Every Major Death In Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Explained

Many major characters died in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Here is a glimpse of some of them with a comparison to the novel.

Dune – A Sneak Peek

Villeneuve’s Dune includes a phenomenal set of cast, including some of the biggest names in Hollywood. But apparently, they didn’t live in the movie to see the ending. That is somewhat similar to what happened in Drank Herbert’s original novel, Dune. One thing that differed in the movie was the demise of some characters, probably because of the availability of a massive amount of content.

The story of the film included everything from war, betrayal, religious zeal, and political intrigue. There were plenty of family feuds that went through generations – layers over layers of backstabbing and scheming. It also included numerous blood battles within the clans. Within this dramatic plot, the expected lifespan is something that cannot be long. The movie only covers the first half of the novel by Herbert and within that first half, numerous major characters get stabbed, slain, and poisoned. However, it was just the beginning of Paul Atreides’ journey.

Because some of the secret motivations and rivalries of characters were wiped off in the film, understanding how they died became confusing. Here’s a sneak peek into some of the major character’s death in Dune –

Dr. Wellington Yueh

Dr. Wellington is the very first character who falls in Dune. He was House Atreides’ family physician. While the character wasn’t there for a long time in the film, it was an essential part of the novel. This explained why Harkonnens captured his wife and asked Yueh to betray the Atreides to save her. Despite doing so much for the family, Dr. Wellington still dies at the hands of Baron.

Duke Leto Atreides

The next major character who dies shortly after Dr. Yueh is Duke Leto Atreides, father to Paul and partner to Lady Jessica. In both the film and the novel, Duke is betrayed by Dr. Yueh for the sake of his wife’s safety. It was Dr. Yueh who replaced his false tooth with a poisonous capsule. As Duke bites his tooth, the capsule kills him.

Piter De Vries

Another character who didn’t receive as much screen time as given in the novel is Piter De Vries. In the novel, Piter gets killed by Duke’s attack on Harkonnen. But in the film, the situation was a bit different. Duke didn’t confirm that whether or not Piter died from poison and that is why it was partially assumed that he was killed in the same way as in the book.

Dr. Liet-Kynes

In the novel, Dune, Dr. Liet-Kynes falls while traversing through Arrakis’ treacherous sands. In the movie, Kynes manages to escape the Sardaukar attack and lands a sandworm for safety. But apparently, right before the worm arrives, one of the enemy soldiers stabs Kynes and she dies. This was perhaps a notable change that showed up between the novel and the film.

With that said, Dune is now premiering in the theaters.

Source: Screen Rant