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* HotBlooded: Has quite a temper, screaming his frustration that the Emperor has taken Arrakis away from them and given it [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "To. That. DUKE!"]]. [[spoiler:After the Harkonnen takeover, he personally executes Atreides prisoners for no other reason but his passionate loathing of them.]]
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* HotBlooded: Has quite a temper, screaming his frustration that the Emperor has taken Arrakis away from them and given it [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "To. That. DUKE!"]]. [[spoiler:After the Harkonnen takeover, he personally executes Atreides prisoners for no other reason but his passionate loathing of them.]] ''Part Two'' has him go completely berserk and kill his own subordinates when they aren't killing Fremen as effectively as he wants them to.
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Misuse. Rabban does get a (brief) fight with Gurney, just because he didn't fight Paul doesn't mean he wasn't fought. They need to not be fought by any of the heroes.
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* TheUnfought: Despite Rabban being built up as a threat throughout the two films, he and Paul never fight or even meet in person. Their closest encounter occurs in ''Part Two'' during Rabban's disastrous attempt to hunt the Freman rebels, though he [[DirtyCoward flees in terror]] before Paul can confront him directly.
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* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Despite spending most of his screentime as a DirtyCoward with little appetite for direct physical confrontation, he reacts to being cornered by Gurney and the Fremen while mostly unarmed by drawing his ceremonial whip and roaring a challenge. Gurney swiftly cuts him down in a CurbStompBattle, but he gets points for effort.]]
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* WhipOfDominance: Sports a whip in ''Part Two'', emphasizing his oppresive nature. [[spoiler:And isn't all that good with it, emphasizing his PaperTiger nature.]]
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* WhipOfDominance: Sports Carries an inkvine whip, apparently as a whip in ''Part Two'', emphasizing badge of his oppresive nature. [[spoiler:And isn't all that good authority as the governor of Arrakis. He can fight with it, emphasizing his PaperTiger nature.]]but it's treated realistically as a not-terribly-effective EmergencyWeapon that he prefers not to use much.
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* AlbinosAreFreaks: The villainous Harkonnens and their soldiers have very pale skin in this adaptation. Villeneuve [[https://ew.com/movies/dune-trailer-breakdown-denis-villeneuve/ explained]] that their homeworld of Giedi Prime is so polluted that they're not used to the sun.
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* AlbinosAreFreaks: The villainous Harkonnens and their soldiers have very pale skin in this adaptation. Villeneuve [[https://ew.com/movies/dune-trailer-breakdown-denis-villeneuve/ explained]] that their homeworld of Giedi Prime is so polluted that they're not used to the sun. Stilgar also mentions that Harkonnen bodies are so loaded with chemicals that the Fremen can only use the water they extract for cooling purposes.
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* PraticallyDifferentGenerations: While we don't get explicit ages for either of them, Rabban and Feyd seem to have a wide gap between them for brothers.[[note]]Austin Butler is 23 years younger than Dave Bautista.[[/note]]
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* PraticallyDifferentGenerations: PracticallyDifferentGenerations: While we don't get explicit ages for either of them, Rabban and Feyd seem to have a wide gap between them for brothers.[[note]]Austin Butler is 23 years younger than Dave Bautista.[[/note]]
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* PraticallyDifferentGenerations: While we don't get explicit ages for either of them, Rabban and Feyd seem to have a wide gap between them for brothers.[[note]]Austin Butler is 23 years younger than Dave Bautista.[[/note]]
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* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Severed from his anti-grav devices and humiliated by the Emperor, [[HumiliationConga all Baron Harkonnen can do in his final moments is pathetically and ineffectually crawl toward his throne]]. Then Paul Atreides comes in, drops the bomb that the Baron is in fact his grandfather--a particular bit of ignominious irony the Baron's literary counterpart never found about--before he sticks a knife in the Baron's throat and holds it there until Harkonnen drowns in his own blood, which takes at least 15 seconds. Ultimately, his corpse is unceremoniously tossed into the desert so he can be eaten by ants.]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said I will not harm them, and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis, and the desert takes the weak. My desert. My Arrakis." My Dune.'']]
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said I will not harm them, and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis, and the desert takes the weak. My desert. My Arrakis." '' My Dune.'']]"]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said I will not harm them, and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis. And the desert takes the weak."'']]
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said I will not harm them, and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis. And Arrakis, and the desert takes the weak."'']]weak. My desert. My Arrakis." My Dune.'']]
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* TragicVillain: Rabban is a bad man and a brutal tyrant, but he's ultimately motivated by trying to earn the love of people incapable of doing so and who constantly abuse him, making him somewhat sympathetic.
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* TragicVillain: Downplayed. Rabban is a bad man and a brutal tyrant, tyrant with a HairTriggerTemper, and an accessory to two genocides, but he's ultimately motivated by trying to earn the love of people incapable of doing so and who constantly abuse him, making him somewhat sympathetic.
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* WellDoneSonGuy: Rabban desperately wants the approval and love of his family. He never gets it, both due to his incompetence and because his two living relatives are [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] incapable of unconditional love.
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* WellDoneSonGuy: Rabban desperately wants the approval and love of his family. He never gets it, both due to his incompetence and because his two living relatives are [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] incapable of unconditional love. The best he gets from the Baron is a ''death threat''.
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* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Downplayed, but still visible. In the book, where he was officially 400 pounds, the Baron was obese to the point of not being able to walk without help, and had a bloated face with almost buried eyes. In the film, aside from looking much lighter than that, he is portrayed as less of a morbidly obese and more of a powerfully built, broad-shouldered man who only happens to be really fat too, with Creator/StellanSkarsgard's elegant features to complete it. His character design now makes it look like he could walk perfectly if he wanted and only uses his repulsors because he prefers to levitate around.
* AdaptationalBadass: The novel version is constantly thrown around by events, playing a perfunctory role in the Emperor's machinations and only surviving to Leto's attempt on his life by dumb luck, and this is best shown when he's reduced to submission by the Emperor's arrival. His film version, in contrast, is almost always much more in control of everything: he survives the attempt thanks to his personal gear and quick thinking, kills personally Yueh in a impressive way suggesting he is not a total NonActionGuy, and when the Emperor arrives in Arrakis, even if their encounter transpires the same way, the Baron at least has the will and influence to gather the noble houses in response and turn them ''against'' Shaddam.
* AdaptationalBadass: The novel version is constantly thrown around by events, playing a perfunctory role in the Emperor's machinations and only surviving to Leto's attempt on his life by dumb luck, and this is best shown when he's reduced to submission by the Emperor's arrival. His film version, in contrast, is almost always much more in control of everything: he survives the attempt thanks to his personal gear and quick thinking, kills personally Yueh in a impressive way suggesting he is not a total NonActionGuy, and when the Emperor arrives in Arrakis, even if their encounter transpires the same way, the Baron at least has the will and influence to gather the noble houses in response and turn them ''against'' Shaddam.
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* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Downplayed, but still visible. In the book, where he was officially 400 pounds, pounds of pure fat, the Baron was obese to the point of not being able to walk without help, and had a bloated face with almost buried eyes. In the film, aside from looking much lighter than that, he is portrayed as less of a morbidly morbid obese and more of a powerfully built, broad-shouldered man who only happens to be really fat too, with Creator/StellanSkarsgard's elegant features to complete it. His character design now makes it look like he could walk perfectly if he wanted and only uses his repulsors because he prefers to levitate around.
* AdaptationalBadass: The novel version is constantly thrown around by events, playing a perfunctory role in the Emperor's machinations and only surviving to Leto's attempt on his life by dumb luck, and this is best shown when he's reduced to submission by the Emperor's arrival. His film version, in contrast, is almost always much more in control of everything: he survives the attempt thanks to his personal gear and quick thinking, kills personally Yueh in a impressive way suggesting he is not a total NonActionGuy, and when the Emperor arrives in Arrakis, even if their encounter transpires the same way, the Baron at least has the will and influence to gather the noble houses in response and turn them ''against'' Shaddam. Notably, he also claims to have a plan to plant a Harkonnen on the imperial throne, which, assuming he was not simply talking off his arse, he would clearly have a non-zero chance to achieve in this version.
