One of the most confusing moments of Dune: Part Two was when Chani slapped Paul Atreides – right after saving his life – but the movie demonstrated that she had a good reason to hit him. Several major events happened in the middle of Dune: Part Two: the Fremen returned to the Southern Sietch, Paul drank the Water of Life, and Chani saved his life. So many pivotal moments happened one after another that they almost seem like a whirlwind, and they can be very hard to follow. That, along with how surprising it was, made the moment when Chani slapped Paul difficult to understand.

While it was a mostly faithful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic novel, Dune: Part Two also made several changes to the book. One of the biggest changes was to Chani’s character, as she was almost completely different from her portrayal in the book. That affected everything from Chani’s decision to leave Paul at the end of Dune: Part Two to her decision to slap Paul after bringing him back to life. Many of Chani’s choices, and particularly her slap, weren’t overtly explained in Dune: Part Two, but the movie did give her a reason to act as she did.

Chani Slaps Paul For Taking The Water Of Life & Fulfilling The Prophecy

Chani Hated The Lisan Al Gaib Prophecy & Knew Paul Would Destroy The Fremen

Throughout Dune: Part Two, Chani was very vocal about how much she hated the Lisan al Gaib prophecy. She believed, correctly, that the prophecy was being used to control the Fremen, and that only they could help themselves. The reason Chani slapped Paul after saving him is that saving him completed the Lisan al Gaib prophecy, which she hated. When Paul drank the Water of Life, he was taking the first step to controlling the Fremen, and saving his life sealed their fate. It was only a matter of time until Paul would spell the Fremen’s doom, and Chani was mad that she helped him gain such power.

Jessica Forced Chani To Save Paul’s Life Like In The Prophecy

Jessica Took Away Chani’s Agency In The Moment

While Chani’s main reason to be angry after saving Paul’s life was the completion of the prophecy, there was another reason for her rage. At first, Chani refused to mix her tears with the Water of Life, and she only did so because Jessica used the Voice, a Bene Gesserit technique, on her. Because the Voice makes people follow another’s command against their will, Chani didn’t even get to choose to save Paul, Jessica chose for her. Chani had been used by both Paul and Jessica, which caused her to feel angry enough to slap him.

Though she was very different from her depiction in the book, many of the changes Denis Villeneuve made to Chani’s character worked very well. They turned her into a more active character in the story, and they also helped her act as a foil to Paul’s downfall. Because she could openly oppose his choices and the prophecy, Chani hinted at the pain and suffering Paul’s holy war would bring to the Fremen. She saw what was coming before anyone else could, which made Chani’s decision to slap Paul in Dune: Part Two very understandable.