40k Lion El’Jonson Dark Angels Primarch Model & Rules

By Travis Pasch | April 1st, 2024 | Categories: Dark Angels, Games Workshop, Games Workshop Previews, Space Marines, Tabletop Gaming News, Warhammer 40k

After years of rumors, a new Lion El’Jonson Primarch miniature has returned to 10th Edition Warhammer 40k after being revealed at AdeptiCon 2023!

The Primarch Lion El’Jonson is now part of Warhammer 40k after years of rumor, and now this miniature has new features and rules for 10th Edition. This article will discuss the Lion El Jonson model, his rules, and how he returned to the Warhammer 40k world. We will also show you the pricing and where you can get your own.

Contents

Lion El’Jonson Model Retail Price: $70/€55/£42.50

This kit comprises 43 plastic components, and is supplied with a 60mm Citadel Round base. This miniature is supplied unpainted and requires assembly

Another Primarch splashes down! While you could have gotten the returned Lion Eljonson model before in his small bundle box, that was heavily allocated and more expensive.

Lion El’Jonson 10th Edition 40k Model Rules

In 10th Edition, 40k got some small changes from 9th Edition, but he is still quite strong and very tough. He has a ton of great abilities, and All Secrets Revealed can be super annoying when it works. You get a free CP, and your opponent doesn’t get to use his Stratagem. Plus, with Lone Operative and Fights First, he can be hard to remove from the board.

Of course, if he’s in your army, he will be the Warlord!

How Did the Lion Return in Warhammer 40k?

In the Era Indomitus, amidst the Arks of Omen Campaign, Lion El’Jonson emerged from his millennia-long slumber within the heart of The Rock. Unlike his brother, primarch Roboute Guilliman, renowned for his command and administrative prowess, Lion El’Jonson was a primal warrior, a relentless hunter, and a killer. Awakened in a galaxy steeped in darkness and madness, he embarked on a relentless mission of vengeance across the cosmos.

Long before news of his return echoed through the wider galaxy, the legend of the Lion had already begun to circulate among disconnected worlds within Imperial space. Tales spoke of a mysterious figure, a Cowled Giant or the Unforgiving Knight, erroneously dubbed the Emperor Incarnate. His presence was always heralded by the apparition of ancient forests fading into the aether, leaving fear and awe in his wake.

The true nature of his empiric travel remained a closely guarded secret, known only to the primarch himself. During his slumber beneath The Rock, his dreams often revisited the Calibanite forests of his youth. Whether borne to other worlds by the ghosts of that arboreal realm, lost in the destruction of Caliban, remained a mystery. The Lion, however, kept silent about this enigmatic connection. Yet, he recognized the practical implications of his ability to manifest seemingly from nowhere through the Warp.

What Happened to The Lion?

Wracked with grief from the Horus Heresy and the many battles, Lion El’Jonson returned to Caliban to strengthen his Dark Angels and recuperate. However, upon the fleet’s arrival in orbit, they faced a relentless barrage of fire from the surface. Investigating the chaos, Jonson discovered that Luther had poisoned the minds of the Space Marine garrison, taking control and succumbing to the taint of Chaos. In a fury, Jonson ordered a devastating bombardment to purge the world of Chaos.

As the planet burned, Jonson personally led the assault on the Order’s Fortress Monastery, confronting the corrupted Luther. Their titanic battle wreaked havoc on the monastery and the planet. Unbeknownst to those in orbit, the bombardment was cracking the planet’s surface. The duel reached its climax with a psychic attack that mortally wounded Jonson. Luther, realizing the consequences, ceased fighting, but it was too late. Acknowledging their defeat, the Chaos Gods unleashed a warp storm that shattered the planet, leaving only the protected monastery intact.

Descending to the now-asteroid, the Dark Angels found Luther mumbling about Jonson being taken by the Watchers in the Dark and destined to return one day to forgive him. Despite extensive searches, no trace of Jonson was found. The converted Dark Angels were scattered into the warp, becoming The Fallen.

A closely guarded secret known to only a few was that Jonson slumbered alongside the Watchers in the Dark, buried deeper within The Rock than Luther. The Emperor alone was privy to this information, awaiting the day when Jonson would be needed again to lead the Dark Angels in a new crusade.

Lion El’Jonson New Primarch Miniature Revealed for Warhammer 40k: (March 22nd, 2023)

He is initially releasing a new Arks of Omen book that will also have rules for the Primaris Dante model as well. Let’s take a closer look at the size, and scale of the primarch miniature!

