Can the Lion be the next Emperor?

So from what I know of the 40k universe the Lion was wounded by Luther, and there is question to whether or not Luther fell to Chaos (he did) and if the Lion was loyal to the Emperor (from what I know, he wasn't, he was loyal to the winner between Horus and the Emperor). But the Lion DID NOT DIE, he's in stasis in the Rock (formally his home world of Caliban). If he is loyal to himself, and if he does come out of stasis, what is to keep him from becoming the next Emperor? Leman Russ is AFK, as is every other living 'loyal' primarch. And the Lion is held with high regard. We've been told that half of the primarchs were loyal, and half of them fell to chaos. The Alpha Legion were loyal but they fell to chaos (because they were told that no matter what humanity would die, if Horus won then after a few generations he wold realize he was wrong and kill chaos, but humanity would die, if the Emperor won, then humanity would die also, but chaos would live). Was the Lion the non loyal primarch that didn't fall to chaos? Is he primed to succeed the emperor? I've recently started a DA army and therefore I've read DA fiction... and I am torn. The way the Lion handled his troops, I don't trust him, though I can't trust Cypher either, so is my primarch as evil as Lex Luthor? Can Leman come back and fix the ways (I would say the Salamanders primarch, but I don't recall his name and he doesn't hate the Lion as much as Leman). An interesting (I hope) thought, before the Necrons take over everything...

These threads are, ultimately, an exercise in futility.

Look: the setting of Warhammer 40k is so grim and dark (grimdark, even) that it takes a lot of imagination to make anyone into the savior of the setting. Can the Lion be the next Emperor? I don't know. Maybe. But then again, maybe it could be Leman Russ? Or maybe some random sanction psyker will ascend the Golden Throne. Or maybe it will be Dante (Chapter Master of the Blood Angels). Or maybe it could be that the Imperium will collapse and the saviors of humanity are the Tau, who will continue to nurture and protect the human Gue'vesa living among them. Or maybe mankind is fully screwed and the Eldar will save the galaxy.

The thing to remember is that canonically no one is going to save the day. It's all over but the crying (well, the crying, and the fighting, and the killing, and the dying). There's no support for the Lion being the next Emperor because there's no support for anyone being the next Emperor. If it's a cool idea, make it the basis of your force's fluff, somehow. Say that your company master is trying to clear the way for the Lion's ascent, which is why he sometimes ends up in conflict with other Imperial forces. Go write some fanfic about it.

In other words, can the Lion be the next Emperor? No. No one can.

But this is imaginary fun time. Nothing is true; everything is permitted. Don't ask me - tell me.

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he is loyal to the Emperor. Even then, as many of the missing Primarchs said before they departed, they will return in the equivalent of the final battle (when Abaddon and the Daemon Primarchs eventually lay siege to Terra). The Lion will probably be one of those. And as the Golden Throne is apparently switching off, it remains to be seen whether the Emperor will return - either reborn or something else - or die.
As far as the Necrons taking over everything, I'd be more worried about the Tyranids than anyone else.

Also, what EP said.
The 'final battle' has been coming for over ten years now, and it is no closer than it was before. The fluff might advance marginally but the reality is they can't do anything major that would dilute sales of their product. 40K sells now. If they say do something that finally defeats Chaos ultimately, what happens? Do they reflect that in the codices? What if the Tyranids consume everything?

I don't think the Lion could be the next emperor. The primarchs were never intended to rule. Some may have, ie the Night Haunter, but his situation was unique. I would go with that Lion'El was smart to see who would win and then join. Sounds like something I would do. He goes on to mention, iirc, that basically would fight some other Primarchs to be the big dog. I don't recall him thinking much of Guilliman and how he would rule the Imperium. I am behind on the books so I can't fully comment beyond that.

Regardless, I don't think the highlords of Terra would easily give up all the power that they have now because a primarch has come back. They would be untrusting based on the deeds of the past.

Im of the the thought that "half the legions turning to chaos" is a plot mechanism to suggest the enormity of the Heresy. If one or two legions only had turned, they'd be wiped out in no time.

