Iron Hands' Foes: Relentless Battles in the Grimdark Universe - A Comprehensive Overview
In the grim and relentless universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Iron Hands Space Marine Chapter faces a multitude of enemies, from the chaotic forces of the Warp to the unrelenting xenos threats and treacherous heretics. These adversaries test the chapter's unyielding resolve and unwavering pursuit of perfection, driving the sons of Ferrus Manus to the brink of destruction and back. In this comprehensive overview, we will delve into the main enemies of the Iron Hands, from the infamous traitor legions to the relentless Orks and the enigmatic Necrons, revealing the challenges, battles, and enduring rivalries that define the chapter's history.
Table of Contents
The Traitor Legions
1.1 The Iron Warriors
1.2 The Emperor's Children
1.3 The Death Guard
The Ruinous Powers of Chaos
2.1 Chaos Undivided
2.2 The Forces of Khorne
2.3 The Plague God Nurgle
2.4 The Dark Prince Slaanesh
2.5 The Architect of Fate Tzeentch
The Greenskin Menace: The Orks
3.1 The Waaagh! and the Iron Hands
3.2 Notable Ork Warlords
The Xenos Threats Beyond the Imperium
4.1 The Necron Dynasties
4.2 The Eldar: Craftworlds and Drukhari
4.3 The Tau Empire
4.4 The Tyranids: A Galaxy-Eating Swarm
Heretics, Renegades, and Chaos Cults
5.1 The Corrupted within the Imperium
5.2 Traitors Among the Iron Hands
5.3 Chaos Cults and Their Influence
Conclusion: Unbroken Resolve in a Galaxy of Darkness
1. The Traitor Legions
1.1 The Iron Warriors
The Iron Hands have a longstanding rivalry with the Iron Warriors, a traitor legion led by Perturabo. The two chapters clashed during the Horus Heresy, and their enmity persists to this day, marked by brutal battles and mutual disdain.
Depending on the edition of Warhammer 40K the rules for Iron Hands and Iron Warriors often mirror each other as a chaos or loyal option to put on the tabletop. Perturabo is also known to have possession of Ferrus Manus weapon, Forgebreaker, since he was killed by Fulgrim.
Iron warriors are a little harder to paint to get on the tabletop then Iron Hands due to the hazard stripes which are central to this faction design.
Notable battles:
Assault on Lydris (007.M31)
1.2 The Emperor's Children
The decadent Emperor's Children, led by the perfidious Fulgrim, betrayed the Imperium during the Heresy, leading to the tragic demise of Ferrus Manus. The Iron Hands harbor a deep hatred for the Emperor's Children, seeking vengeance for their Primarch's death.
The rivalry between the Emperor`s children and Iron Hands is the deepest and most long standing for the 10th chapter. Fulgrim and Ferrus embody juxtaposed ideas of perfection. While Fulgrim achieves perfection through outward displays of cleanliness, swordsmanship & elegance Ferrus looks more toward hard work, logic, and the grind to create perfection. A theme that is often used in storytelling between brothers competing for the approval and attention of their father.
The flipside of their most prominent traits shows in decadence and arrogance for Fulgrim who ultimately falls to the Chaos God Slaanesh. Ferrus on the other hand becomes a victim of the rage that is turned inwards when his hard labor is not acknowledged by the expected promotion to Warmaster. A literal headless charge for a lost cause becomes the metaphor for misplaced hard labor and stubbornness.
Battles between the Emporor’s children and Iron Hands are rare on the Tabletop as they are not the most popular factions within the Chaos Space Marines or Adeptus Astartes. Most players opt for more popular options like the World Eaters or Blood Angels within these factions to build their armies around.
Painting Emperor`s children is relatively easy as they do not use elaborate markings on their standard armor. If you like pink and Gold this is the Chaos army for you.
1.3 The Death Guard
The Death Guard, followers of the Plague God Nurgle, are another traitor legion with a history of conflict with the Iron Hands. Their use of virulent plagues and pestilence is anathema to the chapter's beliefs in purity and perfection.
