Summary

• House Atreides and House Harkonnen are intricately connected through Paul Atreides' heritage, showcasing the complexities of Dune's family dynamics.
• The Bene Gesserit's subtle influence and breeding program shape the fate of key characters, hinting at a larger plan for humanity's future.
• Paul Atreides straddles both Atreides and Harkonnen bloodlines, embodying the legacy of rival houses in Dune: Part Two's intricate narrative.

As proven by Dune's houses and factions is crucial since nothing in Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi epic is coincidental. Looking at how other key characters relate to the film's protagonist, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), can make matters more digestible, especially since Paul is a product of the Bene Gesserit breeding program even if his birth was a bit surprising to the order.

Through years of physical and mental conditioning, Bene Gesserit agents unlock superhuman abilities, from exerting control over others through a technique called The Voice to having the ability to alter their internal organs and body chemistry. Despite being a formidable religious and political force, the Bene Gesserit never assert their power directly. Instead, they use their abilities to gently influence humanity along a trajectory that suits them best. Ultimately, the Bene Gesserit's goal is to birth the Kwisatz Haderach — a messiah-like superbeing. Through the breeding program, the order collects genetic material and shapes bloodlines, including the Atreides family tree.

Duke Leto Atreides Is Paul's Father

A Father-Son Legacy

Duke Leto Atreides, who is played by Oscar Isaac in 2021's Dune, is Paul Atreides' father.

Duke Leto Atreides, who is played by Oscar Isaac in 2021's Dune, is Paul Atreides' father. The even-handed ruler of the planet Caladan, Leto Atreides I is known for his comion — though his enemies don't always count that as a strength. Despite his political position, Leto has Paul with Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), a Bene Gesserit who is labeled a "concubine" in Herbert's novel. Although he's killed in the t Harkonnen-Sardaukar massacre of House Atreides on Arrakis, the late steward of the desert planet is also father to Alia Atreides (Anya Taylor-Joy).

Lady Jessica Is Paul's Mother

Lady Jessica Shapes Paul Atreides

While Lady Jessica is meant to be an agent of the Bene Gesserit above all else, she puts her love for Duke Leto ahead of the sisterhood's primary aim. Instructed to bear Leto a daughter, Jessica disobeys her orders and gives Leto the son (and heir) he so desires. That said, Paul is something of an anomaly to the Bene Gesserit, who believe that he, as the Kwisatz Haderach, has come a generation early. After undergoing spice agony while pregnant with Alia, Lady Jessica gives birth to a daughter who immediately has the abilities of a Reverend Mother.

Alia Atreides Is Paul's Sister

A Sibling Bond

By far Dune's weirdest character, Alia Atreides is a child born with the mental capacity of an adult Reverend Mother.

By far Dune's weirdest character, Alia Atreides is a child born with the mental capacity of an adult Reverend Mother. Able to access her Bene Gesserit ancestor's genetic memory, she appears wise beyond her years. Alia has her Reverend Mother abilities because Lady Jessica drank the Water of Life, thus undergoing spice agony, while a few months pregnant with Alia. Considered an "abomination" by the Bene Gesserit, Alia is one of Paul's fiercest allies, the one who kills Baron Harkonnen in the Dune book, and, later, the regent for her brother's children.

Chani Is The Mother Of Paul's Children

Chani, Mother of Muad'Dib's Heirs

An irable Fremen warrior in Dune: Part Two, Chani (Zendaya) becomes Paul's lover. Despite her romantic relationship with Paul Atreides, Chani remains skeptical of Paul's supposed destiny. Chani rightly deduces that the Bene Gesserit planted the seeds of the messiah story long ago as a means of eventually exerting control over the Fremen. While Dune 2's ending sees Chani fleeing into the desert without Paul, her book counterpart remains by Paul's side. In fact, Chani and Paul have several children together even though they are not "officially" wed.

Leto Was Paul's First Son

Paul Atreides' Firstborn

Leto, who is named after Paul's late father, was Muad'Dib's firstborn son. During Herbert's Dune, Chani and Paul conceive a child during the latter's time with the Fremen. Tragically, Leto isn't long for the Known Universe. When the Emperor and the Baron arrive on Arrakis, their forces seize a Fremen Sietch and kill many; a young Leto is among those massacred. Perhaps wisely, Denis Villenueve cut Leto from his Dune films, allowing the focus to remain on Paul and Chani's complicated relationship. Plus, since Alia isn't born in Dune: Part Two, dual pregnancy storylines might have needlessly complicated the plot.

Leto II Atreides Is Paul's Second Son

The Legacy Continues with Leto II

Leto II is the twin sibling of Ghanima Atreides.

