Sorry Titus fans but Space Marine 2 proves Leandros was right

Space Marine 2 shows that the series’ most hated character had a point and rather than being Titus’ biggest hater, he’s actually his greatest advocate.

Spoilers for Space Marine 2 are below!

Those who haven’t played Space Marine 1 may be confused by the shocking reveal at the end of the sequel. It turns out that the Chaplain who’s been warning and advising Titus throughout the game is none other than Leandros, his rival from the first game and the one responsible for our hero’s tenure with the Deathwatch.

However, we’d like to make the case for Leandros, as there is more to this character than the annoying jobsworth the memes would have you believe him to be. He actually fills a vital role for the Ultramarines Chapter and helped Titus become a better Space Marine – even if there’s no love lost between the two of them.

Who is Leandros?

As Space Marine 2 is set over 100 years after the first game, and another character now fills Leandros’ role as a foil for Titus, many fans likely forgot about him or assumed he’s long dead.

Instead, Leandros has been promoted and is now responsible for the Chapter’s purity, ensuring none of his brothers fall to heresy. However, this isn’t revealed until the very end, and only after Leandros has already played a significant role in the story.

In Space Marine 1, Leandros was an Astartes under the command of (then) Captain Titus and while he obeyed orders, the two often butted heads. Leandros believed in following the Codex Astartes, a guidebook for all Space Marines, to the letter and was often disturbed by his captain’s cavalier attitude. Titus had a tendency to bend the rules for a greater purpose and this didn’t sit right with his straight-laced squadmember.

Leandros would fall in line behind Titus, despite his reservations about his methods, as Titus was the superior officer. However, when Titus showed a suspicious resistance to Chaos taint and became the target of a Chaos Lord hoping to corrupt the Ultramarine captain, Leandros became far more concerned. The two would continue to clash, and while Titus was always motivated by doing the right thing, he veered dangerously close to heresy in doing so.

Concerned, Leandros would report Titus to the Inquisition and the hero would willingly go with them to prove his innocence. The Inquisition felt there was merit to Leandros’ claim, and this alone goes some way to justifying him tattling on his legendary Ultramarine commander.

Why Leandros was justified

Once Titus was returned to the Ultramarines after serving with the Deathwatch, he was a changed man. He was no longer as impetuous and cavalier and took more care when making decisions. Titus also seemed to find a new reverence for the Codex Astartes and appeared to be a more capable commander than he had even been in Space Marine 1.

To be clear, Titus was innocent and the Inquisition could find no evidence of heresy. The Ultramarines Chief Librarian also did a psychic mind read on Titus and cleared him for duty, claiming he was free of Chaos taint. Even the Ultramarines Chapter Master, Marneus Calgar, went to bat for him after learning of his plight.

But Leandros still behaved correctly in reporting and suspecting Titus. You see, the Codex Astartes isn’t just a guideline for Space Marines; it contains the wisdom to ward away Chaos and was written by Robute Guilliman, the Ultramarines Primach and son of the Emperor, after he witnessed half of his brothers and their legions fall to Chaos. In short, it’s to be taken seriously.

As much as we love him, Titus wasn’t taking it seriously enough in Space Marine 1, this coupled with his very unique resistance to Chaos was more than enough to raise alarm bells. Space Marines and Space Marine Chapters fall to the Ruinous Powers all the time in Warhammer 40K. Tragically, this usually happens when they’re trying to do the right thing, but it leads to them defying the Imperium in some way.

While some Marines turn renegade and resist the pull of Chaos, fighting to defend humanity in their own way, many eventually succumb to its temptations once they abandon the Codex. Fortunately, Titus was simply an exception, but to Leandros, heresy was the most likely outcome.

The Ultramarines Chaplain

After seeing Titus return to the Chapter, Leandros kept his identity a secret, speaking to Titus from behind his skull mask that all Chaplains wear. But he was likely to still be wary of him, even though approval to rejoin the Chapter should be more than enough evidence of innocence.

It’s worth pointing out though, that even though Leandros warned Titus he was watching him at the end of the game, he still went with his former Captain on their next mission and acknowledged him as a hero. Not only that but while he gave Titus multiple warnings in his role as a Chaplain during the game’s campaign, he also often encouraged his former rival. In doing so, he helped Titus achieve his potential, regain his honor, and prove his detractors – including himself – wrong.

By the time the Chaos threat had been defeated in Space Marine 2, Leandros was likely satisfied that he was wrong about Titus, but he was absolutely right to have had his suspicions. A Chaplain’s work is never done and the elevation of Leandros to this position shows that he’s the ideal character for the role – and this says a lot about him.

However, while we felt the need to defend Leandros against his heretical critics, we’d encourage the funny memes to continue.