* AdaptationalBadass: The novel version is constantly thrown around by events, playing a perfunctory role in the Emperor's machinations and only surviving to Leto's attempt on his life by dumb luck, and this is best shown when he's reduced to submission by the Emperor's arrival. His film version, in contrast, is almost always much more in control of everything: he survives the attempt thanks to his personal gear and quick thinking, kills personally Yueh in a impressive way suggesting he is not a total NonActionGuy, and when the Emperor arrives in Arrakis, even if their encounter transpires the same way, the Baron at least has the will and influence to gather the noble houses in response and turn them ''against'' Shaddam. Notably, he also claims to have a plan to plant a Harkonnen on the imperial throne, which, assuming he was not simply talking off his arse, he would clearly have a non-zero chance to achieve in this version.
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* AdaptationalJerkass: In the books, the Baron was a thoroughly repugnant figure, but [[FauxAffablyEvil he was quite jolly and urbane, and put on an effort to be charming.]] The film Baron is still superficially polite, but he's much more stern and cold, lacking his literary counterpart's pretensions of civility. In the novel, the Baron also never intended to wipe out the Fremen and instead just wanted to use them as a work force; here, he intends to wipe them all out.
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* AdaptationalJerkass: AdaptationalJerkass:
** In the books, the Baron was a thoroughly repugnant figure, but [[FauxAffablyEvil he was quite jolly and urbane, and put on an effort to be charming.]] The film Baron is still superficially polite, but he's much more stern and cold, lacking his literary counterpart's pretensions of civility. In the novel, the Baron also never intended to wipe out the Fremen and instead just wanted to use them as a work force; here, he intends to wipe them allout.out.
** The novels depicted the Baron as being a vocal proponent of PragmaticVillainy which meant he restrained himself and his nephews from violence that didn't serve them in some way and refused to kill his own men as long as they were useful even if they angered him. He also balked at wiping out the Fremen entirely, simply wanting to use them as workers and entirely willing to reward them for cooperating with his regime (albeit out of self-serving reasons). Here, his nephews gleefully kill their underlings with no disapproval from the Baron and he's willing to kill off all the Fremen until it proves unfeasible, indicating that nothing reins him in here.
** In the books, the Baron was a thoroughly repugnant figure, but [[FauxAffablyEvil he was quite jolly and urbane, and put on an effort to be charming.]] The film Baron is still superficially polite, but he's much more stern and cold, lacking his literary counterpart's pretensions of civility. In the novel, the Baron also never intended to wipe out the Fremen and instead just wanted to use them as a work force; here, he intends to wipe them all
** The novels depicted the Baron as being a vocal proponent of PragmaticVillainy which meant he restrained himself and his nephews from violence that didn't serve them in some way and refused to kill his own men as long as they were useful even if they angered him. He also balked at wiping out the Fremen entirely, simply wanting to use them as workers and entirely willing to reward them for cooperating with his regime (albeit out of self-serving reasons). Here, his nephews gleefully kill their underlings with no disapproval from the Baron and he's willing to kill off all the Fremen until it proves unfeasible, indicating that nothing reins him in here.
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Downplayed, as he's still a repugnant and vicious character. His personality change in the film makes him less prone to gloat in his evil, instead looking contemplative and straightforward, and unlike in the novel, he is never seen verbally mistreating his clansmen. The book character's [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil fondness]] [[DepravedHomosexual for men and boys]] has also been either reduced to subtext ([[spoiler:his stripping of Leto, his bath attendant wearing see-through clothing, and him kissing Feyd-Rautha during his coronation]]) or removed entirely. Also, because Feyd makes no attempt to assassinate him, he doesn't order his nephew to kill his concubines as punishment.
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Downplayed, as Downplayed. Although he's still a repugnant and vicious character. His character, his personality change in the film makes him less prone to gloat in his evil, instead looking contemplative and straightforward, and unlike in the novel, he is never seen verbally mistreating his clansmen.clansmen (although he does seem to allow his underlings to do virtually whatever they want to them). The book character's [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil fondness]] [[DepravedHomosexual for men and boys]] has also been either reduced to subtext ([[spoiler:his stripping of Leto, his bath attendant wearing see-through clothing, and him kissing Feyd-Rautha during his coronation]]) or removed entirely. Also, because Feyd makes no attempt to assassinate him, he doesn't order his nephew to kill his concubines as punishment.
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* AdaptationalVillainy: Zig-zagged. Both the literary and film depictions of the Baron are monstrous people, and the films make the Baron considerably less depraved. However, the novels depicted the Baron as being a vocal proponent of PragmaticVillainy which meant he restrained himself and his nephews from violence that didn't serve them in some way and refused to kill his own men as long as they were useful even if they angered him. He also balked at wiping out the Fremen entirely, simply wanting to use them as workers and entirely willing to reward them for cooperating with his regime (albeit out of self-serving reasons). Here, his nephews gleefully kill their underlings with no disapproval from the Baron and he's willing to kill off all the Fremen until it proves unfeasible, indicating that nothing reins him in here.
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* HellBentForLeather: The Harkonnens are shown wearing black leather several times, and they are certainly portrayed as force to be reckon with throughout the movies.
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* TheStoic: Except for very few moments, Feyd is very calm and collected. [[spoiler:Even when Paul enters the imperial outpost him and others hid in, he is the only one shown not losing his cool at all, while his uncle is shown scared of what's happening.]]
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* SmokingIsCool: He is seen several time smoking from a hookah to relax.
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* BigEntrance: Feyd has quite the entrance when he enters the fighting arena. Everyone in their seats are cheering up for him. Margot Fenring mentions to her Bene Gesserit sisters that is all for show.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. This goes as far as choosing them to use ''high step'' instead of German-Russian ''goosestep''. That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. This goes as far as choosing them to use ''high step'' instead of German-Russian ''goosestep''. That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse worst aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. This goes as far as choosing them to use ''high step'' instead of German-Russian ''goosestep'' That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. This goes as far as choosing them to use ''high step'' instead of German-Russian ''goosestep'' ''goosestep''. That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the novel, Feyd was a skilled warrior and quite intelligent, but he was more of a charming schemer and a playboy than a fighter. In the films, Feyd is depicted as an almost feral NobleDemon who takes great joy in violence, and is a much more hands-on opponent. He's also much more violent and unpredictable, prone to killing even his own men at random where his literary counterpart only did so at the Baron's behest.
* AdaptationalSympathy: Inverted. In the novels, Feyd was depicted in a somewhat sympathetic light as the product of the Baron's abuse -- with the prequels revealing he had been stolen from his loving parents -- and it was noted that he could easily have turned out like Paul had he not been corrupted by the Baron. here, he murdered his own mother and is implied to have been a sociopath from the get-go.
* AdaptationalSympathy: Inverted. In the novels, Feyd was depicted in a somewhat sympathetic light as the product of the Baron's abuse -- with the prequels revealing he had been stolen from his loving parents -- and it was noted that he could easily have turned out like Paul had he not been corrupted by the Baron. here, he murdered his own mother and is implied to have been a sociopath from the get-go.
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* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the novel, Feyd was a skilled warrior and quite intelligent, but he was more of a charming schemer and a playboy than a fighter. In the films, Feyd is depicted as an almost feral NobleDemon who takes great joy in violence, and is a much more hands-on opponent. He's also much more violent and unpredictable, prone to killing even his own men subjects at random where his literary counterpart only did so at the Baron's behest.
