Summary

• Austin Butler's Feyd-Rautha design in Dune: Part Two is a major improvement over Sting's goofy 1984 version.
• Butler's look aligns with the character's heritage and it allows the actor to focus on portraying Feyd-Rautha's inner rage and savagery.
• Critics' initial complaints about Butler's unrecognizable appearance will subside once the film is released.

There's been spirited debate about Austin Butler's "unrecognizable" appearance as Dune: Part Two villain Feyd-Rautha, but his look is a major improvement over the 1984 original. Dune is one of the most influential pieces of sci-fi writing of the 20th century, so it's hard to underline how disappointed readers were by David Lynch's adaptation. The director's take on Frank Herbert's source material may have been ambiguous and visually sumptuous, but it made far too many trims to the book and its story and pacing were a mess.

Denis Villeneuve's Dune split the book in two, with the first half receiving critical and commercial success in 2021. Austin Butler has ed the cast as Feyd-Rautha, the nephew of the vile Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Feyd-Rautha is a major character in Herbert's novel and the Lynch movie, but he was held back for the sequel since there was little room for him in the 2021 original.

Austin Butler's Feyd-Rautha Design Is WAY Better Than Sting's

Sting's Feyd-Rautha design robbed the character of menace

For context, Feyd-Rautha is being groomed by Baron Harkonnen to become the ruler of Arrakis, and to Feyd-Rautha's mind, he's the hero of the story. The character's journey is similar to Paul's, though being from House Harkonnen, he's obviously way more brutal and immoral. There has been some controversy over Butler's severe look in Dune: Part Two, with the actor being hard to recognize under so many layers of makeup. His appearance is not only in keeping with the character's heritage, but Butler's look is so much cooler than Sting's Feyd-Rautha from Lynch's Dune.

Dune was also adapted by The Sci-Fi Channel in 2000 as a three-part miniseries titled Frank Herbert's Dune.

Sting is introduced in the 1984 movie in some winged underpants and a shock of red hair. While the musician might be a charismatic figure, it was rather hard to take him seriously as a terrifying warrior in his leather jumpsuit.

In short, Feyd-Rautha's design in the 1984 original looked too goofy, whereas Butler's Dune: Part Two look is right for the character.

Not only does the design dial back on Butler's natural good looks, it allows the actor to focus on bringing out the character's inner rage and savagery.

Butler's Feyd-Rautha Makes Sense, Despite The Criticism

One element of the criticism Butler's Feyd-Rautha design has received seems to overlook is that it makes complete sense for the character to look that way. He's visually in line with the Baron or Dave Bautista's Glossu Rabban, not to mention the other inhabitants of Harkonnen Homeworld, Giedi Prime. Instead of the campy design selected for Sting's version, Feyd-Rautha feels part of the visual aesthetic of Villeneuve's Dune and doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.

Outlets might complain about Butler's "unrecognizable" appearance in Dune: Part Two, but it's easy to predict those observations will die away once the actual film arrives. Not only does it give the actor the chance to play a character who is the total opposite of Elvis, but he also feels like an actual threat to franchise hero, Paul. In the Lynch film, the winner of the climatic knife fight between Paul and Feyd-Rautha was predictable; in Dune: Part Two, the outcome doesn't feel so certain.

Denis Villeneuve's Dune is currently streaming on MAX and Netflix.