurrentImperialFactions Other factions]]\\

'''Imperium of Man:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialFounders Founders]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChapters Chapters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters Characters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000PrimarisSpaceMarines Primaris Marines]]), [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialGuard Astra Militarum]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Sororitas Adepta Sororitas]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition Inquisition]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Mechanicus Mechanicus]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000CurrentImperialFactions Other factions]]\\

* DystopiaIsHard: It is shown time and time again that the harsh conditions of the Imperium do not equal a very well-run state. The only thing keeping humanity together is constant outside threats from xenos forces and Chaos, and its size means the exponential growth is barely outpacing the exponential decay.

* EvilCounterpart: In a meta sense, the Imperium is the DarkerAndEdgier counterpart of the Empire of Man from the original ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''. They're both theocratic empires led by humans which serve as the bastion of light against Chaos and the other dark forces. However, the Empire of Man is more akin to TheFederation with the Elector-Counts enjoying high amounts of autonomy under Sigmar and has alliances with other nations whereas the Imperium of Man is an absolute monarchy ruled by multiple individuals and seeks to exterminate every alien species in the galaxy regardless of their attitudes towards humanity.

* WeHaveReserves: Just about the only resource the Imperium has a surplus on is human lives. The Imperium makes up for every deficiency by throwing bodies at it. The lives of hundreds of citizens are considered far less valuable than a single bolter round.

** Most of the aliens that allied with mankind in the Dark Age of Technology ended up betraying them during the Fall of the Eldar, so the Imperium has legitimate reasons to have a kill on sight policy for Xenos. However, this policy has made them ''numerous'' enemies, which contributes directly to how they are under attack on all fronts.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: In its glory days at latter part of the Great Crusade, the Imperium was decidedly optimistic society; seemingly enlightened, prosperous, and practically unstoppable. It billed itself as the shining bastion of enlightenment and human greatness. Underneath that gilded exterior, it was a brutal expansionist empire of under the complete control of the tyrannical Emperor. It engaged in many of the atrocities that would come to define it in the 41st Millennium, but hid them from obedient citizens with tightly controlled media, endless propaganda, and shallow, self-serving rationalizations. Many human and Xeno civilizations were slaughtered for no crime greater than being in the way of the Emperor's need for total control. The Imperium has fallen far from those days, but the rot was always there just beneath the surface.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: In its glory days at latter part of the Great Crusade, the Imperium was decidedly optimistic, seemingly enlightened and practically unstoppable. It billed itself as the shining bastion of enlightenment and human greatness. Underneath that gilded exterior, it was a brutal expansionist empire of under the complete control of the tyrannical Emperor. It engaged in many of the atrocities that would come to define it in the 41st Millennium, but hid them from obedient citizens with tightly controlled media, endless propaganda, and shallow, self-serving rationalizations. Many human and Xeno civilizations were slaughtered for no crime greater than being in the way of the Emperor's need for total control.

* TokenGoodTeammate: While the Imperium is, as a whole, a repressive VillainProtagonist with the extermination of TheHeretic, the [[MugglePower mutant]], and the [[AbsoluteXenophobe alien]] as standard policy, the sheer scope and size of the setting, the focus on OrderVersusChaos and the [[DependingOnTheWriter number of different writers]] there have been over the years, there are many individual and organisations in the lore that fall on the lighter side of the BlackAndGrayMorality of the setting, although even these will typically fall somewhere between AntiHero and PragmaticHero to WellIntentionedExtremist and KnightTemplar. Planetary Governors who honestly work towards to provide the best conditions for their populous, Rogue Trader empires and Inquisitor cells who are accepting of xenos, and military commanders who don't throw away the lives of their men all exist within the Imperium. Unfortunately, they are vastly outnumbered by self-serving scum, fanatical zealots, and those who [[KnightTemplar believe the ends justify any means]]. Those with good intentions are all but powerless to enact any sort of change on the ossified, nightmarish behemoth that is the Imperium and more often than not are culled by the innumerable dangers in the setting.

** On the one hand, when one single person has authority over the Imperium, they usually become a tyrant, so it makes sense that the Imperium tries to keep its various internal organizations at odds with one another. On the other hand, this has lead to many pointless conflicts where the Imperium bled itself of valuable forces because two groups had conflicting orders, showing the downsides of this disorganization. And as is shown with The Emperor, Lord Commander Solar Mecharius, and Roboute Guilliman, the few times whether one person is in charge of the Imperium and hasn't become a tyrants, they usually end up leading the Imperium into a Golden Age. So the jury is still out on how effective this is.