* AdaptationalSympathy: Inverted. In the novels, Feyd was depicted in a somewhat sympathetic light as the product of the Baron's abuse -- with the prequels revealing he had been stolen from his loving parents -- and it was noted that he could easily have turned out like Paul had he not been corrupted by the Baron.here, Here, he murdered his own mother and is implied to have been a sociopath from the get-go.
* AdaptationalSympathy: Inverted. In the novels, Feyd was depicted in a somewhat sympathetic light as the product of the Baron's abuse -- with the prequels revealing he had been stolen from his loving parents -- and it was noted that he could easily have turned out like Paul had he not been corrupted by the Baron.
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* BadassCape: He is the only Harkonnen shown to sport a black cape with his armour, making him stand out as some sort of DarkKnight.
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* BadassCape: He is the only Harkonnen shown to sport a black cape with his armour, making him stand out as some sort of DarkKnight.BlackKnight.
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Changed line(s) 33 (click to see context) from:
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. This goes as far as choosing them to use ''high step'' instead of German-Russian ''goosestep'' That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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Casually killing them sometimes and only feeding them people seems like poor employee treatment to me
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* BenevolentBoss: He's a BadBoss to most of his underlings, but he treats his concubines fairly well and even provides them with [[ImAHumanitarian fresh food]].
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* CoolChair: Uses a hovering chair to move around in the second movie.
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* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:It's unclear what happened, but he seemingly abandoned Jessica as a baby to the Bene Gesserit and completely forgot about her existence after.]]
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* BadassCape: He is the only Harkonnen shown to sport a black cape with his armour, making him stand out as some sort of DarkKnight.
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* SoftSpokenSadist: Feyd keeps a soft-spoken and calm tone of his voice even when he maims, tortures and kills. Is even more jarring when he sounds just like his uncle when he speaks.
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* VillainousValor: For all his savagery, Feyd understands and appreciates honor, enjoys a fair fight (and takes it badly if anything happens to make the fight unfair), and isn't above showing grace to his enemies, [[spoiler:even if they've just killed him]].
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* VillainousValor: For all his savagery, Feyd understands and appreciates honor, enjoys a [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen fair fight fight]] (and takes it badly if anything happens to make the fight unfair), and isn't above showing grace to his enemies, [[spoiler:even if they've just killed him]].
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So it's really not an example
Deleted line(s) 57 (click to see context) :
* AccentsArentHereditary: Baron Harkonnen has Stellan Skarsgard's natural Swedish accent, which is not shared by anyone else in his House. Despite the TranslationConvention in effect in the films, [[FridgeBrilliance this is justified to a degree in-universe]] given that Rabban is not from the same planet as the Baron (being born on Lankiveil, whereas the Baron is from Giedi Prime) and lived on Arrakis for many years, all of which would justify his having a different accent to the Baron. It's subverted with Feyd, who has the same accent and speaking style as the Baron.
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* PuttingOnTheReich: The second movie ramps up the Nazi imagery of the Harkonnen by showing more of their native planet of Giedi Prime. The way their society is organized, the way they dress and behave brings in mind the Third Reich.
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* TheStrategist: First thing he does after becoming the new governor of Arrakis, is to attack Sietch Tabr, killing most of its inhabitants. His attack becomes the first significant victory for the Harkonnens in months.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture. That said, Part Two has the Harkonnens share some of the worse aspects of AncientRome, such as its rampant slavery, debauchery and fondness for GladiatorGames.
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"How can the Emperor TAKE EVERYTHING we've built, and give it to that Duke?! HOW?!?"'']]
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->''"How can the Emperor TAKE EVERYTHING we've built, and give it to that Duke?! HOW?!?"''\\
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\\
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->''"Feed him to my pets. They're hungry, they didn't get to eat anything on the journey here."''\\
\\
\\
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'''[[center: [- [[Characters/DuneDenisVilleneuveHouseAtreides House Atreides]] | [[Characters/DuneDenisVilleneuveFremen Fremen]] | House Harkonnen | [[Characters/DuneDenisVilleneuveCorrinoEmpireAndBeneGesserit Corrino Empire and Bene Gesserit]] -]]]'''
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'''[[center: [- [[Characters/DuneDenisVilleneuve Main Character Index]] -]]]'''
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[[foldercontrol]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
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!!House Harkonnen
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harkonnen.jpg]]
* AlbinosAreFreaks: The villainous Harkonnens and their soldiers have very pale skin in this adaptation. Villeneuve [[https://ew.com/movies/dune-trailer-breakdown-denis-villeneuve/ explained]] that their homeworld of Giedi Prime is so polluted that they're not used to the sun.
* AlwaysNight: The planet Giedi Prime is fouled with pollution, preventing sunlight from piercing the cloud cover.
* ArchEnemy: With the Atreides, and the transfer of Arrakis is a scheme to kickstart their downfall.
* ArmorIsUseless:
** Their pressure suits have armored parts, yet their assault to the Arrakeen palace is almost routed by the first line of Atreides soldiers, many of which are caught in the attack wearing only fatigues and dress uniforms.
** It doesn't help much against the Fremen either as seen in ''Part Two''.
* BadBoss: Most prominent in ''Part Two'', where the heads of House Harkonnen show their cruelty towards their underlings.
** Rabban is shown to repeatedly kill his minions out of frustration over what he perceives as failures.
** The Baron kills two of his attendants out of anger over the Fremen repeatedly sabotaging spice harvesting, and by the end of the film he is so fed up with Rabban's inability to control the situation on Arrakis that he warns him that the next time he fails him will be the last.
** Feyd is shown killing underlings just to test out the sharpness of his weapons and at one point slits the throat of a Harkonnen soldier just for being mildly annoying.
* TheBadGuyWins: With help from the Sardaukar, they take over Arrakis by the end of the first movie.
* BaldOfEvil: In contrast to both prior adaptations which gave them flaming red hair (in the book, their hair was not described other than Rabban's brother being dark-haired and the Baron red), and likely based on their look in the cutscenes of ''VideoGame/EmperorBattleForDune'', the antagonistic and amoral Baron Harkonnen and Rabban are completely bald, as are the Harkonnen troops and their personal attendants. This is in contrast to the heroic Atreides characters, who all have hair.
* BlackSpeech: The Harkonnen soldiers speak a harsh and guttural "battle language" among themselves. It isn't inhuman sounding like the Sardaukar's, and they're also heard speaking English.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: During [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-02-22/austin-butler-denis-villeneuve-dune-part-two-villain-feyd-rautha-harkonnen-interview an interview]], Denis Villeneuve stated they and their people operate under this.
--> '''Denis Villeneuve:''' I think that the Harkonnen are trying to be as disconnected from nature as possible. Their world is an artificial, plastic world. I like to think that, for them, hair is vulgar, and to remove everything and become hairless is sexy for them. Some of my friends on the team and I used to say: If there's a party, you want to be on Giedi Prime. That's where the party is.
* BondageIsBad: House Harkonnen has a subtle undercurrent of BDSM styling to their aesthetic in ''Part One'', with black being their heraldic color, use of a lot of shiny rubbers and latex-like materials in their uniforms, and their homeworld Giedi Prime have a distinctly [[Creator/HRGiger Giger-esque]] design language, all of which gets cranked up in ''Part Two'' as we see that their familial and governing politics are predicated on the giving and receiving of favors or punishments, Feyd-Rautha both being something of a CombatSadomasochist as well as keeping a harem of cannibal concubines dressed in skin-tight black rubber, sealing the ascendancy of the next Baron of the House with a kiss that is eagerly returned, and Rabban favoring a multi-lash whip in combat. Naturally, House Harkonnen totally ignores SafeSaneAndConsensual.
* TheCaligula: The entire family is full of hedonistic, sadistic, genocidal slaving bastards.
* DarkIsEvil: Their planet Giedi Prime is a grim, colorless, shadowy world, and the rulers are not good people at all. Even their fireworks produce dark flashes somehow.
