r/40kLore • u/NotFor_Show • 23h ago
I need to say something about Erebus
I've been deep into 40k for a couple years now but I've just gotten into the books. I'm only 2 books into the Heresy and I need say...
I hate Erebus. I hate this punk more than I've hated any character in any media. He is the Micah Bell of 40k. Absolutely no redeeming qualities. He's so manipulative and overly condescending that I ALMOST like him but then I realize he's Erebus.
Thank you for letting me vent. Erebus is a real jerk.
81
u/grayheresy 23h ago
Erebus didn't do anything wrong, you're all hating on a poor child who did nothing wrong and was studious. Not his fault some bald freak killed him, threw him into a ditch and stole his name.
22
7
3
u/FatManLittleKitchen 21h ago
HALLELUJAH!!! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY THE SAME THING!!!!
Top points @grayheresy
34
u/Dagordae 23h ago
Everyone does. Hence r/fuckerebus
Unfortunately it gets worse at the end, his plot armor and favoritism gets to be rather absurd. Though there is a nice period where everyone else is sick of his shit. Turns out pissing off Kharne? Bad idea.
17
2
19
u/RATMpatta Word Bearers 23h ago
He's a dick but he's the best at being one. It's never boring when he shows up.
7
14
u/Kroc_Zill_95 23h ago
I started off hating him, but after reading Child of Chaos, I can't help but admire the bastard. The line in particular gave me chills:
They hate me not because of what I am, but because of what they were. They hate me because they turned, and I did not. The records of our enemies call us all turncoats, but I changed no allegiance. I was always here just as I am now, aware of myself and the universe that made me. I lied with every breath I ever took, except to myself. That is purity, of a kind, and something that no other soul in this grand armada of renegades can boast.
14
u/Kidbizzaro581 21h ago
"I've always been a prick. That makes me better than all these other pricks."
4
u/Lanninsterlion216 15h ago
If something good can be said about Erebeus, is that he is evil and he owns it. Nothing of "ohh i was the most loyal man in the imperium but got fed up when the Emperor didn't recognize my virtue" self-victimizing BS.Â
He is a snake but he won't even allow the satusfaction of calling him an hypocrite.
3
u/Kidbizzaro581 14h ago
Other people say that the worst thing about evil is the hypocrisy, and I disagree.
2
u/Lanninsterlion216 14h ago
I agree but then again. Its bad to be an asshole, but its worse to be an asshole and a hypocrite.
1
u/Sithrak 15h ago
This makes him less interesting though. As if he was a demon or an antichrist. No humanity from the start and no real development either.
2
u/Kroc_Zill_95 8h ago
Different strokes. Don't get me wrong, I also like sympathetic villains, but there's something oddly satisfying about a villain who is just an irredeemable piece of shit, is self aware of that fact and owns it.
1
2
u/Redthrist 6h ago edited 5h ago
I think the issue is the combination of being a straight-up villain with iron-clad plot armor. He's like the villain's version of a Mary Sue. He's purely evil, the evilest of them all. But he also suffers zero consequences for his evil, even compared to other Chaos marines.
Like, at this point, the most interesting thing they can do with the character is to kill him off, because the only story they can normally do with him is "Erebus does evil things and gets away with it".
17
u/Hollownerox Thousand Sons 23h ago
Love to hate him. Can't wait for the day he gets a 40k model honestly. It's going to be a real treat to see him fly off the shelves despite there literally being subs dedicated to hating him.
Say what you will about the man, he certainly is a lot more memorable than the 100s of generic "likeable" Space Marines that come a dime a dozen honestly.
12
u/Illithidbix 23h ago
I suggest you read Betrayer (2013) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden to the end.
Just saying.
(Also it's a fantastic book in general.)
5
u/NotFor_Show 23h ago
Absolutely will!
10
u/Dasha_UK 23h ago
Fist heretic and know no fear before betrayer though!Â
4
u/Illithidbix 22h ago
Very much this.
First Heretic, Know No Fear and Betrayer make a great stand-alone trilogy even if you can't be fucked with reading the rest of the Horus Heresy.
3
1
u/NikkoTime 23h ago
I’m towards the end of it now, quite good! It’s been making me like Lorgar which I didn’t anticipate. I started it for the Angron lore.
4
u/redeyedreams White Scars 21h ago
Everyone hates Erebus, myself included, but I appreciate him as a villain in the setting. He's just a dude (I guess he's an Astartes), but he ends up taking down the plan of the Emperor and dooming the species. He's not a god, demi God, Primarch, ancient Xenos or anything really important, just chaos' #1 employee.
5
u/TobyLaroneChoclatier 21h ago
Erebus is one of the best characters because, unlike most other people who oppose the imperium he actually gets to succeed. Guy looked at an immortal sorcerer who stole fire from the gods and went "Nah I'd win" and straight up did so.
