While Paul isn't a purely evil villain, many fans believe that he is, especially after the way he took the throne by betraying his one true love, Chani. Even though this was a major deviation from the books, his actions tied into Herbert's point.
Director Denis Villeneuve wanted to make it clear that Paul Atreides is an anti-hero in Dune: Part Two, to fully share Frank Herbert's vision for the character. (Warner Bros.)
Noting that the characters in Dune fit mythological archetypes, Brian Herbert wrote that "Paul is the hero prince on a quest who weds the daughter of a 'king'".
In his interview, Villeneuve was asked to comment on whether Paul thinks he is the messiah or whether he merely “decide[s] to let the Fremen believe that he is.” Villeneuve answered that he doesn't “think he believes that he is the Messiah.” Instead, Paul feels the weight of the role that the Bene Gesserit “have laid ...
Paul's decision to marry Princess Irulan and lead billions to death sets him up as a ruthless leader in Dune 3. Dune 3 will focus on Paul's antagonistic traits, adapting its story from Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah to explore his consequences further.
Though rationalizing his rise to power as one meant to avert the Jihad, Paul is also consumed by vengeance over his father and is predominantly driven by revenge—a newly elicited coldness in Paul that he feels separates him from his humanity, and one he feels isolates him from the values of morality and honour his ...
Dune Messiah Proves Paul Is An Antihero, Not A True Villain
While this seemingly paints a black-and-white picture of how Chani is now on the good side while Paul is on the evil end of the spectrum, Dune Messiah will prove that Paul's narrative is more complex, and he is more of an anti-hero.
While Paul does marry Princess Irulan, Chani is the one he truly loves. Thus, he makes Chani his concubine, causing Irulan to get immensely jealous. Chani and Paul eventually have twins, although, after years of Irulan secretly drugging Chani, she dies shortly after, marking a tragic end to her and Paul's relationship.
What is Paul Atreides' affiliation and relationships? Paul Atreides is loyal to House Atreides, the Fremen, and Sietch Tabr. He is the son of Leto Atreides I and Lady Jessica Atreides. He is married to Irulan Corrino and has children named Leto Atreides II and Ghanima Atreides.
At one point in Dune: Part Two, Chani tells Paul "You will never lose me, as long as you stay who you are." They are ultimately torn apart because he fails at this very thing, forsaking the persona of the humble boy who sought to help the Fremen, in favor of the power-crazed prophet who leads them into holy war.
Not only has he now featured Stellan Skarsgård as the diabolical Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in two Dune films, but Dune: Part Two introduces Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who, as played by Austin Butler, instantly becomes one of the most dynamic and memorable antagonists in years.
Frank Herbert's Dune and its sequel, Dune Messiah, shaped Alia as a bit more evil than she first let on. It may well have had to do with the Water of Life trial her mother took and the fact this allowed past Reverend Mothers into her very fabric.
The Bene Gesserit haven't been sitting around waiting for the foreordained birth of the Kwisatz Haderach. They've been actively attempting to create their messiah by breeding selected bloodlines together across untold generations. Paul is just the result of this breeding program. He's not the chosen one.
His skills, learned from the Mysterious Bene Gesserit, include the Voice and use of bladed weapons. By drinking the Water of Life, Paul's powers reach even greater heights, leading to him becoming a powerful and revered figure.
Finally, in Brian Herbert's sequels Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, written with Kevin J. Anderson, Chani and Paul are reunited as awakened gholas—the Fremen version of a cross between a golem and a clone. They declare their everlasting love for each other and live happily ever after.
I've seen it." Let's remember he believes this is the better "narrow way through" among all world-ending possibilities, so he must know that Chani will eventually forgive him. This is still a slight deviation from the end of the novel as Chani doesn't leave Paul when he has his victory over Feyd-Rautha.
Despite the clear attraction between Paul and Chani in the movie as well as her prominence in his visions, she does not become his wife in the books. Like with his parents, Duke Leto and Lady Jessica, this arrangement is purely political, as it allows Paul to marry Princess Irulan and secure his power in the galaxy.
Jessica is also revealed to be the secret daughter of the Baron Harkonnen himself. Paul soon molds the Fremen into a massive army with which he hopes to retake the planet from Imperial rule.
However, Chani eventually changes to an ancient Fremen diet to enhance fertility; Irulan is unable to interfere, and Chani soon becomes pregnant. Tragically, Chani dies giving birth to the twins Ghanima and Leto II.
At the end of Dune: Part Two, Chani is betrayed by Paul's decision to marry Princess Irulan after he defeats Feyd-Rautha and demands himself to be acknowledged as the new Emperor.
It's eventually confirmed that the Preacher is Paul, who survived the desert. Paul dies in Children of Dune when Alia's priests stab him. However, he lives on as an ancestral memory in the next book, God Emperor of Dune.
Even so, viewers have debated whether Paul Atreides ends up being a hero or a villain. Thankfully, Denis Villeneuve's Dune series leans hard into Herbert's original intentions. On the other hand, the ending of David Lynch's 1984 Dune adaptation paints Paul (Kyle MacLachlan) as a triumphant hero.
Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen), the Atreides family physician who also serves as the harbinger of their downfall when he betrays them to their sworn enemy the Harkonnens.
