Lieutenant Demetrian Titus of the Ultramarines is the hero of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2. He is a devoted servant of the Emperor of Mankind, a fearsome warrior, and remarkably resistant to the corrupting influence of Chaos. Despite this he has been censured by his peers, condemned by the Inquisition, and has fought for many decades to prove his loyalty on suicidal missions for the Deathwatch.
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 is almost out, and we thought it was time to give you all a refresher on its hero – its been over a decade since he last appeared in a Warhammer 40k game. We’ve collected our other guides about the game into a Space Marine 2 walkthrough.
If you’re new to the Warhammer 40k setting, you’ll also find a handy section explaining “What is a Space Marine?” at the end of this guide.
Lieutenant Titus backstory
Demetrian Titus made his debut in 40k media way back in 2011, as the player character in third person action game Warhammer 40k: Space Marine. A battle-hardened Ultramarines Captain, when the game begins he commands the Chapter’s second company.
Titus and his battle brothers deploy to the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World Graia to halt an incursion of bestial Orks, led by Warboss Grimskull. The planet is a production centre for incalculable quantities of war materiel, and houses truly massive Warlord class Warhammer Titan war engines.
The company is scattered during deployment. Titus spends most of the game accompanied only by Veteran Sergeant Sidonus, and recently elevated aspirant Leandros. Leandros is a stickler for the Codex Astartes, the ancient treatise that governs Space Marines battle doctrine, and doesn’t respond well to Titus’ generous interpretations of the Codex’ strictures.
While battling the Orks, Titus encounters Inquisitor Drogan, a high-ranking member of the Imperium’s most secretive and sinister organisation. He tasks Titus with retrieving an experimental energy source from a mysterious research facility. This device uses the corrupting power of the Warp, and is far too dangerous to allow to fall into the Orks’ hands.
Though Titus is successful in retrieving the device and slaying Warboss Grimskull, he has been deceived: Drogan is a pawn of the Chaos Sorcerer Nemeroth. The device opens a portal into Warp, allowing Nemeroth, his traitorous Chaos Space Marines, and hordes of Chaos Daemons, to break out into reality.
Despite the incredible odds, Titus and his battle-brothers are able to banish the forces of Chaos, with Titus slaying Nemeroth by his own hand. In the aftermath, a fresh delegation from the Inquisition arrives.
As the newly-arrived Inquisitor Thrax debriefs the warriors, Leandros calls suspicion onto Titus, claiming he could only survive prolonged exposure to Chaos taint if he was a servant of the dark powers. The game ends with Titus detained by the Inquisition, his fate unknown.
Lieutenant Titus in Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2 takes place long after the original game. In the time that has passed the Cadian Gate has fallen to the forces of Chaos, the Great Rift has split the galaxy into two with perilous warpstorms, Primarch Roboute Guilliman has returned to the land of the living, and the Primaris Marines have been revealed to reinforce the Imperium.
Titus has spent this time in exile, serving penance on dangerous missions within the Deathwatch. The game sees him reinstated to the Ultramarines, though he now only holds the rank of Lieutenant, and not everyone is pleased to see him return.
At some point, Titus has received the Rubicon Primaris surgery to elevate him to the status of a Primaris Space Marine. How this occurs isn’t clear: there are no shortage of ways to receive nigh-fatal injuries in the Deathwatch.
So far, trailers haven’t hinted at the return of either Sidonus or Leandros, though Titus will once again be fighting side by side with two battle brothers. It’s possible that the plot will connect back to the original Space Marine, since – surprisingly – the recent retro FPS Boltgun was set on Graia and loosely follows on from the original Space Marine.
Lore clashes
Strictly speaking, Titus fits into a parallel timeline to the Warhammer 40k books and lore: the captain of the Ultramarines second company is Uriel Ventris, and has been for some time. This level of lore clash is more or less background noise in 40k.
What is a Space Marine?
Space Marines are indoctrinated super-soldiers that fight for the Imperium of Man. Each Marine is far more than a human, implanted with genetically engineered organs and other upgrades such as a second heart, third lung, and metal coils connected to their sinews. Space Marine power armor bonds with their nervous system, and they can react as if it were a second skin.
The means to create Space Marines were devised in the gene-labs of the Emperor of Mankind around the year 30,000. Recently, a long-hidden conspiracy has brought forth a new form of Space Marine, the Primaris. These are bigger and stronger than their ‘Firstborn’ kin, and able to use new and even more powerful arms and armor.
It is possible for a Firstborn marine to receive the additional implants that will make him into a Primaris marine. Known as “crossing the Rubicon Primaris”, the required surgery is extremely risky. It is normally only attempted if a marine is close to death anyway.
There are estimated to be around 1,000 Space Marine Chapters, each numbering no more than 1,000 warriors. These all owe their lineage to nine ancient Legions that fought alongside the Emperor. The genetic material that became the template for the Space Marines was first embodied in the Primarchs, demigod beings that each bore a sliver of the Emperor’s incomparable might. Most chapters revere the Primarch from whose genestock they descend as a patron and spiritual father.
Although the 41st millennium is a dark and terrifying place, there is a sliver of hope. The loyal Primarch Roboute Guilliman has returned to life, after thousands of years locked in stasis on the brink of death. The Chapter that now bears the name of his ancient Legion, the Ultramarines, is one of the proudest and most loyal to serve the Imperium.
While most Marines fight with their brothers from a single Chapter, there are exceptions. The Deathwatch is a cross-chapter organisation that is controlled directly by the shadowy Inquisition. It is tasked with countering the most dangerous of alien (aka Xenos) threats, and uses the most terrible weapons in the Imperium’s arsenal to do so.
While for most marines it is an honor to serve in Deathwatch, some brothers, known as Blackshields, may join the Deathwatch as a form of penance, forsaking their Chapter colors while they do so.
If you’re intrigued by any of the things we’ve hinted at in this guide, make sure you check out our lore guides to the other Warhammer 40k factions.
The Space Marine 2 release date is coming up fast, and we’ll have a review ready for you as soon as we can. Until then, check out our Space Marine 2 preview to learn how excited for it we are!
Source: Wargamer