* SpaceAgeStasis: Thanks to the repressive dogma of Adeptus Mechanicus, the Imperium's technology has barely changed in over 10,000 years. If anything, they're slowly regressing as more and more advanced knowledge is lost to time and the sample of old human technology are destroyed in battle.

* TokenGoodTeammate: While the Imperium is, as a whole, a repressive VillainProtagonist with the extermination of TheHeretic, the [[MugglePower mutant]], and the [[AbsoluteXenophobe alien]] as standard policy, the sheer scope and size of the setting, the focus on OrderVersusChaos and the [[DependingOnTheWriter number of different writers]] there have been over the years, there are many individual and organisations in the lore that fall on the lighter side of the BlackAndGrayMorality of the setting, although even these will typically fall somewhere between AntiHero and PragmaticHero to WellIntentionedExtremist and KnightTemplar. Planetary Governors who honestly work towards to provide the best conditions for their populous, Rogue Trader empires and Inquisitor cells who are accepting of xenos, and military commanders who don't throw away the lives of their men all exist within the Imperium. Unfortunately, they are vastly outnumbered by self-serving scum, fanatical zealots, and those who [[KnightTemplar believe the ends justify any means]]. Those with good intentions are all-but-powerless to enact any sort of change on the ossified, nightmarish behemoth that is the Imperium and more often than not culled by the innumerable dangers in the setting.

-->''The Imperium Is Driven by Hate. There are no goodies in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. None. '''Especially not the Imperium of Man.''' Its numberless legions of soldiers and zealots bludgeon their way across the galaxy, delivering death to anyone and anything that doesn’t adhere to their blinkered view of purity. Almost every man and woman toils in misery either on the battlefield – where survival is measured in hours – or in the countless manufactorums and hive slums that fuel the Imperial war machine. All of this in slavish servitude to the living corpse of a God-Emperor whose commandments are at best only half-remembered, twisted by time and the fallibility of Humanity. Warhammer 40,000 isn’t just grimdark. It’s the grimmest, darkest. The Imperium of Man stands as a cautionary tale of what could happen should the very worst of Humanity’s lust for power and extreme, unyielding xenophobia set in.''

* TokenGoodTeammate: While the Imperium is, as a whole, a repressive VillainProtagonist with the extermination of TheHeretic, the [[MugglePower mutant]], and the [[AbsoluteXenophobe alien]] as standard policy, the sheer scope and size of the setting, the focus on OrderVersusChaos and the [[DependingOnTheWriter number of different writers]] there have been over the years, there are many individual and organisations in the lore that fall on the lighter side of the BlackAndGrayMorality of the setting, although even these will typically fall somewhere between AntiHero and PragmaticHero to WellIntentionedExtremist and KnightTemplar. Planetary Governors who honestly work towards to provide the best conditions for their populous, Rogue Trader empires and Inquisitor cells who are accepting of xenos, and military commanders who don't throw away the lives of their men all exist within the Imperium, they are just outnumbered by those who [[KnightTemplar believe the ends justify any means]].

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Generally speaking, the Imperium takes a lot of inspiration from AncientRome and the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire with a dash of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000OrksCharacters Characters]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]]]]-]]]

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]]]]-]]]

* CommieNazis: Though neither ideologically fascist or communist (it's more a brutal theocracy right out of the Middle Ages), the Imperium combines the ridiculous bureacracy, StateSec and use of political {{Commissar}}s from the Soviet Union, with the extreme militarism, xenophobia and racial supremacist culture of Nazi Germany. And blends it with AncientRome. It's basically "HumansAreBastards" embodied.

* GodVersusDogma: A heroic preacher who led a movement against the Ecclesiarch Vandire.

* AntiHero: In stories told from the Imperial POV, the Imperium can most charitably be described as this, and least charitably as {{Villain Protagonist}}s. They may be defending humanity from aliens, heretics, and worse, but they also uphold a xenophobic warmongering empire that brutally opresses the very people it tries to protect. It's explicitly called the "cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable", yet if the whole thing collapsed, humanity would probably go extinct thanks to bigger xenos factions or [[FateWorseThanDeath something even worse thanks to Chaos]].
* AntiVillain: How the Imperium tends to be portrayed in stories told from a xenos faction's POV, if they're not treated as {{Punch Clock Villain}}s. Sure, they may be trying to exterminate your entire race simply for not being them, but your average Imperial soldier is just fighting for his or her life and is arguably in a similar situation as you. There are (very rare) times where the Imperium is willing to tone down its xenophobia to help defeat the forces of Chaos.