Summary

• Paul becomes Muad'Dib & gains new powers in the Dune 2 plot, setting the stage for his journey towards fulfilling his destiny.
• Jessica's transformation into a Reverend Mother solidifies Paul's position as the Fremen messiah.
• Paul's retaliation against the Harkonnens and emperor leads to him becoming the ruler of the known universe.

WARNING: Spoilers for Dune and Dune: Part Two below.Denis Villeneuve's Dune only tells half the story of Frank Herbert's original novel, leaving much of the story for the Dune 2 plot. The novel follows Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto and Lady Jessica. When their status as a noble house threatens the emperor of the feudal-like galaxy, the Atreides are given stewardship over the planet Arrakis. Despite knowing that this setup is a trap, Duke Leto and his family journey to Arakkis and are immediately embroiled in the complicated geopolitics of this new planet.

House Harkonnen, the mortal enemies of House Atreides and the former stewards of Arrakis, leave much of the planet in disarray after their brutal relationship with the Fremen, people indigenous to Arrakis. The Harkonnens, with the help of the emperor's elite army of Sardaukar, massacre most of the of the house. Duke Leto doesn't make it out alive, but Paul and Lady Jessica flee into the desert where they run into a group of Fremen. The film ends with Paul's duel with another Fremen, Jamis, with the rest of the story picked up in 2024's Dune: Part Two.

Paul Becomes Muad'Dib: Powers & Prescience Explained

Paul Continues To Gain New Powers And Abilities

In the Dune novel, Paul's duel with Jamis takes place in the Fremen stronghold Sietch Tabr, the place where Stilgar and Chani are leading Paul and Jessica at the end of Dune. Villeneuve wisely moves the moment up, capping Dune's ending off with the fight. Much of the rest of Paul and Jessica's initial interaction with Stilgar and Chani takes place in the film as it does in the books, with slight variations.

Paul's fight with Jamis leads Stilgar to call him Usul.

It is at Sietch Tabr, though, where Paul comes into his own. Paul's fight with Jamis leads Stilgar to call him Usul (meaning the base of a pillar) and he also chooses the name Muad'Dib for himself. As Paul grows into his role in the Sietch, he also develops stronger abilities. The desert of Arrakis, and the Fremen themselves, consume more of the spice mélange directly and this only serves to heighten Paul Atreides' powers of prescience.

Paul can see into the past and future, as well as be aware of everything going on in the universe at any given time. Still, he is not fully satisfied with his abilities. He eventually becomes convinced that he must drink the Water of Life, a poison from the body of a sandworm that only women have been able to withstand. Paul drinks the Water of Life anyway and his powers become fully formed, setting him on the path to fulfilling his destiny.

Jessica Becomes A Reverend Mother, Alia Is Born

Paul Is Established As The Messiah Due To Jessica's Story Arc

Lady Jessica also finds herself in an interesting position when she gets to the Sietch. As a Bene Gesserit, one of the many guilds in Dune, she can teach the Fremen her expertise in the combat style known as the Weirding Way. Despite this, though, Stilgar is still concerned about her position within the Sietch and convinces her that she should take on the role of Reverend Mother. To do so, she will have to drink the Water of Life.

Jessica's position as a Reverend Mother also solidifies Paul's position as the messiah of the Fremen.

Unbeknownst to Jessica, though, is the fact that she is pregnant with Duke Leto's unborn daughter. While drinking the Water of Life gives Jessica all the wisdom of a Reverend Mother, it does the same to her daughter, making Alia wise beyond her years when she is finally born. Jessica's position as a Reverend Mother also solidifies Paul's position as the messiah of the Fremen, setting in motion the events of the future.

Paul and Chani Have A Son

Jessica Isn't The Only Character To Become A Parent

While their relationship starts rather cold, Paul and Chani eventually become close, much to Jessica's chagrin. Their relationship, which blossoms over the two years that Paul and Jessica live in Seitch Tabr in the novel, leads to the birth of their son, whom they decide to name after Paul's father, giving him the name Leto II.

Unfortunately, Leto II is not long for this world. In an escalation of the tensions between Paul, the Fremen, the Harkonnens, and the emperor himself, the emperor's Sardaukar troops are sent to attack the Sietch. Knowing that Paul is Muad'Dib, the emperor hopes to quell the rising power of the Fremen. While the emperor doesn't succeed in reaching Paul, Leto II is killed in the process and Alia is captured by the Sardaukar forces.

Gurney Halleck Is Alive

Josh Brolin's Character Survived To See The Sequel

It is eventually revealed the Dune 2 plot that Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck survived the Harkonnen attack on the Atreides, becoming a smuggler and entrenching himself with Arrakis natives. During a Fremen raid on a spice harvester, Paul and Jessica learn that Gurney is alive, but the reunion isn't all sweet. Gurney believes Jessica to be the one who betrayed the Atreides, and he attempts to kill her.

Paul eventually stops him, but this instance is what leads him to drink the Water of Life when he realizes that his prescience didn't foresee Gurney's reappearance.

Paul Rallies The Fremen Against the Harkonnens

Becoming The Messiah Requires Paul To Inspire An Uprising

To take revenge against those who destroyed his family, Paul begins helping the Fremen stop the mining of spice on Arrakis. The goal is two-fold: not only will this cripple the Harkonnens' infrastructure and their most coveted export, but it also prompts the Fremen to see Paul as a leader. This leadership is exactly what leads them to believe Paul is their messiah, prompting an unstoppable, galaxy-wide crusade that will result in quite a bit of bloodshed.

Paul Takes Revenge Against The Harkonnens & The Emperor

The Planet Of Dune Is Liberated From The Baron's Control

After the attacks on the Harkonnens' spice harvesters and increasing whispers of a messianic figure known as Muad'Dib, the emperor himself travels to Arrakis. This is when Paul initiates his final attack. Using nuclear weapons, he destroys the shield wall protecting the capital city of Arrakis, Arrakeen, and, along with numerous Fremen, rides the sandworms native to Dune into the city.

They overwhelm the emperor and the Harkonnens' forces and take back the planet. Simultaneously, Alia manages to escape captivity and kill Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. During this, though, she finds out that the Baron is her and Paul's grandfather and Lady Jessica's real father.

Paul Becomes Emperor of the Known Universe

The Dune 2 Plot Sets Paul Further On The Path Toward His Destiny

After defeating the Harkonnens' forces and with the baron now dead, Paul still has to deal with the baron's nephew, Feyd-Rautha, and the emperor himself. Feyd challenges Paul to a duel to the death and, unable to see whether he will succeed, Paul agrees. Despite some trickery from Feyd in the form of a poisoned knife, Paul triumphs, killing his opponent.

With the Harkonnens now dispatched and Paul the ruler of Arrakis, he is in control of the universe's most coveted resource, spice melange. This forces the emperor's hand, and he sends all of his troops home lest Paul destroy the spice. The emperor then abdicates the throne, naming Paul as the ruler of the known universe.

To ensure his safety, Paul marries the emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Irulan, while Chani remains his lover, companion, and mother of his heirs. Dune 2 ends with Paul accepting the new bride, but Chani leaves heartbroken, while Paul starts his journey to oversee the beginning of Muad'Dib's holy war, something that his actions in the novel and the Dune movie have set in motion and something that he is unable to stop.