The death guard are Space marines which have fallen to Nurgle and have mutated to obese, puss-ridden, stinking versions of their former selves. Led by Mortarion the former 14th legion of the emperor now marches for Nurgle, the oldest of the Chaos Gods.
"Say hat you like about the Fourteenth Legion. They are mean, ugly bastards but tenacious. There's no one else I'd rather have by my side in a war of attrition, and almost anyone else I'd rather have against me."
— Ferrus Manus, Primarch of the Iron Hands Legion, after the compliance of One-Five-Four Four
Battles to name are:
Battle of Perditus (008.M31)
The Battle of Molech (009.M31)
Invasion of Medusa (M42)
As the death guard have been popular to collect, especially during the 9th edition when they were released in the Dark Imperium box, it is more likely to see a matchup between the Death Guard and the Iron Hands on the tabletop than with other traitor legions. Matchups between the Death Guard and the Iron Hands are often about how many shots they can absorb before they get to your force.
If you were to collect them you can also enjoy a broader choice of characters to paint than with the Iron Tenth. The centerpiece of each Death Guard collection is Mortarion with his big wings.
Painting Death Guard involves a lot of green and mastering the skill of painting rot. This makes it more challenging for beginners than Iron hands, but can also be more rewarding as the models have on average a lot more detail on them for the various spikes and entrails hanging off them.
2. The Ruinous Powers of Chaos
2.1 Chaos Undivided
Chaos Undivided poses a constant threat to the Imperium, with the Iron Hands countering the manipulations of Chaos sorcerers and cultists. The chapter's resolve is tested as they face a chaotic amalgamation of dark forces.
The members of Chaos undivided believe in the concept of chaos itself and the four chaos gods as a pantheon of Gods. They believe that each manifestation of chaos in Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh are expressions of Chaos depending on time and place in the universe.
The biggest force within Chaos undivided is the black legion led by Abaddon the Despoiler who worked closely with Horus during the civil war called the Horus Heresy. Ever since the death of Horus in the battle of Terra Abaddon has taken his place as the main leader of Chaos.
A notable difference between Horus and his battle brothers is that he does not want to become a Daemon Primarch and keeps his human side intact.
Chaos undivided has been a foe in almost all of the battles of the Iron Hands with Chaos in their existence. You will also find that they meet on the tabletop quite regularly as competitive players like to bring lists that are designed around Abaddon.
If you want to start collecting Chaos undivided yourself it is a good army to pick up models from wherever you like as you can justify them joining the Chaos banner. In their basic form, they are also easy to point as long as you do not mind putting Retributor Armour gold on an insane amount of trim.
2.2 The Forces of Khorne
The Blood God Khorne and his followers, the Khornate Berserkers, represent a relentless and brutal adversary for the Iron Hands. The chapter's warriors clash with Khornate forces in savage and unrelenting combat.
Khorne has been around for a while so you will find his forces and demons to also be part of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar range. The most notable battle between Khorne´s forces and the Iron Hands was the Dropsite massacre on Istvaan 5.
The dedicated Traitor legion to Khorne are the World Eaters who are led by Angron. Their battle style is a relentless charge towards the enemy to shred them to pieces. They achieve this with their bare hands and axes driven by rage. Their goal in battle is to collect skulls and blood to please Khorne. Therefore they have to get close to get their priced trophies.
Matchups between the World Eaters and Iron hands are more common than with other followers of Chaos on the tabletop. The faction has become super popular to collect since the release of the Angron model during the 9th edition of Warhammer 40K. Games between Iron Hands and World Eaters are interesting matchups as the Iron Hands usually need to outshoot the raging red wave before being outcharged and cut down in melee combat.
The World Eaters have not a lot of dedicated models as of now compared to other chaos factions but can take a lot of allies. If you want to collect that mainly pairs the colors of red and gold with skulls and Axes than this is the right one for you.