* TheDreaded: Subverted. They are fiercely described by Gurney Halleck as being "brutal" but who turn out to be pushovers when it comes to fighting, if the assault on Arrakeen is anything to go by. Unlike the Sardaukar.
* EvilColonialist: The Fremen see them as intruders who came to their world to butcher them and plunder the spice. They're not wholly wrong.
* EvilIsPetty: During their invasion, the Harkonnens set fire to the date palms the Fremen have been caring for in the heart of Arrakeen. When asked about the Fremen after he takes back the planet, the Baron orders Rabban to kill them.
* EvilWearsBlack: While members of House Atreides tend to wear an austere black or dark grey, members of House Harkonnen uniformly wear jet black, often with a glossy texture, that contrasts sharply with their pallid skin.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture.
* FacelessGoons: Harkonnen soldiers, their pale skins unaccustomed to the punishing Arrakis sun, wear enclosed environmental suits that completely obscure their faces. It is also implied they rely on numbers more than skill.
* TheHeavy: Pun aside, they are the primary antagonists to House Atreides, though they're not the ones pulling the strings.
* JetPack: The heavy armor Harkonnen soldiers use in the deep desert include repulsors, which seems quite useful in case of incoming {{sand worm}}s.
* NoBrows: On top of being bald, the Harkonnens and their retainers and troops have no eyebrows either, giving the impression they're completely hairless. This adds to their alien vibe, and as with their unnaturally pale skin, is likely intended to reflect Giedi Prime's environment.
* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: Averted. Upon his recuperation, Baron Vladimir lists off the basic costs of their coup, which doesn't even take into account the losses of personnel, fuel, and equipment during it. He notes that they'll have to work Arrakis hard to recuperate what they spent before they start generating profit again.
* PoisonousPerson: The Fremen consider the water from the bodies of Harkonnen soldiers as too poisonous/polluted to drink, and instead use it for their cooling systems.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: When transporting the captured Paul and Jessica into the desert, the three Harkonnen soldiers can be heard enthusiastically discussing their plans to have their way with the latter. Thankfully, Jessica and Paul are able to escape before this can happen, with Jessica brutally killing the trio for good measure.
* WeHaveReserves: Their rank-and-file are no match for the Atreides soldiers, let alone the likes of the Fremen and Sardaukar, but the Harkonnens have more than enough CannonFodder to spare.
* WickedWastefulness: The Harkonnens' water wastefulness for the sake of cruelty (aside from any other acts off-screen) is portrayed in this film by them having planted a big row of palm trees at the entrance of the palace that had to be watered daily with what the Fremen gardener says is enough water for five men (for each). When he hears this, Paul offers to get the trees cut down but the gardener declines saying that the trees are resilient like the Fremen and actually liked by the people (the fact the Harkonnens ordered him to do so under pain of death and he is still wary of the Atreides also factors). [[spoiler:The Harkonnens [[KickTheDog make a point of setting the trees on fire]] when they massacre the Atreides.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Baron Vladimir]]
!!Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baronvladimir.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said I will not harm them, and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis. And the desert takes the weak."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/StellanSkarsgard [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Creator/PedroDAguillonJr (SP, [=LatAm=]), Joan Massotkleiner (SP, Spain), Normand D'Amour (FR, Quebec)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]'' | ''Film/DunePartTwo''
->''"When is a gift not a gift? The Atreides voice is rising and the Emperor is a jealous man. A dangerous, jealous man."''\\
\\
The head of House Harkonnen, who conspires with Emperor Shaddam IV to destroy the Atreides.
----
* AccentsArentHereditary: Baron Harkonnen has Stellan Skarsgard's natural Swedish accent, which is not shared by anyone else in his House. Despite the TranslationConvention in effect in the films, [[FridgeBrilliance this is justified to a degree in-universe]] given that Rabban is not from the same planet as the Baron (being born on Lankiveil, whereas the Baron is from Giedi Prime) and lived on Arrakis for many years, all of which would justify his having a different accent to the Baron. It's subverted with Feyd, who has the same accent and speaking style as the Baron.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: Rather than being polite and affected as in the book, this version of him is scarily solemn, wasting few words and generally carrying himself with a somber dignity in all his scenes.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Downplayed, but still visible. In the book, where he was officially 400 pounds, the Baron was obese to the point of not being able to walk without help, and had a bloated face with almost buried eyes. In the film, aside from looking much lighter than that, he is portrayed as less of a morbidly obese and more of a powerfully built, broad-shouldered man who only happens to be really fat too, with Creator/StellanSkarsgard's elegant features to complete it. His character design now makes it look like he could walk perfectly if he wanted and only uses his repulsors because he prefers to levitate around.
* AdaptationalBadass: The novel version is constantly thrown around by events, playing a perfunctory role in the Emperor's machinations and only surviving to Leto's attempt on his life by dumb luck, and this is best shown when he's reduced to submission by the Emperor's arrival. His film version, in contrast, is almost always much more in control of everything: he survives the attempt thanks to his personal gear and quick thinking, kills personally Yueh in a impressive way suggesting he is not a total NonActionGuy, and when the Emperor arrives in Arrakis, even if their encounter transpires the same way, the Baron at least has the will and influence to gather the noble houses in response and turn them ''against'' Shaddam.
* AdaptationalDumbass: Downplayed. He's much less incompetent than the literary Baron, but he lacks his novel counterpart's streak of GenreSavvy. Notably The Baron accepts Rabban's statement that Paul and Jessica died from flying into a sandstorm, whereas his book counterpart flew into a rage when presented with this claim, knowing that it's premature to believe they're dead if the Harkonnens NeverFoundTheBody. Additionally, in the book Piter and the Baron develop the plan to bring the downfall of House Atreides. While the Emperor aided and supported him, it was largely The Baron's scheme. In the movie, The Baron is depicted as a junior, albeit extremely willing, partner in The Emperor's ploy.
* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the novels, the Baron was a cunning planner and quite dangerous, but he was quite firmly a SmugSnake who was easily manipulated and was constantly thrown for a loop whenever something interfered with his plans. While ultimately proven to be a BigBadWannabe, Villeneuve's Baron is much more adaptable and intelligent, as well as being a very competent [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]].
* AdaptationalJerkass: In the books, the Baron was a thoroughly repugnant figure, but [[FauxAffablyEvil he was quite jolly and urbane, and put on an effort to be charming.]] The film Baron is still superficially polite, but he's much more stern and cold, lacking his literary counterpart's pretensions of civility. In the novel, the Baron also never intended to wipe out the Fremen and instead just wanted to use them as a work force; here, he intends to wipe them all out.
* AdaptationalKarma: While he does get chastised by the Emperor as in the books for failing to properly deal with the Fremen, Shaddam IV takes it a step further by ordering one of the Sardaukar to destroy the Baron's breathing device and anti-gravity suspensor, leaving the Baron lying on the ground helpless.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Downplayed, as he's still a repugnant and vicious character. His personality change in the film makes him less prone to gloat in his evil, instead looking contemplative and straightforward, and unlike in the novel, he is never seen verbally mistreating his clansmen. The book character's [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil fondness]] [[DepravedHomosexual for men and boys]] has also been either reduced to subtext ([[spoiler:his stripping of Leto, his bath attendant wearing see-through clothing, and him kissing Feyd-Rautha during his coronation]]) or removed entirely. Also, because Feyd makes no attempt to assassinate him, he doesn't order his nephew to kill his concubines as punishment.
* AdaptationalSeriousness: The literary Baron was quite LaughablyEvil to the point of being the novel's comic relief, with only his extreme evil balancing out the levity he brought. In the films, he's much more serious and stoic; where in the novels he was an almost pathetic figure, here he's quite dignified and always commands the utmost respect.
