Blackhand Blackhand the Destroyer was the Warchief of the Horde during the First War between Stormwind and the Horde . Biography . A Raider of the Sythegore Arm , and one of the most respected warriors in the Horde , Blackhand became the renowned chieftain of the powerful Blackrock clan on Draenor . Known as a tactical genius and a ruthless dictator who demanded respect from his warriors , his ego and lust for power made him very easy to manipulate — a fact which Gul ' dan discovered very quickly . Through political manipulation and by stoking the embers of Blackhand ' s ego , Gul ' dan was able to convince the Blackrock chieftain that he was a respected equal in the warlock ' s dark scheme , both the public leader of the Horde and a member of the secret Shadow Council ; he was in fact merely a means to an end for the evil warlock . Blackhand eagerly offered all of his shamans , cut off by the spirits for waging their demon - incited war against the draenei , to become the first Horde warlocks . In order to increase the number of warriors the Horde would be able to field against the draenei , Blackhand even had his own children ' s ages accelerated , making them battle - ready . With popular support — no doubt manipulated by Gul ' dan — Blackhand was elected Warchief of the newly formed Horde , but kept in line with Gul ' dan ' s objectives through subtle bribery and outright blackmail . Commanding from the Hellfire Citadel , Blackhand directed the later campaigns against the draenei , including the invasion of Shattrath City . Blackhand also dueled Durotan once after he found out , through Gul ' dan , that Durotan had sheltered one of the draenei Blackhand had captured that had escaped . The duel ended with a draw after the draenei ran off and Blackhand left with a grudge . Leading the Horde through the Dark Portal after defeating the draenei , Blackhand conducted the entire war effort against the Kingdom of Stormwind in what became known as the First War . Though Stormwind eventually fell , Blackhand was left vulnerable when Gul ' dan fell into a coma after attempting to steal information pertaining to the Tomb of Sargeras from the mind of Medivh . Seizing the opportunity provided by the powerful warlock ' s incapacitation , Blackhand ' s second - in - command , Orgrim Doomhammer — later known as the Backstabber for the deed he was about to commit — decided to seize power from the puppet Warchief , hoping he could lead his wayward people from the path they had taken . Leading loyalist troops in a surprise attack , Doomhammer defeated Blackhand and cut his head from his shoulders , becoming both Chieftain of the Blackrock clan and Warchief of the Horde . Blackhand ' s Fang . Dozens of these throwing axes were given as marks of honor from Blackhand the Destroyer to worthy members of the Blackrock clan he ruled . Orgrim Doomhammer earned his first while a member of the clan , then seized a brace of four more from Blackhand himself when Doomhammer murdered the Destroyer to usurp the position of Warchief . A short haft of black wood with four alternating silver and crimson bands is topped by a curved , tooth - like blade of polished steel . In World of Warcraft . In Burning Crusade . The Horde ' s king piece in Karazhan ' s Chess event takes the form of Blackhand . In the movie . In the Warcraft movie , a fel - enhanced Blackhand is killed in Mak ' gora by Anduin Lothar . The fight is frighteningly quick , as Lothar uses superior agility and quickness to severely injure Blackhand before killing him .