Games Workshop introduces female Custodes miniatures to Warhammer 40K

According to Polygon, Games Workshop has added female options to its Adeptus Custodes miniature kits for Warhammer 40,000.

The Custodes are the Emperor's elite bodyguards, long presented as male in the setting, and the change was shown during Games Workshop's New Year Preview livestream when the company revealed a new range of Custodes models that include some with female heads. Female representation in 40K exists elsewhere — the Sisters of Battle and the Sisters of Silence — and a 2024 rulebook previously introduced a named female Custodes, Calladayce Taurovalia Kesh, with another female Custodes appearing in the Tithes animated series, Tyrith Shiva Kyrus. According to Gizmodo, those were the earlier instances, and, as a Facebook post by Alan Merret, former head of intellectual property at Games Workshop, noted, the absence of female Space Marines in the past was linked to poor sales of the first Citadel models in the late 1980s.

Some fans have reacted negatively to the new models, and the company’s latest video received misogynistic comments, while Games Workshop has previously disputed claims that these changes represent lore retcons. The announcement and the new miniatures indicate that female Custodes — and female Space Marines in miniature form — are being included in the tabletop line going forward.

Key Topics

Culture, Games Workshop, Adeptus Custodes, Calladayce Taurovalia Kesh, Space Marines