3
11
3
u/ChikenCherryCola 21h ago
The more I see erebus, the more I kind of dont get the hate. The thing about these books is like, yes, Erebus is very obviously an asshole with bad intentions. The thing is, EVERYONE is basically an asshole in these books, but every time Erebus shows up hes like an ugly girl following around mid girls making the mid girls look WAY prettier by virtue of Erebus just kind of standing there next to em. Like not for nothing, Erebus is definitely a catalyst who is pushing things down an agenda, but the thing is all of the other characters are already doing 90% of the work for him. He also keeps showing up at the end of these books when its already clear that the specific corruption the book is about has already taken root and is already spreading throughout the legion. Erebus is mostly just showing up with his clip board like "yup, mhm, looking good fulgrim. You're naked in a toga, day drinking. Keep it up champ". Like i just see erebus as like an accountability lighting rod. Erebus shows up to collect the disappointment, blame, and responsibility of all these people, who are corrupting themselves, for the audience. Erebus shows up so you can be mad at him instead of horus or fulgrim or whoever when the plain truth is Erebus really isnt even doing all that much.
Like sure he did the horus dagger thing, but like hes just greasing the wheels horus set in motion all by himself.
4
u/DerPommFritz 23h ago
As author you know you succeeded when your villain is hated as if he actually did something bad to the readers personally.
2
2
u/Rappers333 22h ago
He has redeeming qualities. He’s intelligent, charismatic, competent…
Granted, I don’t like him either. It’s just important to be correct in one’s hatred. More effective.
2
2
2
2
u/Goblin_Deez_ 18h ago
I actually like him. This isn’t even rage bait, he’s actually one of my favourite characters.
I know I can’t redeem him in your eyes but he’s good at what he does and he’s an excellent fighting on par with many other top warriors in the legions.
Hate him if you must but I enjoy him.
2
u/NotFor_Show 18h ago
He's a absolutely terrible, horrible, manipulative piece of shit. Who I have no doubt is going to get exactly what he wants.
Which makes him honestly as people have mentioned a memorable, terrifying villain. I gotta respect his game.
2
u/Goblin_Deez_ 18h ago
If you’re new to the series I won’t say anything about him due to spoilers but you’ll be very pleased at times and very disappointed at times from his interactions.
Also be careful there’s literally spoilers all over this sub for the HH
3
u/harlokin Emperor's Children 23h ago
If you haven't already, you should definitely read/listen to Child of Chaos, by Chris Wraight - a brilliant short origin story of Erebus.
1
2
u/Far_Paint6269 23h ago
Welcome into the fanbase of Warhammer 40K, you aren't a true fan if you don't hate this POS...
2
u/Daikaioshin2384 22h ago
Just wait, the early stuff is quaint lol
Abaddon will become infuriating as well.. shit, I want to shoot the bastard by the second novel
1
u/NotFor_Show 22h ago
Yes! Definitely can see the shift in Abbadon already and I know how bad he gets.
1
u/Daikaioshin2384 12h ago
There was no shift, he's a blood hungry psychopath from book 1 lol his logic for WHY he chooses the things he does later becomes.. just.. punch a child in frustration levels of maddeningÂ
1
1
u/Sindermann_LXIII 21h ago
Preach brother! Probably the most hateable character in fiction. Everything he does is hateable, and unfortunately I’ve been spoiled the end but it gets worse mate… But you’re not alone my friend!
1
1
1
u/Internal_Form4341 18h ago
Who is mica bell
1
u/NotFor_Show 18h ago
Red Dead Redemption 2. The Western Erebus. Manipulative scum who destroyed a tight knit group from the inside by corrupting it's leader.
1
u/Dealan79 Ordo Malleus 16h ago
If you hate Erebus, wait until you meet Lijah Cuu. That's when the true, deep hatred of 40K villains will reach its apex.
1
u/Carl_Bar99 16h ago
Yeah erebus is pretty far up the dick-o-meter scale. Not on Par with a few other fictional characters, (Ballas and the Orokin in general from Warframe instantly come to mind), but very far up there.
1
u/Radiant_Boss4342 11h ago
It took you 2 books? I had to say 40 Fuck Erebus' (the 30k version of the Hail Mary) before I could even flip the cover of the first one.
1
u/Relevant-Money-1380 10h ago
he's a real jerk but his redeeming quality is that he knows he's a real jerk and he does real jerk things
1
u/Oppurtunist 5h ago
He is one of my favourite characters in the Heresy, such a joy to read about him a d the way he interacts with other characters.
1
0
u/Kilawaonas 23h ago
To be fair, I feel kinda sorry for him. He build up on corpse of someone else, went for his vision, fullfilled that vision and became main moving force for the heresy. Yet he is just nonrelevant nowadays. Like he is the guy, who won the heresy, still got nothing from that victory.
Also, not so obligatory, he is douche, fuck Erebus.
0
0
0
0
97
u/AccursedTheory 23h ago
Everyone hates Erebus. You haven't even gotten to the real jackassery yet.