Question about Chaos Marines - Can they leave Chaos and rejoin humanity?

[Marcus]

Has there been any stories in the lore where a chaos marine regrets betraying the Imperium? Surely some must miss the days when the spaces marine legions were united in the great crusade. Don't forget at the start of the Horus Heresy at Isstvan, large elements of the Traitors legions where killed by their own side because they refused to join Horus and betray the Imperium. I am sure some must be left inside the legion, who only stayed in out of fear and may be disgusted at what become of their legion when it fell to chaos.

Is it at all possible for them to desert their legion? I understand they cannot rejoin the Imperium openly as they would be (understandably) regarded with suspicion and killed. Could they maybe flee to a backwater world and live in quiet obscurity? Is that possible?

[Goul]

There are Chapters that are renegades, just do their thing, neither Serving Chaos or the Imperium. Some renegades have gone back.
A few chapters turned to chaos, then turned renegades.
1 Chapter got corrupted and did some deeds for chaos. Even had Mutations. The Chapter Master grew Spider Legs. They Turned at the last moment, defended a Planet from a chaos incursion and were wiped out.

Very Rare cases.

If chaos currotion is too deep and for to long, then theres no turning back.

[Chaoslord 87]

Originally posted by Goul:

There are Chapters that are renegades, just do their thing, neither Serving Chaos or the Imperium. Some renegades have gone back.
A few chapters turned to chaos, then turned renegades.
1 Chapter got corrupted and did some deeds for chaos. Even had Mutations. The Chapter Master grew Spider Legs. They Turned at the last moment, defended a Planet from a chaos incursion and were wiped out.

Very Rare cases.

If chaos currotion is too deep and for to long, then theres no turning back.

The Soul Drinkers.

[Marcus]

Originally posted by Goul:

There are Chapters that are renegades, just do their thing, neither Serving Chaos or the Imperium. Some renegades have gone back.
A few chapters turned to chaos, then turned renegades.
1 Chapter got corrupted and did some deeds for chaos. Even had Mutations. The Chapter Master grew Spider Legs. They Turned at the last moment, defended a Planet from a chaos incursion and were wiped out.

Very Rare cases.

If chaos currotion is too deep and for to long, then theres no turning back.

So if a Chapter goes renegade but not Chaos, they can be given the option to rejoin the Imperium? interesting.

[Garatgh Deloi]

Originally posted by Marcus:

Has there been any stories in the lore where a chaos marine regrets betraying the Imperium? Surely some must miss the days when the spaces marine legions were united in the great crusade. Don't forget at the start of the Horus Heresy at Isstvan, large elements of the Traitors legions where killed by their own side because they refused to join Horus and betray the Imperium. I am sure some must be left inside the legion, who only stayed in out of fear and may be disgusted at what become of their legion when it fell to chaos.

Is it at all possible for them to desert their legion? I understand they cannot rejoin the Imperium openly as they would be (understandably) regarded with suspicion and killed. Could they maybe flee to a backwater world and live in quiet obscurity? Is that possible?

There are members of the traitor legions that stayed loyal and continued to serve the imperium, the grey knights were formed from such a core.

But anyone that serve chaos, even for a short while, has their soul (their presence in the warp) tainted forever. The only feasible situation where they might be considered redeemed is one where they sacrifice themselves to the last man for the imperium and are redeemed in their death and even that is a rare situation (Also pretty much only happens if they didn't willingly fall to chaos).

For real renegades (not just marines designated renegades, but actual renegades) its a bit more open (since they are just traitors, rather then soul tainted heretics), but even for them its very unlikely to happen (the imperium is not a forgiving place). I'd say that, at most loyal forces might work with them and decide not to kill them.

On the other hand, we do have the "fallen" dark angels the lion is willing to absorbing back into the ranks (as long as they aren't chaos touched). They were considered traitors and renegades by the rest of the dark angels.

[retro wave]

the answer is universally no, first and foremost actual heretic astartes have already dedicated their soul to chaos itself or a respective chaos god, and as such will never be able to leave the fold of the ruinous powers as the chaos god(s) own their very existence similarly to how they own the existence of their own daemons

there is exactly one case of a "chaos marine" turning against chaos and actually returning to the imperium (Anchorite or the Anchorite) and was only able to do so because he went "nah" and fled before he fully surrendered his soul to chaos

the only way a legitimate chaos marine could ever return to humanity is if the emperor himself decided to just yank his soul back from the chaos god(s) and stick it back in him and then purify him of corruption and mutation, thats a theoretical though and im not aware of any examples of this being done

there are also remnants from the traitor legions that left the legion instead of betraying and were accepted back, but they were never chaos marines

as for renegades, renegade chapters usually dont get accepted back as a whole but im sure theres some example somewhere; renegade astartes themselves usually only have the option of standing before the watch commander and being accepted as black shields

if theyre renegades of specific loyalist chapters and return the chapter might accept them back at the price of some form of penance, pretty sure theres examples of that somewhere

[Sifer2]

The Imperium execute random guardsmen just for getting scared, and running away from battle without being ordered to retreat in this game. You think they would ever forgive traitor space marines under any circumstances? No at best they can decide to reject chaos, die willingly fighting them, then who knows maybe the Emperor can save their souls.

[Infrasound]

Dark Angels, now Johnson is back he judges them and some have come back from the dark.

[Retired Commander Trex]

Originally posted by Infrasound:

Dark Angels, now Johnson is back he judges them and some have come back from the dark.

The Fallen aren't Chaos Marines, they are Renegades

[Garatgh Deloi]

Originally posted by Retired Commander Trex:

Originally posted by Infrasound:

Dark Angels, now Johnson is back he judges them and some have come back from the dark.

The Fallen aren't Chaos Marines, they are Renegades

Some of them are chaos marines.

Some admittedly falling to chaos after the events on Caliban and its destruction.

But some of the higher echelons around Luther (not to mention Luther himself) did end up being chaos corrupted before Caliban's destruction.

Then we have the more innocent dark angels on Caliban of the lower ranks that weren't really aware of what was happening, thinking the lion was the traitor.

[Marcus]

Originally posted by Chaoslord 87:

Originally posted by Goul:

There are Chapters that are renegades, just do their thing, neither Serving Chaos or the Imperium. Some renegades have gone back.
A few chapters turned to chaos, then turned renegades.
1 Chapter got corrupted and did some deeds for chaos. Even had Mutations. The Chapter Master grew Spider Legs. They Turned at the last moment, defended a Planet from a chaos incursion and were wiped out.

Very Rare cases.

If chaos currotion is too deep and for to long, then theres no turning back.

The Soul Drinkers.

Wow, the Soul drinkers still stayed loyal to humanity despite all the madness affecting them. Heroes indeed.

[Marcus]

Originally posted by Infrasound:

Dark Angels, now Johnson is back he judges them and some have come back from the dark.

Good to know some leaders in the Imperium do believe in redemption.

[zmanbuilder]

Those that leave chaos become a black shield in the deathwatch. But you did not hear that from me.