Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2has taken the gaming world by storm and has depicted the violent40kuniverse in all of its glory. Gothic, cathedral-like structures filled with metal skulls float around space in a way that only ships in theWarhammer 40,000universe can, and the zealous nature of the Space Marines in their fight against the Emperor’s enemies has given players something to get involved with, similar to thepropaganda ofHelldivers 2. It’s exactly how many imagine theWarhammer 40,000universe.
Space Marine 2isn’t the first title that has brought Space Marines to the forefront, but it hasevolved all aspects from its predecessor. Titus, as well as a few others, make a return, and the improved visuals are on full display with their character models. The combat is tighter too, but there is somethingalmost retro about howSpace Marine 2goes from gameplay to pre-rendered cutscenes, and this isn’t the only aspect thatSpace Marine 2has taken from its predecessor to evolve and improve upon.
The Space Marine Squadron Is Better In Space Marine 2
Gadriel Is Better Than Leandros
A part of what makesSpace Marine 2so fun is the squads that the Ultramarines put themselves in. For most of the game,Titus leads a squad of three Ultramarines that includes Chairon and Gadriel. WhileChairon is savage and unrelentingly loyal to Titus, save for a moment of admittedly very cool bloodlust, Gadriel has his moments of doubt, as he realistically should. Titus doesn’t hold to the Codex Astartes as tightly as many other Ultramarines and there are some places in which he is held under suspicion over his relationship with Chaos.
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Gadriel is the more doubtful member of the squadron, and it is a good contrast to Chairon to give him more personality. When compared to Leandros,who is the by-the-books member of Titus' squad inSpace Marine 1, Gadriel has a bit of an arc. It isn’t drastic, but he goes from sticking to the Codex Astartes more heavily and attempting to betray Titus, which he doesn’t seem to mind all too much, to being ride-or-die for his squad leader, even stating that the Codex Astartes doesn’t support their actions, but he’s looking forward to it anyway.
The line Gadriel has about the Codex Astartes not supporting their actions seems to be a direct callback to when Leandros said something similar in the first game. Leandros does not state that he is looking forward to going against the Codex, however.
Leandros remains by-the-bookfrom start to finish, and despite being the one to accidentally open a chaos portal in the first game, he still reports Titus after he closes the portal and rectifies his mistake. He gets shot down by Sidonus, a veteran Ultramarine, butreports Titus to the Inquisition anyway, betraying his commanding officerbecause he can’t look past the Codex Astartes. He’s a static character throughout in the most stubborn way possible, while Gadriel remains more malleable to allow for a character arc.
Gadriel Is The Ride Or Die Marine Everyone Wants
His Suspicion Turns Into Unrelenting Loyalty
Gadriel remains suspicious of Titus throughout most of the story, due to hisconnection to the Deathwatch Blackshield, butwhen he discovers that his suspicions are unfounded, he asks his commanding officer for forgiveness.The pair get over Gadriel attempting to kill Titus very quickly, which makes sense given how fast the game’s main campaign moves, only addressing it in Gadriel’s apology. From then on, he becomes stalwartly loyal, with Titus backing his strategy when he brings it up to Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines.
Although Calgar is the Chapter Master, Roboute Guilliman is their Primarch and is a’son’of the Emperor.
On the other hand,Leandros becomes stalwartly suspicious of Titus, even after the roughly two hundred yearsbetweenSpace Marine 1and2.When he makes an appearance inSpace Marine 2as a Chaplain for the Inquisition, he still hammers Titus with his suspicions. After two hundred years, one would think that Leandros would let this go, but it seems his narrow-minded nature extends beyond just his interpretation of the Codex Astartes, andhe is unable to evolve the way that Gadriel was able to.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s predecessor walked so it could run, even if that run took over a decade to come. In general, it’s nice to see characters that are ride-or-die together in a military setting, and it’s even better when that attitude is earned throughout the story. This is the case with Gadriel, who begins obedient, yet suspicious, then turns into a stalwart, loyal figure who many players resonate with. That arc has made him a very likable character that doesn’t get outshone in a strong squad.