Additionally, Guilliman is not necessarily dead, but in stasis, somehow slowly recovering from a battle against Fulgrim.

I don't believe The Lion is/was evil. Luther was mad at his planet getting destroyed by the Imperium being there. He was also slightly resentful of Lion'El being given control of the order, and Chaos took the fact and ran with it.

The wolf and the lion may have had their tussle, but Russ knew it was dumb. He laughed at it, and got suckerpunched for it. He probably got over it. It was brother love. I doubt the hate is still there. The DA/SW just happen to have a tradition of duelling it out in remberance of the occassion.

Russ and the Lion grew to become great friends, that's almost a direct quote from the Space Wolves codex. There's no enmity between them anymore (well, when they were both still around).
Magnus was originally intended to sit upon the Golden Throne IIRC - being the second most powerful human psyker in the galaxy, but he wasn't going to rule the Imperium by any stretch.

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Originally Posted by Learn2Eel

Russ and the Lion grew to become great friends, that's almost a direct quote from the Space Wolves codex. There's no enmity between them anymore (well, when they were both still around).
Magnus was originally intended to sit upon the Golden Throne IIRC - being the second most powerful human psyker in the galaxy, but he wasn't going to rule the Imperium by any stretch.

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Yup...Magnus was going to be the Emperor's Physic Battery pretty much.......(I would of joined tzeentch too over that...) The only Primarch that really could of ruled the Imperium would of been Sanguinius sadly and we all know what happens to him......So i would say chances are slime of any primarch taking over unless the old Cypher has the Lion Sword stuff is true and the emperor gets reborn into a god in which case....Ya i think Lion has a chance to run things well the emperor go's on a godly power trip.

in 'the lion' johnson declares openly (to a watcher) that he would not have anyone but the emperor rule the imperium, not himself or guilliman or horus or any of his brothers.

given the state of the imperium in M41 i would say he got his wish.
thanks t'chulka...... i guess the chaos gods got what they wanted after all.
all it took was a slight ego stroke of the lion. for those that dont know t'chulka was a warp engine a machine that 'lives' in the warp with a physical conduit in the real world. essentially a demon with a machine/human interface that eats people (it ages them prematurely, so the machine drains their life force om nom nom)

Thanks for the replies, to claim I was sober when I wrote the OP, would be a stretch. I also don't think that the Lion becoming a new Emperor would save the Empire, I think that the Lion could become a replacement Emperor which could lead to the fall of the Empire. I've not read too many of the books, I'll admit... I've only been into the hobby since January. I am frustrated as my first army is Necron, and since the new dex was released their history has changed I don't want to read old fiction of when they were all mindless bots. Therefore I'm focusing on the DA since I decided they would be my SM army and they're fun, and I like the idea of scoring termies. The way in the fiction that the Lion handled Zahariel pissed me off since his cousin was the one that was with the Lion but Nemiel was the one that wanted to kill the Emperor, so we knew that however accidental, the Lion made the wrong choice. I want the Lion to be good since Luther is bad (well, chaos), but that's not going to happen, and Zahariel was awesome in the first book but now he's Chaos.

Cpt Codpiece... is The Lion a book? If so I need to read it.

It was a fun idea so I wanted to voice it, so thanks for thinking/responding, and until the Necrons take over everything (and I agree that these are futile discussions as there will never be a resolution, though I would like to read about when Sanguinius and Horus fight), long live the Empire...

the lion is a story in 'the primarchs' book.

an eye opening must read for any DA fan.

ps luther not chaos, just not fond of imperial rule. also the events of 'the grey angel' made him even more paranoid

I don't recall the Lion ever being bad towards Zahariel. I do remember when some normal 'umies were in conference with the Lion, and, iirc, the Lion leans towards and asks Zahariel if that human was lying, because he himself couldn't tell. Superhuman primarch can't tell if someone is lying. Imagine that. Maybe I need to reread that book.

I look forward to reading about Sanginius dying at Horus' hand. I hate me some BA ever since their 'dex came out.