2.3 The Plague God Nurgle
The forces of Nurgle, led by the Plague God, utilize deadly contagions and diseases to corrupt and rot everything in their path. This challenges the Iron Hands' pursuit of perfection and purity.
While the Death Guard led by the winged Mortarion is the traitor legion of 40K that has sworn allegiance to Nurgle, the god himself has been around for a lot longer.
Nurgle is also known as the “Lord of Decay”, “Lord of Pestilence” or “Plaguefather”. The negative interpretation of this entity is of death and decay, but he is also the god of rebirth. While you might think that he is a bringer of doom and gloom Nurgle is a god of life and laughter.
If you like the lore perspective of a misunderstood Chaos God who underneath it all just loves life and does not understand the pain he brings, then this is the right faction for you. Learning how to paint rot, blood, and puss also lends itself to a good bit of kitbashing and paint-blending opportunities.
The Iron Hands and Nurgle are often good matchups for the Iron Hands on the tabletop. Nurgle forces move slowly and soak up a lot of damage, which the Iron Hands firing lines usually can provide before Nurgle forces get into combat.
Some interesting models to have a look at are models like the Mortarion, Typhus, and the Great Unclean one.
2.4 The guilty pleasures of Slaanesh
Slaanesh embodies excess, decadence, and sensual indulgence. The Emperor's Children, devoted to Slaanesh, embody these traits, making them reviled enemies of the Iron Hands.
"Embrace your hunger, your lust, your desire. The universe is ours for the taking!"
- Sanctifer LeVay, Cult of the Sacred Union
Slaanesh is also known as the “Dark Prince”, “She who thirsts”, “Lord of Excess” and the “The Prince of Chaos”. He is the youngest of the major Chaos Gods and was born when the Aeldari culture was at its height and indulged in éxcess.
The Warhammer 40K faction which is the closest to Slaanesh is the Drukhari. The Drukhari raid the universe to spread pain and indulge in perfidious sex games and torture. Their goal is to “harvest” as many strong warriors as possible to toy around with in their gladiator pits and experiment on. They are Aeldari who have fallen to “She who thirsts” and mainly live in the warp, abandoning their former Craftworld homes. Their main base of operations is Commeragh, also known as the Dark City. If you like to skin people alive and examine their behinds while doing it, then this is the right faction for you.
From the ranks of the Imperium the 3rd legion, the Emperor`s children have fallen to Slaanesh. While the Drukhari took the road of pleasure and overindulgence to arrive at the “Lord of Excess” the Emperor`s children arrived through their pursuit of perfection of the arts and beauty. To them, it was all about showing off and fine arts and the beauty of combat, rather than being relentlessly effective like the Iron Hands.
Matchups on the tabletop usually go well for the Iron Hands against the Drukhari. Once you have a firing line they often wilt away. Matchups against the third legion do not happen too often, but when they do, it is always a glorious narrative battle.
2.5 The Architect of Fate Tzeentch
Tzeentch, the Architect of Fate, weaves intricate plots and schemes. The Iron Hands confront the ever-shifting tactics of Tzeentchian cultists and sorcerers, testing their adaptability and determination.
Tzeentch is also known as the “Lord of Change”, “Architect of Fate” and “Weaver of Destinies”. The concepts he stands for are evolution, change, mutation, intrigue, and sorcery. Some say that he is the most powerful of the four Chaos Gods but does not want to win the game, as it ends the infinite plots he weaves.
The traitor legion who is loyal to Tzeentch is the Thousand Sons. At their head stands Magnus the Red, the most powerful sorcerer of the children of the Emperor. If you like old Egyptian mythology and iconography this is the right faction for you. They also have access to some of the most Psykers that the Chaos faction has to offer, including the Lord of Change, Ahriman, and Magn uns himself.
