The Argument About Paul Being Either a Hero or a Villain Clarified
Frank Herbert purposefully employs all the elements of a classic "chosen one" narrative in Dune to emphasize his point: Paul isn't Heroic. If anything, he's a sad person who uses questionable methods to get at his objectives. Paul first finds great delight living on Arrakis and learning more about the planet that generates spices. Paul finds his objectives line those of the Fremen people after his father is killed by House Harkonnen (at the Emperor's order). Though for opposite reasons, Paul and the Fremen both wish to topple the Harkonnens.
Paul's future rests on the Bene Gesserit breeding program. Jessica utilizes her knowledge of the Fremen's religious beliefs to her advantage when Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), flee into the desert and seek safety with a Fremen sietch. Jessica not only understands the Bene Gesserit's Kwisatz Haderach plot but also knows her matriarchal order planted the roots of the Fremen belief in a messiah, Lisan al Gaib. Lady Jessica's own interventions help to link Paul's future to the Bene Gesserit breeding scheme. Though Paul is the predicted superbeing, he is hesitant to take on the moniker for good cause.
Dune 2 Clearly Shows Paul Not To be a Hero
Paul must decide whether to follow the call of his intended fate or completely evade the weight. Paul must decide whether to heed the call of his imagined destiny or dodge the load entirely after mounting attacks on the Harkonnen spice-harvesting system and ingratiating himself with the Fremen people. Once more, it appears like a fairly conventional sci-fi cliché, yet Paul's resistance has nothing to do with Heroism. Given some dream visions of the future, Paul understands that taking on the position of Fremen messiah will set off a sequence of relentless, violent events. Liberating Arrakis and exacting revenge for his father seem to him not quite worth the violence that will follow.
Paul sided with Chani and the younger Fremen most of Dune 2; he feels that one of their own people should lead them and argues he isn't the foretold Lisan al Gaib. Lady Jessica, meantime, experiences the spice pain by drinking the poisonous Water of Life; she uses her authority as a Reverend Mother to persuade fundamentalists and other Fremen of Paul's destiny. Paul first objects to his mother's behavior, but ultimately caves to the call of destiny after the Harkonnen viciously bomb a Fremen outpost since he thinks his decision is the lesser of two bad choices. The follow-up to Dune, Dune Messiah likewise explores Paul's decisions' terrible consequences.
Dune 2 Illustrates How Terrifying Paul Atreides Would Be As a Full Villain
Paul releases Arrakis successfully, but his actions are anything from heroic. Paul is also defying his every instinct when he yields to the Bene Gesserit's fable and drinks the Water of Life — so unlocking clairvoyance over time and space and becoming the predicted Kwisatz Haderach. He does the one thing he has been avoiding all through the movie. But Paul's degree of fulfillment of his destiny is most unsettling. Dune's Paul reveals his terrible capacity for evil when he summons the Fremen into a meeting and threatens them with his foresight.
The religious fervor Paul generates kills over 61 billion people overall. Paul's actions gravely reveal the ever dubious Chani. Paul acts as though it's the right (and only) decision even though he lets himself succumb to the temptation of becoming the all-powerful Lisan al Gaib. In some respects, Paul's affiliation with the Fremen is a potent weapon in order to stop the Harkonnens. Still, Paul's mind turns to govern so many people. The Kwisatz Haderach orders his Fremen to assault the orbiting fleets, therefore starting his predicted holy war when the other great houses reject Paul as Emperor.
Why is Paul's Villain Turn In Dune 2 really tragic?
At the end of Herbert's Dune Paul Atreides discovers that although he is freeing Arrakis and reaching his goal—amassing enough power and influence to topple the Harkonnens and the Emperor—there is a dreadful down-side. Paul cannot control or suppress the strong belief in him among the Fremen people, which drives their will to rule the planet in his name. Arrakis's liberation sets up a brutal holy war in short terms. Dune's terrible ending serves as a sobering reminder to be cautious of heroes—especially those who reach godlike glory.
Paul pushes back against the prophesies and does not want the holy war to start; however, he also thinks that the only realistic path forward is to let the stories shape him. Previous movie adaptations have not been able to accurately mine this feeling. Lynch's portrayal of Paul, as a heroic white saviour character, conforms to the nature of film and what viewers expect out of big sci-fi productions. Dune is about "showing you the superhero syndrome and your own participation in it," Herbert says, and Dune 2 is very much aware of that aim.
How far will Dune 3 take Paul down the Villain Path?
Dune 3 is confirmed as in development; a script is under work right now. Drawing on earlier remarks by Denis Villeneuve, it will be based on Herbert's Dune Messiah sequel to the first Dune book. Dune: Part Three looks most likely to solidify Paul as the Villain of the trilogy, rather than its hero, depending on how closely Villeneuve's film follows the source material. Herbert's original works did not make this apparent, but Villeneuve's handling of Paul's character thus far suggests he is choosing the view of him as an overall antagonist.
Though it is quite improbable Paul Atreides will come across as a hero by the time the Dune: Part Three script is finished it will be hard to tell for sure how the trilogy concludes. Twelve years following the original Dune book, Dune Messiah takes place amid the Holy War between Paul and the Fremen against the rest of the galaxy. Their war has claimed billions of lives and covered great parts of the galaxy. The Bene Gesserit and a few other groups oppose him; yet, his ultimate dethroning results primarily from internal family strife and a Fremen plot against him. Given the amount of death Paul has inflicted in his name, it is quite doubtful that Villeneuve will present Paul as a hero even if those who disagree with him aren't exactly heroes either. At least throughout the Atreides arc, it's always been unclear exactly who the hero of the Dune story is; in Villeneuve's interpretation, Zendaya's character Chani seems to be the closest thing the movies have to provide an opponent. Paul's sister Alia, though, might potentially have a role in this respect. Until the Dune: Part Three script is finished, it will be difficult to know exactly how the trilogy ends, but it does seem highly unlikely Paul Atreides will come across as a hero by the time it does. Villeneuve has already made many noteworthy changes to Frank Herbert's novels for the Dune movies.
Dune: Part Two—A Masterpiece Cinematicly
Dune: Part Two is the follow-up to Denis Villeneuve's 2021 Frank Herbert-based film on events of the novel. The film carries on Paul Atreides' search of retribution against those who killed his family. Insightful about the future, Atreides might have to decide between the fate of the universe and his one true love.
Building on the basis set by the previous movie and providing a closer examination of the issues of fate, power, and the human condition, the visually beautiful and emotionally poignant sequel offers Fans of the series as well as anybody who like provocative science fiction should definitely check out Part Two.