* AdaptationalSexuality: Implied; [[spoiler:the fact that he fathered Jessica isn't treated as out-of-character for the Baron, suggesting that this version of the character is a DepravedBisexual, rather than a DepravedHomosexual.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: Zig-zagged. Both the literary and film depictions of the Baron are monstrous people, and the films make the Baron considerably less depraved. However, the novels depicted the Baron as being a vocal proponent of PragmaticVillainy which meant he restrained himself and his nephews from violence that didn't serve them in some way and refused to kill his own men as long as they were useful even if they angered him. He also balked at wiping out the Fremen entirely, simply wanting to use them as workers and entirely willing to reward them for cooperating with his regime (albeit out of self-serving reasons). Here, his nephews gleefully kill their underlings with no disapproval from the Baron and he's willing to kill off all the Fremen until it proves unfeasible, indicating that nothing reins him in here.
* AdiposeRex: He rules a Great House, and he's enormously fat.
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:For as evil as he is, the Baron's death is shown in a pitiable light. He's left crippled on the stairs to the Emperor's throne, and vainly tries to crawl up them to get to the throne he so coveted before Paul coldly executes him.]]
* AnimalMotif: The thick, mud-like liquid he bathes in [[spoiler:to heal from Leto's poison]], combined with his extreme weight, hairlessness, and grey-tinged skin causes him to resemble a hippo or elephant.
* ArchnemesisDad: [[spoiler:He is revealed to be the biological father of Jessica, which not only makes him an Archnemesis Dad to Jessica but also makes him an Archnemesis Father-in-Law and Archnemesis Grandfather to Leto and Paul respectively. However, he doesn't seem to be aware of this fact, and he doesn't really get to process this revelation when Paul acknowledges him as his grandfather because the latter kills him seconds later.]]
* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Baron was the BigBad of the first film whilst his nephew Rabban was TheDragon. [[spoiler: Come ''Part Two'' and it is quickly revealed how powerless and weak he is compared to the even ''bigger'' BigBad that is the Emperor who not so subtly flexes the gulf of power between him and the Baron.]]
* BaldOfEvil: He's bald, and quite the sadistic bastard.
* BeautyInversion: It took ''eight'' hours of make-up to turn Stellan Skarsgard, who is handsome and has an average body type, into the bald, ugly and monstrously obese Harkonnen.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: He's soft-spoken and quiet, but the Baron is a very dangerous man and a cunning planner.
* BigBad: He is the principal villain of the first film.
* BigBadWannabe: [[spoiler:By the end of ''Part Two'', the Baron is left all but helpless against the Emperor, who was himself little more than a pawn to Reverend Mother Mohiam; his failure to appease Shaddam sees the Baron humiliated before the Emperor and helpless to defend himself when Paul arrives to kill him.]]
* BodyHorror. Hard to see at first, but the repulsors are actually implanted into his back. The rest of his body, while less modified, is not much less unsettling.
* CharacterTic: Often rubs his skull.
* CharacterExaggeration: This incarnation of the Baron takes his characterization as a cunning, amorally pragmatic schemer and runs with it at the expense of his quirkier personality in the books.
* TheChessmaster: The Baron has clearly been manipulating everyone (the Emperor, Dr. Yueh...etc) for years, if not decades in a grand attempt to gain more power for himself and his house. [[spoiler:He calls the other Great Houses in desperation claiming that the the Emperor and his Sardaukar troops invaded Arrakis.]]
* ColonelKurtzCopy: Strongly evokes Creator/MarlonBrando's character in ''Film/ApocalypseNow'', being a bald, stout leader with a pensive aura all over him who is often framed in shadows, additionally being much colder and [[MumblingBrando quieter]] than he was in the books. There is even a shot where he rubs his scalp that is filmed in the same way as when Kurtz did it, which seems to replace the Baron's canonical CharacterTic of touching his head. The costume department confirmed in interviews that Villeneuve compared his vision for the Baron to Brando's Kurtz.
* ColdHam: Despite having a visibly larger-than-life presence due to being an ObviouslyEvil [[Film/Dune1984 floating fat man]], Vladimir carries with him a quiet, direct manner of speaking that contrasts with his more theatrical appearance.
* CrazyPrepared: Even when having [[spoiler:Leto stripped naked at his mercy, the Baron still puts up his personal shield before approaching him. This ends up saving his life.]]
* CreepyMonotone: His raspy voice lacks any intonation.
* {{Cyborg}}: His anti-gravity device appears to be embedded in his ''spine''.
* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: After barely surviving his poisoning by Leto Atreides, ''Part Two'' has the Baron now hooked up to several life support machines to maintain his body's vitals. [[spoiler:When the Emperor has the system disabled, the Baron struggles to breathe and can't even stand under his own power, and despite his past displays of strength, he's totally helpless when Paul arrives to kill him.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes the name and role of the literary Baron, but his dark sense of humor and his FauxAffablyEvil demeanor are transplanted to Feyd.
* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: [[spoiler:Due to the lack of Alia (who is still in Jessica's womb in the whole second movie), the Baron isn't poisoned by Alia's ''gom jabbar'' needle but stabbed by Paul.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: In ''Part Two''. After Paul kills him, his nephew Feyd-Rautha and Emperor Shaddam IV remain as the threats for the Atreides to overcome.]]
* DepravedHomosexual: An ImpliedTrope, as opposed to it being explicit like in the book. [[spoiler: In ''Part One'' While humiliating his archnemesis Leto Atreides, he has him stripped naked for his own amusement and seems to enjoy the sight. In ''Part Two'' he kills two of his attendants offscreen while naked, and later kisses Feyd Rautha on the mouth when granting him Arrakis.]] [[spoiler: His fathering of Jessica, while a plot twist, is not considered out of character]], as mentioned above with AdaptationalSexuality.
* DesecratingTheDead: [[spoiler:After he is slain by Paul, the Fremen leave his body to the desert to be eaten by insects.]]
* EnemyEatsYourLunch: [[spoiler:The first thing he does in the Duke's palace? Treat himself to a large meal in front of the captive Leto, with the food coming from the plundered Atreides kitchen.]]
-->'''Baron:''' [[IShallTauntYou You have a wonderful kitchen, cousin.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Subverted. He only views Feyd and Rabban as henchmen, and is quick to endanger them if it serves his plan. He does demonstrate some affection for Feyd, but of the [[VillainousIncest incestuous variety]]. [[spoiler:However, after drinking the Water of Life, Paul has a vision of the Baron tenderly playing with a baby Jessica, implying he once had the capacity for unconditional love.]]
* EvilIsBigger: Compared to his enemy the Duke, the Baron is ''huge''.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: The Baron speaks in a low, harsh growl, making him sound as much like a monster as his actions show him to be.
* ExactWords: He's fond of LoopholeAbuse when it comes to some life-sparing obligations he's bound to.
** Says he won't harm Paul and Jessica. He never made any promises for the desert, though, so he orders his men to drop them in the desert where they'll be exposed to the harsh elements and likely die.
** He assures [[spoiler:Dr. Yueh]] that he'll be able to join [[spoiler:his wife, only to kill him a moment later, implying that she's already been murdered.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Downplayed. His death is mostly pathetic and he's obviously panicked when Shaddam cripples him, but as Paul prepares to kill him Vladimir remains stoic and composed.]]
* FanDisservice: His gross, obese body is naked twice in the film for [[SarcasmMode the viewing pleasure of the audience]], the first bathing in a sauna, the second relaxing in a tub of presumably healing oils and tar-like slime.
* FatBastard: Very overweight and immensely evil. He's so heavy that he favors an anti-gravity harness in order to float around rather than walking.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The Baron is sterner than his more urbane literary counterpart, but he's still rather polite with his underlings and enemies alike. It does nothing to disguise how evil he is, and any amiability he expresses comes with a sinister undercurrent.
* GenreSavvy: [[spoiler:When he gloats to a paralyzed Leto and his enemy murmurs something, he immediately flicks on his shield, not letting his guard down despite his enemy being paralyzed and nude. Unfortunately, [[OutGambitted a shield is mostly worthless against poison gas]]]].
