 A recent publication by Stephan Krautschick has opened the study of Armatus' life to new interpretations, in particular the relationship between Armatus and Basiliscus' family and Odoacer, chieftain of the Heruli and later King of Italy.Krautschick's assertion, which has been adopted by subsequent scholars, was that Armatus was the brother of Onoulphus and Odoacer, so that the leader of the Heruli was also nephew of Basiliscus and Verina.In particular, this interpretation sheds light on why Armatus was so keen to help Onoulphus, and that it was his own brother that killed him.