Born on Arrakis during the events of Dune Messiah to then-Padishah Emperor Paul Atreides and Chani, Leto II is the twin sibling of Ghanima Atreides. After Chani consumes the spice in large quantities, the Atreides twins are born prematurely. Named after both his slain grandfather and his murdered older brother, Leto II becomes a formidable force in later Dune novels. Eventually, Leto II takes the title of God-Emperor and "rules humanity with an iron fist" for thousands of years (via Fandom). An incredibly controversial figure, Leto II marries his twin sister during his rule.

Ghanima Atreides Is Paul's First Daughter

Ghanima Arrives, Illuminating Paul's Path

Born shortly before her brother, Leto II, Ghanima Atreides is primarily raised by her aunt, the Regent Alia, and her stepmother, Princess Irulan Corrino. In a complicated turn of events, Alia becomes possessed by the late Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's persona, prompting Leto to take control of the Empire from his aunt. To consolidate House Atreides' power and control over the Imperial Throne, Leto marries Ghanima to prevent the other Great Houses from trying to attain power through nuptials. Ghanima and Leto II never consummate their marriage, but her official consort, Farad'n Corrino, a relative of Irulan's.

Irulan Corrino Is Paul's Wife

Princess and the Preacher: Irulan Corrino, Consort to Paul Atreides

Played in Dune: Part Two by Florence Pugh, Princess Irulan is the eldest daughter of Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken). Irulan's mother in the novels is Anirul, a Hidden Rank Bene Gesserit, and Dune 2 does emphasize the princess's connections to the sisterhood as well as her influence over her father, the 81st Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe. In all her iterations, Irulan Corrino is a kind of historian, chronicling Paul Atreides' rise and fall; after he claims the Imperial throne, Irulan becomes Paul's spouse in title only, and thwarts Paul and Chani's efforts to have more children.

Shaddam Corrino Is Paul's Father-In-Law

Shaddam Corrino IV Is Usurped By Paul Atreides

Walken's Shaddam Corrino IV might have helped orchestrate the massacre of House Atreides on Arrakis, but he didn't make his big-screen debut until Dune: Part Two. The 81st Padishah Emperor, and the last of the Corrino Empire, he reigned over the Known Universe for decades. The father of Princess Irulan, Shaddam Corrino IV is usurped by Paul Atreides — the man who winds up wedding his eldest daughter. That said, Shaddam is Paul's father-in-law, though neither party is necessarily thrilled about the connection.

Vladimir Harkonnen Is Paul's Grandfather

Paul's mother has Karokennen blood

The Baron of House Harkonnen, Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård) is a key antagonistic force in Herbert's Dune as well as Villeneuve's two-part film saga. Making his home on Giedi Prime, Baron Harkonnen was the architect behind Duke Leto Atreides' death. In Dune 2, Paul avenges the loss of his father by kill the Baron as well as his nephew, Feyd. However, that's shortly after Paul discovers that his mother is the illegitimate daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (and, as it's revealed in other novels, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam).

Rabban Harkonnen Is Paul's Cousin

The Harkonnen Connection

Count Glossu Rabban, who's played by Dave Bautista in Villeneuve's films, was dubbed the Mudir Nahya or Demon Ruler by the Fremen. The nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Rabban is also Feyd's older brother. Much like his other family , Rabban is cruel; unfortunately for him, however, he's not all that cunning, making his governance of Arrakis rather short-lived. Given the Baron's connection to Paul, Herbert's messiah figure is actually cousin to Rabban.

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen Is Paul's Cousin

Cousins' Confrontation

Despite being born with the "Rabban" surname, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) becomes the final Baron of House Harkonnen — although his "rule" is rather brief. In Dune 2, Feyd stands in as the Emperor's champion and fights Paul in one-on-one ritualistic knife combat. Like his brother, Feyd is actually a cousin of Paul's — though that doesn't stop Paul from killing Feyd. As in the movie, Feyd is seduced by Bene Gesserit agent Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux), who becomes pregnant with the late Feyd's daughter in Dune: Part Two.

How Paul Is An Atreides & Harkonnen

Paul single-handedly unites the rival houses

Paul receives his Atreides bloodline from his father Leto and his Harkonnen legacy from his mother Jessica, who is the illegitimate child of the Baron. This makes him the most direct link between the two houses, which is one of the most shocking reveals of Dune: Part Two. Jessica herself was the result of a Bene Gesserit breeding program that paired Jessica's mother with the Baron. Paul is fully aware of the Harkonnen blood within him as he kills the Baron at the end of Dune: Part Two, but there will certainly be more difficulties that lay ahead for Paul in regard to his true identity and "terrible purpose".

Dune: Part Two is now streaming exclusively on Max.