Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movie franchise introduced a world where there are no characters that are truly good or evil. Each one of them is woven in complex patterns, painted as morally grey rather than in plain black and white.
Each figure exists to serve his own interests above that of others. It can be universally accepted that Frank Herbert’s Dune novels were written to represent human conditions rather than distinguish who’s good and who’s evil.
Dune Characters: The Good, The Bad, And The In-Between
From the beginning, fans know that Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is the protagonist, and the entire Dune narrative revolves around him. We know that Harkonnens are the bad guys, evidently just by the way they look.
Then here comes the Bene Gesserit, an ancient organization of powerful women trained in every unimaginable skill. The Fremen people who reside on the desert planet Arrakis form an integral part of the establishment of the Atreides Empire.
There are many other figures in the Dune franchise that represent their own race, culture, religion, and political stance. They vary in their interests, methods of accomplishment, goals and agenda, but what do they share in common? They all want to survive, flourish, and conquer.
Take the Bene Gessirit, for example. They are morally ambiguous, and they have an inherent objective of preservation, but they are ruthless in the pursuit of this goal.
There are debates about whether Paul, the central character in the movie, is the main villain. He is simply a deeply flawed and devious anti-hero often put in situations where there are no winning positions.
His visions encouraged him to tread the path of the Fremen messiah because the other way would mean death for him and Lady Jessica. He definitely does not want to endanger both of them, although he is aware of the possibility that choosing this would spell mass genocide.
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the cold-blooded villain in Dune: Part Two, is perceived as treacherous, cruel, and impulsive. He is wicked in many ways, but isn’t he just the twisted version of Paul? Remember that both men are products of centuries of breeding and preparation. They are both manipulated and at the mercy of forces that loom greater than them.
The Fremen, on the other hand, are the results of the mentality of survival. They have long been dubbed as fanatical killers, but given their bitter history of migrating from planet to planet, the Harkonnens subjecting them to abuse, and having to defend themselves in their own land, one can say they have been shaped by their unfortunate circumstances.
The Real Villain In Dune – Revealed
What’s brilliant about Frank Herbert’s Dune is the fact that it serves more as a complex meditation on humanity rather than a story about good and evil. It exhibited every character as flawed and conflicted, yet with a strong desire to preserve life and civilization.
So, who is really the villain in Dune? No one and everyone.
The author once said about his novel: “I am showing you the superhero syndrome, and your own participation in it,” as he emphasized the idea of superheroes being detrimental to humanity.
Dune: Part Two is now showing in theaters.
