Dune: Part 2 will be released soon, and there are several key characters and plot points from the first film to keep in mind going into the sequel. Based on Frank Herbert’s prolific science fiction novel of the same name, the first Dune film was released in 2021 to critical acclaim and commercial success. The sequel film, which will play in theaters on March 1st, consists of the second part of the novel, so it will pick up directly after the first film’s events and complete its story. With that said, understanding the contents of the first film is crucial.
2021’s Dune introduced audiences to an enormous, complex science fiction universe with characters, planets, and a political situation that can initially be difficult to understand. There will be even more houses and factions in Dune: Part 2, with various forces competing to control the desert planet Arrakis. While the first film was primarily set up, the second will see a multi-faceted conflict ensue, and it’s advisable to go into it understanding the context.
10 House Atreides Assumed Control Over Arrakis
Under the leadership of Duke Leto, House Atreides assumed rule over the desert planet Arrakis.
The main plot point of 2021’s Dune is that House Atreides, a noble family that rule over the planet Caladan, is sent to rule over another planet, Arrakis. Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is skeptical about the movie, understanding that it’s likely a trap established by the Emperor to pit House Atreides and House Harkonnen, the previous rulers of Arrakis, against each other. Leto suspects that the Emperor sees House Atreides as a growing threat to his reign and wants to weaken them by pitting them in war against another house.
Despite knowing of the threat, Leto accepts the challenge of ruling Arrakis, believing there to be untapped potential. Early in the film, he declares to Paul, “On Arrakis, we need to cultivate desert power.” Arrakis can potentially grant its rulers great wealth and power through the trade of “Spice,” a drug and vital material in the universe’s economy, but the planet’s harsh environment and unnavigated cultures are significant obstacles. While the Harkonnen rule was oppressive to the native Fremen people, Leto seeks to align with them and develop a stronger establishment on the desert planet.
9 The Harkonnens And Sardaukar Attacked House Atreides
The Emperor’s Sardaukar military force supported the Harkonnens in assaulting Arrakis.
Leto’s plan for governing Arrakis is wise, but he ultimately underestimates the speed and viciousness at which the Harkonnens retaliate. Not only do the Harkonnen forces assault House Atreides in one of the most epic sci-fi movie battles, but their forces are supplemented by the Sardaukar, an elite military force of the Emperor. The assault results in Leto’s death, the near collapse of Atreides forces, and Paul and Lady Jessica being forced to flee to the desert.
8 Paul Atreides
Played by Timothée Chalamet, Paul Atreides is Dune’s central character.
Paul Atreides is the main protagonist in Dune, as he’s the son of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica. His parentage gives him a unique uprising, as he’s the heir to a noble family that rules the planet Caladan and has also been trained in the Bene Gesserit ways by his mother, a rarity for men in the Dune universe. Beginning before he and his family leave for Arrakis, Paul has several dreams and visions of events on Arrakis. The visions persist throughout the first film, allowing him to see potential future events.
Paul’s dreams and visions are the result of his unique birth. The Bene Gesserit are a faction of all-female psychics who can manipulate others with the “Voice” and have an enhanced perception of other humans. The organization has an intricate breeding program, planning to eventually birth the “Kwisatz Haderach,” a superhuman capable of prescience. When Paul arrives in Arrakis, he ingests the Spice, and his prophetic powers become more potent, confirming that he is Kwisatz Haderach. With this power, the Fremen also believe him to be their messiah, Muad’Dib.
7 Chani
Played by Zendaya, Chani is a Fremen woman whom Paul has seen in his dreams.
Though she was largely absent in 2021’s Dune, Chani is a vital figure in the narratives of the two films. She first appears in Paul’s dreams, despite the two having not yet met. Chani is a Fremen woman who ends up meeting Paul late in the first film when he escapes to the desert and establishes himself with her tribe. The first film barely establishes Chani’s character, but she’ll be instrumental going forward.
6 Lady Jessica
Played by Rebecca Ferguson, Lady Jessica is Paul’s mother and part of the Bene Gesserit.