* {{Gonk}}: The most grotesque-looking character in the film by far, but oddly still more dignified and menacing than other versions of the character, including the original.
* {{Greed}}: All he cares about is his Spice profits, and if the Fremen are in the way? He'll casually order total planetary ''genocide''.
-->'''Baron Harkonnen:''' But Arrakis is Arrakis, and the desert takes the weak. ''My'' desert. ''My Arrakis''. '''''My Dune'''''.
* GruesomeGrandparent: His family tree is a plot point in the second film; [[spoiler:the Baron is Paul's maternal grandfather and he tries to kill him multiple times, albeit without any cognisance that he's Jessica's father or Paul's grandfather.]]
* JabbaTableManners: Not to a great extent, but he still burps once and eats noisily in front of Leto.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:After managing to cheat death in ''Part One'', the Baron gets everything that's coming to him in ''Part Two'', as Paul's ascension dashes every one of the Baron's schemes and ambitions to pieces and leaves the man himself dying at the point of his grandson's crysknife.]]
* KickTheDog:
** [[spoiler:After Dr. Yueh betrayed House Atreides to save his beloved wife, the Baron coldly murders him and is implied to have done the same to Yueh's wife beforehand.]]
** Simply besting Duke Leto isn't enough for the Baron; [[spoiler:after the attack on Arrakeen, the Baron has Leto stripped naked and rubs in the supposed deaths of Jessica and Paul to twist the knife. Not killing Leto immediately ends up backfiring painfully for the Baron.]]
* TheHeavy: The Emperor is the one who orchestrates the downfall of House Atreides, but he remains in the background, leaving Baron Harkonnen to serve as the main antagonist.
* HumiliationConga: Got a brief one near the end. [[spoiler:The Baron was forced to kneel and be belittled by the Emperor for his failures, before the Emperor orders a Sardaukar to sever him from his life support and crawl on his feet. This public humiliation continues ''after'' his already embarrassing death of being publicly knifed by his grandson on the stairs, as Paul orders the Fremen to unceremoniously dump his body in the desert to be ripped apart by ants and forgotten.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: [[https://www.gq.com/story/stellan-skarsgard-on-becoming-dune-part-twos-big-space-bad During an interview]], his actor Creator/StellanSkarsgard explicitly described him as lacking empathy.
--> '''Stellan Skarsgard:''' No, I have to understand him as much as he understands himself. I understand Harkonnen because he doesn't have empathy. I mean, in that sense, he's a monster. But he has rationality behind his actions; he's a realpolitik [thinker]. It's like any corporate leader.
* LargeAndInCharge: It's difficult to measure how tall he is compared to his underlings, as he usually floats around and wears long robes, but the Baron is clearly a big, burly man (his actor Stellan Skarsgard is 6'3", about the same height as Dave Bautista, who plays the main enforcer Rabban), and his excess of meat only makes him even more physically imposing for his rank.
* MeaninglessVillainVictory: [[spoiler:Ironically, he succeeds in getting a Harkonnen on the throne as he wanted. It's just that said Harkonnen is his hated rival Leto's ''son'', meaning his family line has been subsumed by that of his hated enemy's.]]
* MissingStepsPlan: Baron Harkonnen claims to intend to leverage his knowledge of the Emperor's complicity in the destruction of House Atreides to [[spoiler:put Feyd-Rautha on the Imperial Throne]], but never gives specifics on ''how'' he would achieve such a thing, and all and the available options are highly dangerous to the Harkonnens themselves[[note]]The Baron cannot use the information to blackmail the Emperor into marrying Irulan to Feyd-Rautha because the plot being revealed would turn the Great Houses against House Harkonnen just as much as it would against House Corrino. By the same token, the Baron cannot use the information to rally the Great Houses in revolt against House Corrino because the Great Houses would never trust or follow a House that conspired with the Emperor to extinguish one of their own.[[/note]]
* MysteriousPast: In contrast to the novel, most of the Baron's past and motivations are left mysterious. It eventually becomes clear he's motivated by his ambition to have his family ascend the ranks, but even then everything else about him is never explained.
* NakedFirstImpression: The first time we see him, he is naked in a sauna.
* NotQuiteFlight: His suspensors in his spine allow him to move around by floating. The way he actually moves with it is done up in a way to [[GhostlyGlide make him seem more menacing]].
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:When Leto releases the poison gas in his tooth, the Baron goes visibly OhCrap and rapidly escapes to the farthest, highest corner of the ceiling he can find to remove himself from the threat. He is still clinging to that spot when his servants unseal the room the next morning, and is moaning in pain, fear or both.]]
* OhCrap: He visibly composes this expression when Duke Leto busts open the poisonous gas on him.
* ParentalFavoritism: He clearly favors his youngest nephew, Feyd, and frequently gives him praise for his competency. He's pretty indifferent to Rabban at first, but when Rabban continues to screw up in handling spice production on Arrakis, the Baron makes clear his intention to severely punish him if he continues to embarrass their family name.
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: The flashback of him being presented with his infant daughter Jessica shows a surprisingly tender side to him, hinting he may have once had the capacity to unconditionally love a family member.]]
* ProperlyParanoid: When gloating to an anesthetized Leto that his reign and house are over, Leto murmurs something. The Baron is [[GenreSavvy suddenly alert and activates a shield]] before leaning in and asking him to repeat what he said. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for everyone else, [[DeadlyGas it was the kind of weapon that was indiscriminate and that a shield couldn't defend against]]. The Baron manages to survive anyways by going up into a corner of the ceiling until the morning.]]
* {{Sadist}}: Notably downplayed in comparison to the novel and other adaptations, but he still shows signs of being one. He takes quite a bit of pleasure in mocking a defenseless Leto and stripping him naked, and brutally murders [[spoiler:Yueh]] once he's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness.]] However, he never reached his literary counterpart's level of cruelty and pointless sadism.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: A dark example. In [[https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/dune-2-stellan-skarsgard-interview-baron-harkonnen an interview]], Stellan Skarsgard stated the Baron didn't drug Lanville so he could see if Feyd has what it takes to succeed him after Rabban has proved to be a disappointment.
--> '''Stellan Skarsgard:''' I risk Feyd-Rautha's life because I have to see if he can take it. Is he really the tough guy that I need? And he is.
* SmugSnake: The Baron is leagues more competent than his literary counterpart, but he's ultimately still this. [[spoiler:He fails to realize the Fremen inhabit the southern reaches of Arrakis, and his plans to overthrow the Emperor quickly fall apart the second Shaddam even vaguely suspects the Baron could be plotting against him.]]
* TheSocialDarwinist: Implied. He makes sure Lanville isn't drugged so that he can see if Feyd-Rautha has what it takes to succeed him, indicating he values a person's intelligence and their capacity for violence as equally beneficial qualities.
* TheSociopath: In a noticeably different way than his novel counterpart. The Baron has no empathy whatsoever, but he's more of a coldly rational manipulator than his pointlessly sadistic literary counterpart. He certainly takes some joy in his enemies suffering, but mostly he comes across as bored when inflicting violence, and thinks nothing of threatening his own family member's lives.
* TheSpock: The Baron operates on ambition and logic rather than empathy or emotion.
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler: The Baron's ultimate goal is for his house to usurp the Corrinos by installing Feyd-Rautha on the Imperial throne through marriage to Irulan, intending to use Shaddam's complicity in the destruction of the Atreides as blackmail to accomplish this.]]
* TheStoic: The Baron is always seen calm and collected, never raising his voice, not even in dire situations. Even his ultimate freakout in the second film is rather subdued.
* StoutStrength: The Baron is hideously obese, but he's strong enough to slice a man's head clean off with one motion. [[spoiler:As Dr. Yueh can confirm.]]
* UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler:After being left unable to stand by a Sardaukar, the Baron is helpless on his back when Paul finishes him off, and afterward, he orders that Vladimir's body be tossed into the desert, where ants begin eating the lifeless tyrant.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Though the Baron had the opposite of pure intentions when he called the Great Houses to Arrakis as an insurance policy against the Emperor, they arrive too late to save his life and the ensuing nuclear standoff directly leads to Paul's holy war.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Paul's vision shows him tenderly playing with a baby Jessica, hinting he was once capable of sincere love, before becoming who he is now. It's all the more notable considering how willing he is to risk Feyd and Rabban's lives, and even threaten to kill them himself.]]
* VicariouslyAmbitious: [[spoiler:As his entry under TheStarscream shows, the Baron realizes that he himself will never sit on the Golden Lion Throne, but he can at least ensure that ''a'' Harkonnen will claim it, scheming to secure the throne for Feyd-Rautha. That said, when he's left helpless during the FinalBattle, the Baron does make some effort to climb to the throne amidst the chaos, [[AllForNothing only to die like an animal mere feet away from it]].]]
* VillainousIncest: He has an incestuous relationship with Feyd, and kisses him quite lustfully before his nephew leaves for Arrakis.
* VillainousGlutton: The Baron is quite overweight and [[EnemyEatsYourLunch gorges himself on Leto's food]] after taking the Arrakeen palace.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rabban]]
!!Glossu "Beast" Rabban
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rabban.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"How can the Emperor TAKE EVERYTHING we've built, and give it to that Duke?! HOW?!?"'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DaveBautista [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Creator/DanOsorio (SP, [=LatAm=]), Alfonso Vallés (SP, Spain), Creator/FumihikoTachiki (JP)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]'' | ''Film/DunePartTwo''
The older nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and the main enforcer of his will.
----
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Even under heavy makeup, the tall and musclebound Dave Bautista is still much easier on the eyes than the short, ugly and rotund figure that Rabban is described as in the book.
* AdaptationalDumbass: While not an outright DumbMuscle like in previous adaptations, Rabban's few moments of [[HiddenDepths genuine insight and intelligence]] from the book are still mostly omitted. The second film also gives him an almost darkly comical hair-trigger temper, and places him in situations where his lack of wits gets him humiliated, with a poignant example being the fight where he tries to face the Atreides weaponmaster while solely armed with an inkvine slavery whip [[spoiler:and is consequently killed in an instant.]]
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: He's present right in the film's prologue, in a flashback narrated by Chani, while in the novel he didn't appear until well after the Harkonnen attack.
* AdaptationalJerkass: To an extent. In the original novel, most of Rabban's crimes were OffstageVillainy and during his brief appearance, he came off as a PunchClockVillain carrying out the Baron's orders to save his own neck. It wasn't until Brian Herbert's novels that he became a much more monstrous figure. Here, he's depicted as extremely violent and actively racist towards the Fremen.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the books, he had Gurney's sister raped and it's indicated he frequently raped his slaves. Here, there's no such indication Rabban has inflicted any kind of sexual violence on anyone.
* AdvertisedExtra: At least in the first movie, for how much publicity Rabban gets, he only has 4 appearances. Two very short ones with no dialogue, and two where he has conversations with his uncle. He has a much more prominent role in ''Part Two''.
* ArchEnemy: To Gurney Halleck. Rabban is the one who personally murdered his family and disfigured him. [[spoiler:It's fittingly Gurney who slays Rabban at the end of ''Part Two''.]]
* AxCrazy: Rabban is both extremely insecure and very easy to anger, which means he's quite prone to violently lashing out and murdering his own men during his numerous temper tantrums.
* BadBoss: Rabban does not treat his minions well at all, starting from ''Part Two''. He beats one man to death by slamming his head against a console and snaps the neck of an ornithopter pilot for losing sight of the Fremen. It's no wonder his underlings are left {{Stress Vomit}}ing.
* BaldOfEvil: He's bald, like his FatBastard of an uncle and the rest of the Harkonnen.
* ABeastInNameAndNature: Rabban is often referred to as "The Beast Rabban", a name he easily shows that he deserves through his temperament and brutality. [[spoiler:And like a stereotypical beast, if he's up against a threat he can't easily dominate, he'll run for the nearest hole.]]
* BigEgoHiddenDepths: He's ultimately an insecure coward, and Rabban masks this by lashing out and behaving like an arrogant, raging brute.
* TheBully: For all his status and authority, this is what Rabban boils down to, a feckless thug who uses brute force to abuse those weaker than him, and who will turn and run with his tail between his legs when faced with an actual threat. [[spoiler:When faced with an actual threat in Gurney, he turns out to be a PaperTiger who lasts about all of five seconds before dying.]]
* ButtMonkey: He spends most of the second film being threatened by the Baron and Feyd, being outwitted by Paul and the Fremen, [[spoiler:and gets done in with minimal effort from Gurney.]]
* TheBrute: Especially emphasized in this adaptation, as he loses what little displays of surprising intelligence he had in the novel.
* CompositeCharacter: Minor example. Since Feyd-Rautha doesn't appear in the first film, Rabban takes his place in scenes with the Baron, which also gives Rabban an AdaptationalEarlyAppearance. However Feyd appears in the second film, and still fills his main role in the story.
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Despite Rabban's displays of cowardice, to his credit, he goes out fighting, [[CurbStompBattle even if Gurney makes short work of him]]. It isn't much, but it's still a better end than [[UndignifiedDeath his uncle got from Paul]].]]
* {{Dehumanization}}: In his very first appearance in ''Part Two'', he refers to the Fremens as "rats" and bashes the head of one of his underlings for correcting him and suggesting he needs some rest, while screaming to kill those rats already.
* DirtyCoward: Rabban swears to kill Muad'Dib and leads an assault force into the desert, but panics and flees the instant he sees his adversary stalking towards him while the Fremen make mincemeat of his troops. He again tries to run away during the final battle, [[spoiler:although when Gurney comes to challenge him, Rabban ''does'' stand and fight, [[PaperTiger albeit not for that long]]. Presumably he didn't think he could get away if he ran.]] Dave Bautista discussed it during [[https://youtu.be/qIKcKD6SO7k?si=z7oZbsKSu2Kw2XJV an interview]], stating that Rabban at his core is a coward and that his actions all stem from that.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Despite being the Baron's eldest nephew, he is viewed as this. Vladimir has displaced Rabban as his heir after his numerous failures and Feyd takes special pleasure in humiliating his brother when the two reunite.
* TheDragon: He was in charge of the Harkonnen occupation of Arrakis before their withdrawal and leads the assault on the Atreides forces. He winds up losing this role to Feyd in ''Part Two'', after the Baron becomes fed up with his inability to deal with the Fremen.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[https://youtu.be/qIKcKD6SO7k?si=z7oZbsKSu2Kw2XJV According to]] Creator/DaveBautista, Rabban is the only Harkonnen to feel ''some'' affection for his family - or at least the Baron, and sincerely wants their unconditional love. The fact he never gets it means he constantly lashes out at the people around him and fuels his brutality.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Creator/DaveBautista's trademark deep, gruff voice fits the hulking, brutish Rabban like a glove.
* FatalFlaw: Rabban's cowardice and insecurity are ultimately what hinder him the most and makes him into a GeneralFailure.
* GeneralFailure: Rabban is more reliant on brute force than strategy or any sort of forward thinking, at one point ordering his gunships to fire at a random mesa in a fit of petulant rage.
* HiddenDepths: In the films, he never shows anything but hostility towards Feyd and tries to attack him for taking over Rabban's position as governor of Arrakkis. However, Dave Bautista [[https://youtu.be/qIKcKD6SO7k?si=z7oZbsKSu2Kw2XJV has stated]] that Rabban is ultimately motivated by earning the love of his family, implying deep down he really does have some affection for Feyd and wants him to return it.
