Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 Is Missing Gabriel Angelos Because He's 'A Little Bit Overpowered'

Warhammer 40,000 fans were apt delighted to spot Dawn of War 4 announced with a flashy CGI trailer astatine Gamescom 2025’s Opening Night Live, but they’ll surely person noticed 1 of the series’ astir important characters is MIA.

Gabriel Angelos, Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens and fundamentally the protagonist of the archetypal Dawn of War trilogy, is obscurity to beryllium seen. And truthful erstwhile I had the accidental to speech to Jan Theysen, Dawn of War 4’s originative manager and the co-founder of developer King Art Games, I knew I had to inquire wherever the large feline was.

“That was really 1 of the decisions we made comparatively early. We don't privation Gabriel Angelos successful the game,” Theysen told me.

That’s a beauteous large exclusion. Gabriel Angelos has been portion of the bid since its inception, increasing successful some value and powerfulness with each entry. He began arsenic a Space Marine Captain, starring his service of Blood Ravens to triumph against the Orks, Eldar, and Chaos during a run connected the satellite Tartarus successful the archetypal Dawn of War. By the events of the 3rd game, helium was the Blood Raven’s Chapter Master and wielded the mighty warhammer known arsenic God-Splitter. But it’s that ascent that’s seen him erased from Dawn of War 4’s roster of commanders.

Gabriel Angelos successful his Chapter Master armour successful Dawn of War 3. Image credit: Relic Entertainment / Sega.

“For us, helium felt a small spot overpowered,” Theysen explained. “It's a small spot weird to person either this somewhat overpowered quality from the opening of the game, which is simply a small spot off, oregon you person to do, ‘Oh, well, helium mislaid his representation and helium mislaid each his power,’ which is besides a weird trope.”

Dawn of War 3 earned the ire of fans for applying excessively galore MOBA-like traits to its leader characters, and truthful Angelos’ departure whitethorn good beryllium portion of King Art’s effort to instrumentality to the benignant of Dawn of War 1. “We fundamentally said we privation much ‘normal’ heroes,” said Theysen. “So we person Cyrus and we person Jonah coming back, but they're all, powerfulness level-wise, much akin to mean units.”

Cyrus was past seen successful Dawn of War 2, acting arsenic the Blood Raven’s Scout Sergeant. Known for his gravelly dependable (provided by nary different than long-time Wolverine VO, Steve Blum) and daze of blonde hair, helium returns arsenic Dawn of War 4’s astir salient Space Marine character, astatine slightest arsenic acold arsenic the archetypal selling goes.

Jonah Orion, meanwhile, made his archetypal quality successful Dawn of War 2’s Chaos Rising expansion, and was the Blood Raven's Chief Librarian successful Dawn of War 3, providing almighty psychic abilities connected the battlefield. Both instrumentality with new, updated designs to bespeak the Blood Ravens’ having been upgraded to Primaris Marines, the astir caller signifier of Space Marines successful the Warhammer 40k lore.

Cyrus present wears Primaris Phobos scout armour successful Dawn of War 4. Image credit: King Art Games / Deep Silver.

Dawn of War 4 is acceptable to diagnostic much than 10 playable Commanders crossed its 4 factions, truthful it’s apt that Cyrus and Jonah volition beryllium accompanied by different notable Blood Angel – whether that’s a caller oregon returning quality remains to beryllium seen. But whoever they are, we cognize they won’t beryllium Gabriel Angelos, and they surely won’t beryllium ultra-powerful.

That’s not each we learned from Theysen. Check retired our large Dawn of War 4 interrogation to larn astir however caller workplace King Art Games has taken implicit improvement duties from Relic Entertainment, wherefore the crippled returns to the mounting of Dark Crusade, and wherefore Chaos is missing from the faction roster.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.