We break down the latest hints from Games Workshop and see if Commissar Yarrick is actually dead in Warhammer 40k, or if a new model is right around the corner.
Updated on April 29th, 2025, by Rob Baer, with new information and links for Yarrick.
Is Commissar Yarrick dead or just gearing up for another fight? Games Workshop has finally cracked open the vault of secrets—sort of. With a few sly hints and some suspiciously vague storytelling, they’ve left the fate of the Old Man of Armageddon hanging in the balance.
As a miniatures junkie who’s watched Yarrick punch his way through greenskins and survive things that would flatten a Baneblade, let’s break down exactly what GW’s latest breadcrumbs mean for Warhammer 40k players.
Is Commissar Yarrick Dead?
Let’s talk about the Yarrick Commissar – hero of Armageddon, ork-slayer extraordinaire, and living embodiment of pure stubbornness. Or should we say… maybe living? Games Workshop stirred the pot with some cryptic comments about his fate, and the 40k community hasn’t stopped debating it since.
This is the piece of info that got everyone talking about Yarrick once again.
And the new Codex: Astra Militarum suggests that the Bell has tolled for the Hero of Armageddon, as Commissar Sebastian Yarrick goes to join the Emperor in glory.
Possibly.
Maybe?
So, is 40k Commissar Yarrick dead? The short answer: no one’s entirely sure. The long answer: it’s complicated, messy, and suspiciously full of opportunities for new miniatures for one of the greatest heroes of the Imperium.
Games Workshop: Masters of “Maybe”
When the 9th Edition Codex: Astra Militarum dropped, fans noticed something suspiciously absent: no Commissar Yarrick. No updated model, no fresh rules, no soaring hymn to his latest brutal victory. Just… silence. And then came the ominous hints.
Games Workshop’s official post teased that maybe the Hero of Armageddon has joined the Emperor in glory—or maybe he hasn’t, that’s what it’s like to be an Imperial Guard player.
The real kicker? Angron, the Red Angel himself, is swinging around a skull with a bionic eye. That’s right, a very Yarrick-shaped skull. It’s the kind of storytelling bait only Games Workshop could throw out without offering a shred of clarity, and maybe show his death at the hands of the Red Angel.
Was Yarrick smashed by Angron during the Blood Crusade? Could be. Did he bow out with a bang, taking down a Daemon Primarch in the process? Possible.
Is it suspicious that we didn’t get a beautifully overwrought novella detailing it? Absolutely.
In short: if Yarrick really bit the dust, they’d have made a way bigger deal about it. Old Bale Eye doesn’t just vanish without a 40-page eulogy and at least one new special character boxed set.
Why a New Commissar Yarrick Model Feels Inevitable
Let’s not kid ourselves—Games Workshop loves a good “surprise return.” Just ask anyone who painted Death Riders right before they were “retired” and then brought back better than ever. This has all the makings of a setup: drip-feed the mystery, keep the community theorizing, and then reveal a brand-new Yarrick model with some snazzy 40k rules.
With Warhammer 40k 11th edition rolling out in the summer of 2026 (at least that’s the current cycle GW is on), don’t be surprised to see Yarrick pop in there at some point. Think along the lines of Gaunt’s Ghosts getting their new shine—an exclusive miniature to re-energize Astra Militarum players.
Why Commissar Yarrick Still Matters So Much
For anyone somehow new to the legend, Commissar Sebastian Yarrick wasn’t just a hard-nosed officer. He was the bane of Orks everywhere. This guy learned their language as a kid, took down a Warboss in single combat after losing his arm, stole the Ork’s Power Klaw for himself, and slapped a laser cannon into his missing eye socket.
During the Second War for Armageddon, Yarrick didn’t just inspire soldiers—he turned terrified PDF conscripts into ork-stomping maniacs through sheer presence. His stubborn defense of Hades Hive made him a living myth, earning respect even from the Orks, who started calling him “Old Bale Eye” like he was some kind of death god.
Later, in the Third War for Armageddon, when Ghazghkull came back for round two, Yarrick was there again, turning dug-in defenses into an art form and refusing to die no matter how badly the odds were stacked.
Could Yarrick Actually Be Alive?
It’s not just wishful thinking. The Imperium has a long and storied history of “factual creativity.” Look at Marneus Calgar—killed on Vigilus (but not really), patched up by Roboute Guilliman’s boys, and then strutting around in new Primaris armor.
The Imperium knows that symbols matter more than facts. If rumors of Yarrick’s death light a fire under the Guard’s boots, so be it if later rumors of his miraculous survival bring even more zeal and violence, even better.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine some shadowy Adeptus Administratum office quietly sitting on Yarrick’s true status, letting the stories run wild.
Another angle? Maybe Yarrick didn’t die at all—but was captured again, or even preserved as some grim relic by the Mechanicum. Stranger things have happened in Warhammer 40k.
And frankly, the idea of him grumpily commanding from inside a glass tank somewhere feels extremely on-brand.
Final Word: Don’t Write His Epitaph Yet
Is Commissar Yarrick dead? For now, it’s Schrödinger’s Commissar: he’s both dead and alive until Games Workshop decides how many sprues they want to print. One thing’s certain: the galaxy isn’t finished with Old Bale Eye.
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