A central character in both Dune films, Lady Jessica, is the illegitimate daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. She’s a member of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood who, before Dune, was tasked with breeding a daughter with Leto Atreides to produce the Kwisatz Hadarach later. However, Lady Jessica and Leto fall in love, and she betrays the Bene Gesserit’s wishes by having a son, Paul, instead. Jessica remains Leto’s concubine until his death, and the two never marry, though they raise Paul together. In Dune, she escapes to the desert with Paul at the film’s end.
5 Gurney Halleck
Played by Josh Brolin, Gurney Halleck is the Warmaster of House Atreides.
Played by Josh Brolin, Gurney Halleck is a vital supporting character in the Dune series. He’s a loyal follower of House Atreides and a great friend to both Leto and Lady Jessica. Aside from leading Leto’s war council, Halleck also directly trains Paul in weaponry, along with Duncan Idaho. Halleck attempts to defend the Atreides establishment when it’s assaulted by Harkonnen and Sardaukar forces, but they’re unprepared for the overwhelming forces. Leading into the second film, Halleck has fleed along with a small force of troops.
4 Stilgar
Played by Javier Bardem, Stilgar is a Fremen leader.
Another character scarcely introduced in Dune, Stilgar, is a Fremen who leads the Sietch Tabr, the community Paul and Lady Jessica encounter at the end of the first film. Stilgar was also seen earlier in Dune, brought to Leto Atreides for a formal introduction by Duncan Idaho, in hopes of planning an alliance in the future. Stilgar spits on the ground in front of Leto, which is actually a sign of respect among Fremen, as water and bodily fluids are commodities on Arrakis.
3 Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Played by Stellan Skarsgård, Vladimir Harkonnen is a rival of House Atreides and a central antagonist.
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the central antagonist of 2021’s Dune, portrayed as his house’s physically terrifying, cruel leader. Baron Harkonnen has clear ill intent for House Atreides, whom he sees as his enemy and rival. When Arrakis is taken from him and given to Duke Leto, Baron Harkonnen seeks out the opportunity to take it back by force. His supporters include Piter de Vries (David Dastmalchian), a Mentat killed in the first film, and Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), a brutal Harkonnen warlord and the Baron’s nephew. Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Baron Harkonnen’s other nephew, in Dune: Part 2.
2 Duke Leto Atreides Was Killed
Duke Leto Atreides was betrayed and captured before being killed by Baron Harkonnen.
A central thread in the 2021 Dune film is the betrayal of House Atreides, in which Doctor Wellington Yueh, a loyal Atreides Suk doctor, gives up Leto to the Harkonnens. Baron Harkonnen has allegedly captured Yueh’s wife, hoping she’ll be returned to him if he betrays Leto. Yueh equips Leto with a poisoned tooth before betraying him, which Leto can use at the last moment to kill Baron Harkonnen. Unfortunately, the poison only takes out Piter de Vries, as Baron Harkonnen escapes in time. Leto’s death opens up the rule of House Atreides to Paul, whom the Harkonnen forces believe is dead.
1 Paul Atreides Survived The Attack (And Found The Fremen)
Paul Atreides escaped the Harkonnen assault and fled to the desert, where he won over Fremen supporters.
Paul Atreides narrowly survives imprisonment after Harkonnen and Sardaukar forces advance on House Atreides. He’s captured with Lady Jessica, and the two use the Voice to escape, crash-landing deep in the desert. The mother/son duo come across Stilgar and his Fremen, where Paul is forced to duel a man named Jamis, whom he kills, claiming his first life. The film’s end sees Paul joining the Fremen, hinting at the desert power Leto described, which will be a considerable aspect of Dune: Part 2.
Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two is the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film that covers the novel’s events by Frank Herbert. The movie continues the quest of Paul Atreides on a journey of revenge against those who slew his family. With insight into the future, Atreides may be forced to choose between his one true love and the universe’s fate.
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Legendary Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Writers
- Denis Villeneuve , Jon Spaihts
- Budget
- $122 Million
