Paul & Feyd-Rautha’s Fight In Dune 2 Creates A Major Inconsistency For Both Men

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Dune: Part Two

In Dune: Part Two, the final fight between Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) creates a major inconsistency for both men. Dune: Part Two follows Paul as he unites with the Fremens to carry out revenge on the Harkonnens and the people who destroyed his family. A key aspect of Paul’s story sees him preparing to take on Feyd-Rautha, a psychotic killer and heir to House Harkonnen.

The ending of Dune 2 revolves around a fight to the death between the two warriors. It’s an epic showdown that also holds deeper meaning for the rest of the Dune franchise when Paul emerges victorious. However, while Paul and Feyd-Rautha are depicted as being relatively evenly matched throughout their fight, this shouldn’t be the case.

Dune 2 Repeatedly Proves How Great Of A Fighter Paul Is Before He Fights Feyd-Rautha

The first Dune film featured scenes of Paul being taught how to fight in combat by his mentors, Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), and in Part Two, he is seen putting the skills he learned to the test. While training with the Fremens and ultimately gaining their trust, Paul displays his exceptional fighting skills on a number of occasions. Notably, when Paul assists the Fremens with raids on Harkonnen spice operations, he appears to be able to take down Harkonnen soldiers with apparent ease, proving how much of a better combatant he is than them.

The Harkonnen soldiers, though essentially faceless grunts, are, nevertheless, meant to pose somewhat of a threat to Paul. Therefore, if Paul is such a strong and skilled fighter capable of swatting away Harkonnen soldiers like flies, as portrayed in several instances throughout the movie, it stands to reason that he would easily win a fight against someone like Feyd-Rautha. After all, though Feyd-Rautha is missing from Dune: Part One, in Part Two, he is never shown to be much, if at all, stronger than his fellow Harkonnens.

Feyd-Rautha’s Arena Fight Exposed Some Of His Weaknesses

The inconsistency between the fighting skill levels of the two men only becomes more apparent when Feyd-Rautha’s own combative abilities are considered. For instance, a notable Dune: Part Two scene set on the Harkonnens’ black and white home planet involves Feyd-Rautha taking on three Atreides warriors in an arena setting. Two of the fighters are drugged, and Feyd-Rautha swiftly takes care of both of them. However, unbeknownst to Feyd-Rautha, the third Atreides fighter hasn’t been given the suppressant drug and, as such, is able to fight totally unimpeded.

The undrugged warrior is shown to be a challenge for Feyd-Rautha, who struggles to defeat him. Though Feyd-Rautha is eventually victorious, the difficulty he has in overcoming his opponent proves to be humiliating for the Harkonnen heir. Additionally, the fact that Feyd-Rautha was almost overpowered by a nameless Atreides fighter whose skills are nowhere near that of Paul’s, further highlights how the final fight shouldn’t have been as evenly matched as it was. Paul, theoretically, should’ve won with ease.

Why Dune 2’s Paul & Feyd-Rautha Fight Still Works Despite The Inconsistent Skill Levels

Ultimately, despite the inconsistencies, Dune: Part Two‘s climatic fight between Paul and Feyd-Rautha still works. For starters, it could be argued that, during the final duel, Paul’s abilities as a fighter were inhibited by nerves. After all, his fight with Feyd-Rautha carried far more pressure and weight to it than any of Paul’s previous scraps. At this point, he was fighting for the throne and to avenge his family once and for all. It only makes sense that he would be feeling nervous at that moment and that his nerves would throw him off.

Fatigue likely played a role as well, with Paul fresh off other fights shown in the movie. Additionally, with Feyd-Rautha likely aware of their differing skill sets, his unpredictable nature became a valuable tool that helped him last longer than he otherwise might have.

While the discrepancy surrounding Dune: Part Two‘s fighting skill levels certainly raises a few questions, ultimately, it doesn’t detract from the spectacle that is the final dual. It’s a tense and dramatic sequence enhanced by clever direction, inspired choreography, and committed performances by both Chalamet and Butler. Though it makes very little sense that both Paul and Feyd-Rautha are shown to be evenly matched at this point, in many ways, it makes for a more exciting climax to the movie.