Matchups between the Iron Hands and the disciples of Tzeentch hugely depend on how powerful Psykers are in the current edition and how easy it is to score victory points against Psykers. This can make some matchups very swingy independently of the skills of the two players involved. Thousand Sons also have access to Cabal points which you can use to pay for certain in-game abilities. This does not make the army the best choice for beginners as it adds another set of rules to learn for the game which is already quite extensive.
3. The Greenskin Menace: The Orks
3.1 The Waaagh! and the Iron Hands
The Orks, led by their powerful Waaagh! leaders pose a relentless threat to the Imperium. The Iron Hands often find themselves battling these greenskin hordes, testing their resolve and combat skills.
The orcs are the crown of creation. For them the great battle has been won. They have developed a society that knows neither stress nor fear.
Uthan the Twisted , Eldar
The Orks are known under several different names like Krork, Hain, Orkus, or Veridi Giganticus. Other parts of the Orc race are Grots, Squigs, and Snotlings. They originate from the War in Heaven in which they were created by the Old Ones as a warrior species. While they were very technologically and physiologically advanced at first they have degenerated into a scrap-collecting horde of green brutes. They love fighting for the sake of it to see who is “da strongest”. Some of the greatest honors are to collect the teeth of a big enemy and adorn your armor and weapons with them.
Ork vehicles are put together from scrap metal but somehow they manage to build big Stompas and spaceships capable of warp travel. Orks come in big hordes and their battle tactic is usually to throw as many bodies at the enemy as they can until the other side gives up.
In the lore Iron Hands and Orks butted heads more often than other Xenos races and you will find more stories to reenact for narrative play. My first game in Ireland of Warhammer 40K was against Orks.
Battle of Rust 807.M30
A kinetic Puzzle 756.M39
A Wierdwaagh! 249.M41
Battle of Tarrvorn 928.M41
A Rising Threat 963.M41
The faction has a cool and fun range of models to collect. You can select from many different characters, vehicles, and troops. From a painting perspective, you also have a little more variety compared to space marines as Ork models show more skin, have various parts of metal in use, and also bring quite a few horns, teeth, and fangs to the table.
Match-ups on the tabletop are usually slightly favored towards Iron Hands unless your opponent makes very good use of transports. If you don’t cull the horde quite a bit by the end of Turn 2 you usually lose the game on board control as there is an ork crawling onto every nook and cranny of the board.
So if you like to throw a ton of dice, paint a lot of green models, and do not take yourself too seriously, then Orks are the ideal faction to collect.
3.2 Notable Ork Warlords
Ork Warlords like Grukk Face-rippa and Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka have led formidable Waaaghs against the Imperium, challenging the Iron Hands with their cunning and brutality.
4. The Xenos Threats Beyond the Imperium
4.1 The Necron Dynasties
The Necrons, ancient and technologically advanced Xenos, are a formidable and enigmatic enemy. The Iron Hands faced the implacable advance of the Necron dynasties, where their mastery of technology rivals that of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The Necrons are a never-dying horde of Terminator zombies. Picky scholars would refer to them as living machines, but they definitely feel more like the Walking Dead gone metal. After the War in Heaven, they went into stasis sleep to reemerge in the 40th millennium. When the warp split the universe into two halves it also triggered the reawakening of the Necrons as it was a thread big enough for them to care again. Necrons have given up the flesh in favor of metallic skeletons to last for eternity.
During the war in heaven, the Necrons managed to enslave the C`tan through trickery and technology even though they were the ones who accelerated their advances in the first place. The combination of the power of the sun-eating god-like entities and the numbers of the Necrons made them able to face the Old Ones in the War in Heaven, which otherwise would have been hopelessly lost. They eradicated the Old Ones and entombed themselves to get in a great sleep.
Necrons are organized in what resembles a monarchy. At the bottom of the pyramid are the mindless Necron warriors, From there you work your way to Lords and Overlords that have a mind of their own. At the top, you find overlords that have lived for centuries and specialized in certain aspects and territories of the Necron dynasties. At the very top is the Silent King.
