History Characters / Dune

* DeadGuyJunior: [[spoiler:The second one, no less.]]

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Carries outsuch a brutal and large-scale slaughter of the Honored Matres that they [[PlanetDestroyer blow up the entire planet he's on]] to make certain he's dead.

* GenderBender: Comes with being able of changing your appearance.

* BaldOfEvil: (only in the 1984 film) Bald because she's a Bene Gesserit, but she's an awful harpy on the side.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Subverted. As a high-ranking Reverend Mother, she is shown to have a fine Voice, but the real extent of her powers is never shown. She is captured without actually resisting, impliedly because she knew it would be futile, and [[spoiler:is executed onscreen without much fanfare.]]

* ''[[Characters/Dune2021 Dune (Denis Villeneuve Films)]]''-- The films ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]'' and ''Film/DunePartTwo''.

* ''Characters/Dune2021''-- The films ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' and ''Film/DunePartTwo''.

!!!'''Played by:''' Music/{{Sting}} (1984 film), Matt Keeslar (2000 miniseries), Creator/AustinButler (2023 film)

!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JoseFerrer (1984 film), Creator/GiancarloGiannini (2000 miniseries), Creator/ChristopherWalken (2023 film)

!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/VirginiaMadsen (1984 film), Julie Cox (2000 & 2003 miniseries), Creator/FlorencePugh (2023 film)

!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/LeaSeydoux (2023 film)

!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/AliciaWitt (1984 film), Laura Burton (2000 miniseries), Daniela Amavia (2003 miniseries)

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: A poor man who was forced to betray those he loved and regretted it all the way, while doing everything in his power to protect them from his own betrayal, is vilified as a Judas figure with songs sung lamenting his death wasn't ''worse''. [[note]] ''Of course'', one must forget about the fact his betrayal nearly wiped out the Atreides house, got a dozen hundred soldiers killed, and he knew [[AllForNothing his wife was most probably dead anyway]] for this to truly be a thing.[[/note]]

* TragicHero / TragicVillain: A mixture of both. He ''hates'' what he has to do to save humankind, but he must be a millenia-reigning tyrant to do that.

* {{Ephebophile}}: As if he wasn't creepy enough, he likes to have teenage slaves being sent to his bed chambers, sometimes drugged up. The 1984 movie version of the Baron instead likes to tear off their heart plugs and use their gushing blood to water his flowers.

* {{Ephebophile}}: The Baron's favorite pastime is raping his teenage male slaves, and he lusts after Paul at first too.

* DramaticIrony: He spends most of the novel unaware that Muad'Dib, the Fremen rebel causing him so much trouble, is actually Paul Autreides. He only discovers it during the climax, shortly before he dies.

** In the 2021 film, Paul receives visions of a future in which Jamis is a mentor and good friend to him, making Paul very unhappy about the prospect of having to Jamis to the death.

** PlayedForDrama in the 2021 film, where Paul has visions of Jamis being his mentor and a good friend, teaching him the ways of the desert. When the time for the duel comes, Paul is visibly disturbed about the prospect of fighting him to the death. During the duel, despite clearly having Jamis at his mercy multiple times, Paul tries to get Jamis to yeild, not understanding that there cannot be any yielding in such a duel. Jamis has to essentially goad Paul into finally landing a killing blow and give him an honorable death, which Paul does. Paul then kneels in front of Jamis, holding his hand as he dies, somber and respectful. This, along with Jessica telling the Fremen present that Paul has never killed anyone before, earns him respect and sympathy from the Fremen, who see Paul accepting and respecting both the Fremen's ways and their people, even when fighting one of them to the death.

* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:Along with losing his eyesight after a failed assassination attempt, and losing his prescience to his newly born son, Chani's death via childbirth leads Paul to abandon everything and disappear into the desert. A few years later, Paul becomes the Preacher who spreads word against his own religion.]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: Gurney proves fully prepared to murder Stilgar on the spot for spitting at the Duke, something considered a great compliment in the Fremen's culture. Although it's understandable Gurney interpreted as an insult, it's still rather over-the-top.

* BeneathTheMask: On the surface, Gurney is a chipper BoisterousBruiser and WarriorPoet with Mary a bad word for anyone. However, he's actually deeply traumatized from his time as the Harkonnens' slave and still struggles with his grief from it.

* HighPriest: Leads the Muab´Dib religion from the Temple of Alia.

* OutLivingOnesOffspring: [[spoiler:It causes her no small amount of pain when Paul and Alia die. She even outlived her first grandson as well]].

* ActionGirl: In the first book, Jessica's fight with Stilgar is: [[CurbStompBattle short]], to the point, lets her and Paul introduce themselves to the Fremen properly, and underlines her SilkHidingSteel qualities. It should be pointed out that the entire book has, to this point, been harping on the fact that the Sardaukar {{Super Soldier}}s eclipse normal infantry, that House Atreides is a threat to the Emperor precisely because they've trained a few -- a ''few!'' -- men to the point of being able to stand toe-to-toe with the Sardaukar... and that the Fremen can trounce them (the Sardaukar) soundly. And then Jessica trounces the ''Fremen'' soundly. Our ActionMom has just established herself to be ''the'' strongest fighter in the Duniverse -- period.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Implied to be a redhead in ''Dune Messiah'' because her daughter Ghanima has "tawny red hair", while Paul's hair is black. Confirmed to be one herself in ''Children of Dune''. Because this isn't mentioned anywhere in ''Dune'' and [[spoiler:in fact only posthumously]], she's become a [[AdaptationDyeJob brunette]] in live-action thrice and counting. The only adaptation so far to follow this is the [[VideoGame/Dune1992 1992 video game.]]

--> "Ahhhh, Gurney! He could kill you while singing and never miss a note."

* TheSpartanWay: Their lifestyle in a nutshell. But subverted at the same time. The lowest ranking Sardaukar is still said to live better than the average subject of the Imperium.