Dune: Part Two: Who Dies in the Sci-Fi Sequel?

Let's break down the Dune sequel's big deaths.

By Jenna Anderson

Dune: Part Two is currently playing in theaters, and the sci-fi film has already found critical and financial success alike. The star-studded film offered a fresh new take on the source material of Frank Herbert — which, in the process, led to the death of quite a few characters.

So, who dies in Dune: Part Two? Keep reading to find out.

Who Dies in Dune: Part Two?

Outside of a few soldiers and other unnamed characters, the significant character deaths in Dune: Part Two don't occur until the film's third act, once Paul Atredies (Timothee Chalamet) launches an all-out war on the Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken). This includes Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista), who gets a rematch against Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and ultimately perishes.

Once Paul enters the Emperor's headquarters to make a play for the throne, he does so by first killing Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), who he has recently learned is his grandfather. This is an action Paul does not take in the source material, instead falling on his sister Alia (played, in a flash-forward, by Anya Taylor-Joy). And finally, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) offers to fight in the Baron's place in Paul's duel to claim the throne, and he gets stabbed as a result. 

Will There Be a Dune 3?

As fans of Herbert's books know, the grand narrative of Dune extends far beyond the events of the first book — and to an extent, the first two films still leave some things unexplored. For starters, Paul's efforts to make Arrakis into "paradise" have not been shown, outside of a flash-forward with a now-adult Alia confirming that his plans were a success, and that Arrakis will have water once again in the future. Dune director Denis Villeneuve has teased that a script for a third film, Dune: Messiah, exists, and that he is focusing on telling the best possible distillation of the source material.

"I'm working on four different screenplays -- I know that Dune: Messiah will be one of them, I don't know if it will be the next or the second next," Villeneuve shared in an interview earlier this year. "My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible -- the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune: Messiah."

What Is Dune: Part Two About?

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. 

The big-screen epic Dune: Part Two includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, and Léa Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Frank Herbert's iconic novel. 

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How do you feel about the character deaths in Dune: Part Two? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Dune: Part Two is now playing exclusively in theaters.

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