Necrons have a good range of models and enjoy constant support from Games Workshop as the sales numbers must be good (otherwise there would not be as many updates to the range). You can build lists that are Psyker, Troop, or vehicle-heavy alike as you have enough options to choose from. Depending on the edition the main trick is that Necrons have access to Reanimation protocols of different flavors. If you do not kill the entire unit, they usually just stand right back up. In return, most Necron armies are slow to move, although their roster has many ways to build around that with some fast units.
Matchups on the tabletop between Iron Hands and Necrons should be slightly in favor of the Iron Hands depending on the edition as they bring enough firepower. I have played them often and usually get bodied. That means that there are too many models you can’t kill on objectives.
From a painting perspective, I would say that Necrons are very beginner-friendly just as Iron Hands are. The models do not have a lot of trim and the dominating color is metal spliced in with green shine for the Orbs and eyes. You also won´t find a lot of skin, fur, or feathers on the models which are usually more suited to more advanced painters. Most experienced players I know have a Necron army and I think they are a great army to start the hobby if you don’t want to start in the Imperium.
4.2 The Eldar
The enigmatic Eldar, including Craftworlders and Drukhari, pose a complex threat to the Imperium. The Iron Hands navigate the treacherous dealings of these Xenos races, often in pursuit of shared objectives.
After the war in heaven, the Old Ones and the Necrons were off the scenes and left the Aeldari to take their chance to build an empire that spread over almost all of the stars. To keep it simple, Aeldari are Space Elves. During the height of their might their souls would be reborn again and again after long lives as they were not consumed by the warp.
But, as with all great empires, they implode on themselves. In the case of the Aeldari, the cataclysmic event to bring the Aeldari empire down was the birth of Slaanesh, the youngest of the four Chaos Gods. The debauchery and excess of the powerful empire lend itself to creating Slaanesh who thirsts most after the souls of the Aeldari in the warp. This breaks their cycle of easy spiritual rebirth and they have to protect themselves from being consumed by Slaanesh.
Based on this the Aeldari split into five sub-factions depending on where they live and which god they serve:
Asuryani
Drukhari
Harlequins
Exodites
Ynnari
The Asuryani are the closest in spirit and organization to the Aeldari of the original empire. They live on continent-sized spaceships called craft worlds which are connected to each other through the webway. They protect themselves from the hunger of “She who thirsts” through the use of a technology known as “Spirit Stones” and the teachings of the “Asuryani Path”. This Aeldari faction feels a lot like Space Elve Samurais with very powerful lasers.
The Drukhari have chosen to serve Slaanesh by indulging in the pain of others. By this they feed Slaanesh and please the Lord of Change not running the risk of their own souls being consumed. These elves live in the Webway and their main base is the ancient city of Commorragh. Those Aeldari feel more like space-roaming ninja pirates who are into torture and sodomy.
The Harlequins are the independent faction within the Aeldari which roam between all of the others to protect and collect the Black Library. They serve the Laughing God Cegorach who in turn protects this cast from Slaanesh. Harlequins are highly technological space clown assassins and are considered some of the most effective killers in the galaxy.
The Exodites live on Maiden worlds and are therefore the only planet-bound Aeldari left since the birth of Slaanesh. They protect themselves by becoming one with their home worlds after their death. This section of Aeldari is closest to what you know from the splintered elves from Middle Earth living and hiding in the woods. If you are more of the Druid side of things, then this faction is for you.
The Ynnari are the section of elves that have pledged their alliance to the Aeldari god of death, Ynnead. They are drawn from all other sects and their ultimate goal is to reawaken Ynnead so that he goes and kills Slaanesh. If you want to opt into a rag-tag group of death-worshipper space elves, this is the faction for you.
Matchups between the Iron Hands and the Aeldari, no matter which faction it is specifically, are usually tough. The main thing of Aeldari players is to use trickery to hide from shooting, which exactly counteracts the strengths of Iron Hand armies. You will often face bikers that move fast and stratagems that enable their units to just move out of range.
