Prime Video’s ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Universe Is Starting in Exactly the Right Place

Published Aug 7, 2026, 1:28 PM EDT Hannah has been writing about horror, sci-fi, and all things nerdy since 2021. At Collider, she covers news and conducts interviews, along with contributing features that dive deep into genre storytelling and why it works. If there’s something lurking in the shadows, she’s probably already writing about it if she's not too busy watching a tape from her VHS collection. The Space Marines may all serve the Emperor, but that doesn't mean they particularly like each other. A Space Wolf and a Dark Angel can walk onto the same battlefield carrying thousands of years of bad blood between their Chapters. A Black Templar brings a very different idea of faith to the fight than an Ultramarine. Even on the same side, every Chapter has its own traditions, secrets, rivalries, and ideas about what being one of the Emperor's Angels of Death actually means. Then there is the Deathwatch. The Deathwatch takes veteran Space Marines from across the Imperium and puts them together in specialized kill teams tasked with hunting alien threats. That makes them one of the most fascinating forces in Warhammer 40,000 and one of the best ways to introduce this universe to a larger audience. The Deathwatch can bring a remarkable amount of the 41st Millennium together without locking Amazon into one corner of it. That's apparently exactly what Prime Video intends to do. Henry Cavill recently revealed that Amazon is working with Dave Wilson, John Orloff, and Blur Studio on a new Secret Level season devoted entirely to Warhammer 40,000, specifically the Deathwatch. Wilson is leading the project, while Cavill and the larger Warhammer team are helping ensure it lines up with what he described as the "overall universe plan." Before the live-action series has even arrived, the Warhammer 40,000 universe may have found the perfect place to start. The Deathwatch Can Introduce Almost Everything That Makes Warhammer Great Image via Prime Video There's an obvious reason to make a series about Space Marines: they're the faces of Warhammer 40,000. Even someone who has never opened a Black Library novel or touched a miniature probably recognizes the enormous armored soldiers. The harder question is which Space Marines you choose. Center a series on the Ultramarines, and you're telling an Ultramarines story. Do the same with the Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Black Templars, or Dark Angels, and you've committed your audience to one particular corner of the Imperium. Those could all make incredible adaptations eventually, but the Deathwatch doesn't require that choice yet, because a Deathwatch kill team can contain all of them. Every Marine who joins carries the identity of his home Chapter with him. They don't suddenly become interchangeable soldiers because they've painted their armor black and put on a silver pauldron. A Space Wolf is still a Space Wolf. A Dark Angel still has secrets he'd rather his new brothers not discover. For longtime fans, that creates the kind of character conflict that makes the setting so much fun. For newcomers, it's a natural way to learn how this universe works. This way, not everything needs to be stopped to explain why two Chapters despise each other when those differences can emerge through the characters themselves. The Deathwatch also gives Amazon access to the galaxy beyond the Space Marines because its entire purpose is fighting xenos. Tyranids, Orks, Necrons, T'au, Aeldari, Genestealer Cults, and plenty of other threats can plausibly cross a kill team's path. Each mission can reveal another piece of the galaxy without turning the series into a tour of factions, and that's a huge advantage going into an expanding franchise. Dave Wilson Has Already Proven He Understands Space Marines Image via Prime Video We've already seen Wilson and Blur Studio tackle Warhammer 40,000. The first season of Secret Level included "And They Shall Know No Fear," following the Ultramarines' 2nd Company on a mission against a Chaos cult. Titus, the protagonist of the Space Marine games, was part of the squad, but the episode didn't depend on viewers knowing his history. More importantly, it understood what Space Marines are supposed to feel like. They're not just large men wearing larger armor. Space Marines are transhuman weapons capable of moving with a speed and violence that shouldn't seem possible for something that size, and Secret Level captured that beautifully. Its Marines were enormous without feeling lumbering and brutally efficient without losing the sense that something almost unnatural was moving underneath all that ceramite. Giving Wilson an entire season offers the chance to do much more with that foundation. "And They Shall Know No Fear" proved his team can make Warhammer 40,000 look right. The Deathwatch gives them an opportunity to show audiences how much larger the setting around those Space Marines really is. It also means Prime Video's live-action project won't have to carry the entire burden of introducing the 41st Millennium. By the time it arrives, viewers could already understand what Space Marines are, why their Chapters matter, and how many threats are waiting beyond the Imperium's borders. The Deathwatch Is a Gateway to the Rest of Warhammer 40,000 Image via Black Library One of the best things about Warhammer 40,000 is that no matter how much you know, there's always another corner you haven't explored. You can spend years reading about the Imperium and barely touch the Aeldari. You can know everything about one Space Marine Chapter and discover another with a completely different culture. The Deathwatch is built for that kind of discovery. Every member of a kill team can hint at another Chapter worth exploring. Every assignment can reveal another world. Every xenos threat can open a door Prime Video doesn't have to walk through until it's ready. Secret Level doesn't have to prove how enormous Warhammer 40,000 is by showing everything immediately. The galaxy can simply get bigger every time audiences see another piece. That's why starting with the Deathwatch is more interesting than simply starting with Space Marines. They're not the entirety of Warhammer 40,000, but they're a way into it. If Secret Level is being treated as part of its "overall universe plan," the Deathwatch makes that plan much more exciting. Prime Video can introduce the 41st Millennium without expecting audiences to understand all of it immediately. Let viewers meet a handful of Marines, let those Marines hate each other a little, send them somewhere horrible, and then show us how much more of the galaxy is waiting for them.