This Dune article contains big spoilers.
Does Paul Atreides seem okay to you?
Hes the unequivocal winner ofDune: Part Two.
So why is Paul so… angry?
IsDenis Villeneuvetaking liberties with theFrank Herbertnovel again?
Yes… but also no.
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Villeneuve has been very clear about his intention of working towardthe second Herbert novelDune Messiah.
He intended the novel to warn against charismatic leaders, but too many readers saw Paul as a hero.
Thus, his 1969 sequelDune Messiahwent even further into the human cost of Pauls ascendence.
Set 12 years after the events ofDune,Dune Messiahfinds Paul dealing with the consequences of his rule.
A Fremen jihad still rages and the death count grows to over 61 billion dead across the galaxy.
The conspiracy works to undermine Pauls standing with the Fremen and across the galaxy.
However, they are not Pauls only problem.
While Chani and Pauls sister Alia stand loyally by him, discontent within the Fremen weakens his power.
Stilgar remains fanatical in his support of MuadDib, but others have lost faith.
Furthermore, Scytale takes the form of Lichna, daughter of the trusted Fedaykin Otheym.
As Lichna, Scytale urges Otheym to stand against Paul.
None of this is to say that Paul is quite the villain we see inDune: Part Two.
Shots of the fetus in utero indicate her thought processes, as do Jessicas many conversations with her.
Alia is a co-lead in that novel, a woman whose mere presence drives the Bene Gesserit against Paul.
Renamed Hayt, the Duncan ghola troubles Pauls mind.
Worse, Pauls acceptance of Hayt inspires rebellion among the Fremen, who mistrust Tleilaxu creations.
That blue headband may not mean much to most viewers, but it means everything to the Fremen.
However, the timeline gets fuzzy here.
Its understandable, as there just isnt enough time to add little Leto to an already stacked ensemble cast.
But Irulan resents Paul for not mating with her.
However, their coming signals a change for Paul.
His prescience showed him the death of Chani and the birth of Ghanima.
All of these plot points have huge ramifications for the future of theDunefranchise.
Its likely youll see Leto II inDune 3, but as a baby and not a worm-man.
That transformation occurs inChildren of Dune, a story Villeneuve has saidhes not interested in adapting himself.
A Better Chani in Dune 3 Than the Book Version?
Her death matters as a motivating force for Paul, but not as an end in itself.
The offer results in the completely blind Paul somehow killing Scytale.
When Bijaz makes a similar offer, Hayt/Duncan kills the Tleilaxu, with no recourse to Chani.
In short, it all worked out in the end… maybe.
Fans sometimes overstate the importance of planning in franchise filmmaking.
Paul is not the hero ofDune.
Hes a man led down a dark path, who gets overwhelmed by the power given him.
But until then, the power rests in Chani and Alia.
Even inDune: Part Two, Paul is not, in any way, okay.
Dune: Part Two is in theaters now.