If you are into sophisticated, light-skinned elves with a lot of tricks of various tastes then the Aeldari faction is for you.
4.3 The Tau Empire
The technologically advanced Tau Empire represents a more diplomatic adversary, but the Iron Hands view them as a potential threat to the stability of the Imperium.
"A T'au chooses neither its caste nor its True Name. We are blood born to the first and borne by blood to the second, named for what we have done and might yet do. And like ourselves, our true names are not carved in stone."
— The Tau'va
The Táu Empire is the newest kid on the block in the Xenos faction apart from the Leagues of Votann (I won’t accept that space dwarves are not part of the Imperium). The area they control is very local to the eastern part of the Milky Way. Their main combatants are the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken and the Orks. The Imperium therefore classifies them as local, but not a systematic threat like Orks, Tyranids, Necrons, and the forces of Chhaos.
Their society is a caste order that spans the Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Ethereal castes. The Ethereal caste is the elite one to rule the others while the others veer towards a certain type of warfare. The overarching principle in the Tàu society is the greater good in which all intelligent humanoid life should strive together to create a better universe for everyone. This idea is often used by Táu commanders to encourage enemy leaders to stop resisting as they will be allowed to keep their way of life as long as they accept the Tau as the superior race. They also conveniently do not mention that genocide is a strong repertoire of the Tau if you tend to disagree with the principles of the Greater Good.
If you want to simplify it the Tau are a mix of communist Hindus who watched a lot of Gundam anime which they base their weaponry on. There is also a vivid debate on the internet whether they are space fish or bovine, but that is for another day. Central to a Tau army are the battlesuits they deploy. The more experience a warrior gains, the more advanced the suit he or she gets to pilot. This also makes the Tau a very shooty army on the tabletop.
Matchups on the tabletop between Iron Hands and Tau are usually far-range shootouts between vehicle-heavy armies. This means that these battles are all about who has more Indirect fire or plays the open shooting lanes better to their own advantage. Indirect fire lets you target units you can not and can quite considerably tip the balance of a game. This is especially true when two shooty armies match up with one having access to Indirect Fire while the other has not.
Painting Tau is a lot about painting robots in orange, red, or white depending on which caste suits you most. The paint jobs are straightforward forward as the panels do not have trim. The only special skill you need to master and deploy often to put a nice Tau army on the table is to use Nuln Oil to drop into the many recesses of the battle suits.
Overall Tau are quite beginner-friendly as you do not need to collect a lot of models. Their main phase is shooting which is easier than the fight phase of the game. They also do not have extra rules like fate dice, cabal points, or other mechanics that can make it harder to get access as a beginner. The paint schemes are also not too fancy and the models do not have a lot of spikes and accessories to paint.
4.4 The Tyranids: A Galaxy-Eating Swarm
The Tyranids, a galaxy-consuming swarm, are a relentless and destructive force. The Iron Hands confront these xenos in battles for the survival of entire worlds.
Tyranids are organized in a Hivemind and their main goal is to consume as much biomass as possible to fuel their growth. They originate from outside the Milky Way and split into different Hive Fleets that have specially adapted to the local foes in the Milky Way. They use the genetic material and battle tactics they encounter through the galaxy to fuel their own evolution. Within their ranks, you find lowly bottom feeders to towering Godzilla-sized aliens that slice their enemies to pieces. Imagine that someone crossed over the bodies of the Alien franchise and spliced in some Borg abilities from Star Tek for organization and assimilation and you get the Hive Mind travelling in their hive fleets.
The Tyranids are a very flexible army and you can build anything from a big monster-mash army with big guns and fangs to a horde of Termagants swarming your opponent. The faction did lack some Infiltration options which are being remedied in the 10th edition with the release of some new models. At the core of a good tyranid army are usually a lot of bodies or big monsters. If you like to put your bugs into transports Tyranids are probably one of the worst factions to pick in the 40K universe.