Lion El’Jonson, Primarch of the Dark Angels, has returned from the annals of history in humanity’s time of greatest need. Wielding the radiant sword Fealty and the Emperor’s Shield, he is a martial paragon – a hunter of beasts and slayer of traitors, stalking from the mist-wreathed passageways between the stars like a questing knight of Old Terra.

Obviously, he looks a lot older than his Horus Heresy model, but that makes sense, as he’s been resting for 10,000 years! They didn’t say much about rules, but his sword is still carried around the universe by Cypher. Maybe he’ll have to retrieve it soon.

However, he carries the Shield of the Emperor, which should mean he has some crazy defensive capabilities.

Like many of the Dark Angels, he comes with a few attendants, just as it should be.

Then, he comes with four different head options, so if you’re not a huge fan of the old man look, you can throw a helmet on there.

He’s about the same size as Guilliman, which makes sense, complete with tactical rock (get it).

RUMORS: GW’s Biggest Hint Yet For Lion El’Jonson Returned Model in 40k (March 13th, 2023)

Coming from the Warhammer YouTube.

They have been doing these little teaser videos for the Arks of Omen books and minis, and this one is maybe even more obvious than the Farsight trailer. Let’s check it out!

The Knight? This is an obvious one, right? Right?! Nope, we still have no clue!

They say they have no clue, but what else could this be? Unless they are coming out with a newly named character, this has the color scheme, the name, and the look to be Lion! It would also make sense with the current timeline of releases and reveals.

They even say his blade reflects the light of a poisoned sky, and we know The Rock is coming under siege. So, really, at this point, you almost have to assume this confirms a new Lion El’Johnson miniature.

This is still technically a rumor, so take it with as much salt as you need, but the timeframe is working out perfectly. Perhaps the Lion will be the big announcement at Warhammer Fest if they tease 10th edition at AdeptiCon.

Either way, if this isn’t the lion, saying there will be a lot of disappointed hobbyists may be an understatement…

RUMORS: GW Drops More Hints For The Lion Returning to 40k (March 4th, 2023)

The images come from this Warhammer Community video.

Just like the previous card we saw, the colors just scream Dark Angels and the forests of old Caliban! They mention a star falling (which Lion came from the sky and fell as a small boy), then about watching battles unfold. Perhaps this is what he’s been doing, just watching the battles, waiting for the right time to reveal himself from his slumber inside the Rock!

On top of that, he comes from the stars and could rise up as a light for humanity, sort of like a star.

Next up, this looks like Caliban, and as we said, the color scheme is so Dark Angels. This one didn’t say quite as much as the last video, but everything in it could easily be translated directly to Lion El’Jonson!

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg for Lion rumors.

RUMORS: Lion El’Jonson or Lost Space Marines Legions Returning…

The images come from this Warhammer Community video.

Well, starting with the name of the video, The Lost Child. This could very quickly be based on either Lion or any of the two Lost Legions primarch. With the Lion having been missing for so long (not really missing, but from the eyes of non-Dark Angels), you could easily equate this to him.

However, Legions II and XI are called the lost and the purged; so, in theory, it could also be them as well. This would be a pretty wild shift in the lore of Warhammer 40k, as they have never been mentioned. Not even the Legions of Chaos talk about them!

So, this could, in theory, be a massive shift in the game.

Next, we get this, which means purge in some form. Guess who was purged from all Imperial records? Oh, that’s right, the II and XI legions! However… this could also be talking about Lion finally waking up to purge the Fallen and get the Dark Angels clean once again! Either could make sense, honestly…

Then, in the video, they mention a fatherless son alone in the endless night. This could mean a whole bunch of things, but with Lion sleeping for so long, that sounds like an endless night to us!

The Sundering of the Primarchs & The Missing II & XI Legions

Big E is basically gone and has left his sons to fend for themselves. Then, the Lion has blonde hair, and something about the color scheme of this card screams Dark Angels to us, with the powerful red and muted green. Again, though, it’s not definitive, and this could easily be talking about the lost child of either the II or the XI, as both of them were abandoned by their father and have spent nearly endless time in the warp (which could easily be seen as an endless night).

We’ll have to see, but when you look at the card, it’s hard not to think of Lion…

In summary, the long-awaited return of the Lion El’Jonson Primarch miniature to Warhammer 40k has finally happened. Overall, it’s great news for fans of the game who have been waiting for this moment for years!