Tyranids and Iron Hands do not often match up in the lore as Chaos is way more active around the homeworld of the Iron Hands on Medusa. Major conflicts between the Tyranids and Space Marines usually play out between Fleet Leviathan and the Ultramarines around the system of Macragge which is their home base. When they match up it is often an equal match-up determined by the skill of the generals in question to find the winner.
From a painting perspective, it is more challenging to put nice Nids on the table than Iron Hands or other factions. Tyranids have fangs, teeth, saliva, and chitin armor. Painting good Nids will require a bit more finesse and also more colors than you might want to put on other armies. The rewarding bit is that you will have a truly monstrous and disgusting army that is in no way tied to the proportions and shapes of the Imperium.
5. Heretics, Renegades, and Chaos Cults
5.1 The Corrupted within the Imperium
Corruption festers within the Imperium itself, with heretics and traitors posing a constant threat. The Iron Hands, dedicated to purity and perfection, root out these traitors and corrupt individuals.
Within the Imperium of Man, there is only one faith, the Imperial Cult. This means you have to believe in the Emperor of Mankind and nothing but him. This entails unquestioned political loyalty to the High Lords of Terra and the agencies of Adeptus Terra. Anything that deviates from this in the slightest will be branded a heretic and has to be extinguished.
There are cults all around the Imperium which worship the different Chaos Gods to various extents. If they reach a critical mass they might even be able to establish contact with one of the traitor legions which in turn will invade the world in question or summon some minor or even major demon depending based on the amount of worship and sacrifice.
Another group of heretics is the Genestealer cults. This is a group of people who usually perform in the underground of Hive cities. Tyranids start infesting worlds by sending a bioform which creates a Genestealer Patriarch. This is basically a Tyranid big daddy who then continues to infect more and more people to prepare a world for a Tyranid invasion by decaying it from within. With this, the Broodmind, a collective uniting Human and Tyranid lifeforms on the host planet, grows ever stronger as long as it is cut off from the Tyranid Hivemind.
The Iron Hands are usually not the first to be called upon to take care of cultist or genestealer cult infections. They reject the Codex Astartes in its traditional form and also have closer ties to Mars than Terra itself. Pepper this with the inclination for self-mutilation which some scholars in the Imperium would interpret as heretic behavior and you can see that the Iron Hands are not the first number you dial to take care of internal conflicts you want resolved without question or delay. It also does not help that all Iron Fathers undergo training on Mars and are therefore sworn loyal servants of the Omnissiah, the machine God of the Cult Mechanicus.
The Iron Council will also reject these threats for engagement as the calculus will often deem them insignificant to other threats. The role that their often very well suited to fulfill is to eradicate Space Marine Chapters that have gone Rogue. They will not fall prey to the concepts of honor and valor like some other Space Marine Chapters would and perform the task that has been asked of them. Traitors among Space Marines are also often a threat to the entire system or region and therefore orders to engage from the Council are more likely.
5.2 Traitors Among the Iron Hands
Some of the Iron Hands themselves have turned renegade, succumbing to Chaos or pursuing their own dark ambitions. The chapter must confront and eliminate these traitors to preserve its honor and ideals.
From time to time the Iron Hands have to deal with renegade forces within their own ranks. Usually, these are forces that have completely rejected the flesh and discipline for blindly enhancing themselves into perfection while rejecting their human core. Brothers falling to this fate are very open to being corrupted by Slaanesh if they are driven through perfection or Khorne if Rage replaces their cold hard logic.
6. Conclusion: Unbroken Resolve in a Galaxy of Darkness
The Iron Hands, unyielding in their pursuit of perfection and purity, face a multitude of formidable enemies in the grim, dark universe of Warhammer 40,000. From traitor legions to relentless xenos, and even corruption within the Imperium, these adversaries test the chapter's resolve and indomitable spirit. Despite the unrelenting darkness that surrounds them, the Iron Hands stand as unbroken bastions of the Imperium, their battles, sacrifices, and victories adding depth to the narrative of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