* HotBlooded: Has quite a temper, screaming his frustration that the Emperor has taken Arrakis away from them and given it [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "To. That. DUKE!"]]. [[spoiler:After the Harkonnen takeover, he personally executes Atreides prisoners for no other reason but his passionate loathing of them.]]
* HumiliationConga: He can't catch a break in ''Part Two''. [[spoiler:He fails to prevent the spice production from halting due to constant Fremen attacks, tries to confront Muad'Dib himself only to flee with his tail between his legs, and gets demoted by his uncle as a result. Then, when Feyd-Rautha comes to replace him, he finds himself kicked to the floor and forced to [[IKissYourFoot kiss his foot]] so his life will be spared. Gurney eventually puts him out of his misery in the FinalBattle.]]
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Remains untouched throughout the first part, [[TheUnfought and Paul never faces him either]], but [[spoiler:Gurney [[CurbStompBattle takes him down within seconds of engaging him in the second]]]].
* KickTheDog: With the conquest of Arrakeen mostly complete, a brief scene shows Rabban brutally [[OffWithHisHead beheading]] a line of kneeling, defenseless Atreides [=POWs=] one after the other.
* LargeAndInCharge: Rabban is a hulking brute, built like a tank, and he's a major commander in his uncle's army.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He's not too bright and fairly incompetent, but he's still dangerous by brute force alone and the protagonists regard him as a serious threat for his sheer brutality.
* PaperTiger: While Rabban is very intimidating in both appearance and demeanor, ''Part Two'' proves that unless his targets are helpless or taken by surprise, he's all but useless in a fight. [[spoiler:He flees in cowardice from Paul, is laid out and humiliated by Feyd, and is killed by Gurney in a few swift moves during the final battle.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: Rabban has a very childlike temperament, frequently throwing tantrums and, at least to begin with, showing a naïve understanding of the politics surrounding Arrakis being given to the Atreides. He's also an incredibly violent BadBoss, not to mention ''batshit insane''.
* StarterVillain: Rabban and his forces are the biggest direct threat to the protagonists in the second film's first act, before the far more dangerous Feyd takes over his position and escalates things.
* SuddenlyShouting: "How can the Emperor TAKE EVERYTHING WE BUILT AND GIVE IT TO THAT DUKE?" in reaction to the Harkonnens being ordered to hand over Arrakis to House Atreides.
* TragicVillain: Rabban is a bad man and a brutal tyrant, but he's ultimately motivated by trying to earn the love of people incapable of doing so and who constantly abuse him, making him somewhat sympathetic.
* TheUnfought: Despite Rabban being built up as a threat throughout the two films, he and Paul never fight or even meet in person. Their closest encounter occurs in ''Part Two'' during Rabban's disastrous attempt to hunt the Freman rebels, though he [[DirtyCoward flees in terror]] before Paul can confront him directly.
* UnskilledButStrong: For all his size and strength, Rabban doesn't have any fighting skills to speak of, immediately fleeing when directly confronted by Muad'Dib and almost being killed by a random Fremen during his retreat. Rabban doesn't fare any better in any other altercation, with Feyd-Rautha and [[spoiler:Gurney Halleck]] dealing out a CurbStompBattle on separate occasions.
* VillainousBreakdown: Spends most of ''Part Two'' having an ongoing breakdown over his fall from grace due to Muad'Dib, beating his minions to death and snapping their necks for failing to find the Fremen hiding in the desert. [[spoiler:He ultimately dies ignominiously at the hands of Gurney Halleck.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: Rabban desperately wants the approval and love of his family. He never gets it, both due to his incompetence and because his two living relatives are [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] incapable of unconditional love.
* WhipOfDominance: Sports a whip in ''Part Two'', emphasizing his oppresive nature. [[spoiler:And isn't all that good with it, emphasizing his PaperTiger nature.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: He's on the receiving end of a non-lethal example. For his inability to quell the Fremen rebellion and get spice production back on track, [[DemotedToDragon he's fired from his position as governor of Arrakis]] and the mantle is handed over to Feyd instead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Feyd-Rautha]]
!!Na-Baron Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1787.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You fought well, Atreides..."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AustinButler [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Mark Pokora (SP, [=LatAm=])[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/DunePartTwo''
The younger and favorite nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and the Baron's heir.
----
* AdaptationalLateAppearance: Feyd-Rautha first appeared in the second chapter of the novel along with his uncle; this version of the character only appears in the second part of a two-film adaptation.
* AdaptationalBadass:
** This version of Feyd doesn't use any of [[CombatPragmatist the dirty tricks his book counterpart relied upon]], even taking on the un-drugged Atreides gladiator without having to fall back on a paralyzing trigger word. [[spoiler:His climactic duel against Paul is much more evenly matched than in the book, and the poison and hidden blade that Feyd used in the book are absent, making it a contest of pure skill that Feyd almost wins.]]
** Notably, this version of Feyd is subjected to the ''gom jabbar'' and successfully passes, something that never happens in the novel and would seem pretty improbable given that he lacks Paul's Bene Gesserit training, the only thing that allowed him to survive his own test. This also means the filmic Feyd passed solely thanks to his natural mental resources.
* AdaptationalJerkass: This adaptation has Feyd kill off slaves and underlings on a whim, while the original novel only had him kill his concubines, which even then was a punishment imposed on him by the Baron for an assassination attempt. The film also establishes that Feyd [[{{Matricide}} murdered his own mother]], who was never mentioned at all in the book, and adds a confrontation with Rabban, where he beats, humiliates, and threatens his older brother.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Feyd is still very much a psychotic despot-to-be, but the film's AdaptationalBadass treatment makes him much more of an honorable warrior than the original CombatPragmatist from the book. His attempts to assassinate the Baron are also omitted, with him reacting to his own assassination attempt with the disgust of someone who considers himself over treachery, and it's stated Feyd intends to inherit his uncle's titles legitimately.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the novel, Feyd was a skilled warrior and quite intelligent, but he was more of a charming schemer and a playboy than a fighter. In the films, Feyd is depicted as an almost feral NobleDemon who takes great joy in violence, and is a much more hands-on opponent. He's also much more violent and unpredictable, prone to killing even his own men at random where his literary counterpart only did so at the Baron's behest.
* AdaptationalSympathy: Inverted. In the novels, Feyd was depicted in a somewhat sympathetic light as the product of the Baron's abuse -- with the prequels revealing he had been stolen from his loving parents -- and it was noted that he could easily have turned out like Paul had he not been corrupted by the Baron. here, he murdered his own mother and is implied to have been a sociopath from the get-go.
* AdaptationalUgliness: In the book, Feyd-Rautha is young, handsome and athletic in great contrast to his brutish-looking brother and morbidly obese uncle. He's deliberately groomed by the Baron to look different so that he can all the better win hearts and minds to the Harkonnen leadership on Dune. While he still fits that description in this version and Margot is impressed with his physicality, he's also a creepy, hairless, black-mouthed albino.
* AdaptationalWimp: The reader never quite gets a look on Feyd's inner world in the novel, so it's reasonable to assume he's just as confident and worldly as he looks. Meanwhile, the film makes him surprisingly vulnerable in this field, showing him disappointed and angry at his uncle's attempt on his life, and later insecure and almost disturbed at Margot's advances. Her report on him to Mohiam explicitly she is drawing on his insecurity to manipulate him.
* AmbiguouslyBi: While Feyd demonstrates plenty of attraction to women, sleeping with Lady Margot and keeping an entourage of cannibalistic concubines, he notably returns a kiss from [[VillainousIncest his uncle]] with one of his own, and some of the looks he gives Paul could be interpreted as lustful.
* AndYourLittleDogToo: [[spoiler:Like in the novel, Feyd attempts to provoke Paul during their duel by threatening Chani after picking up on their connection.]]
--> "She's your pet? Any special attention for the pet?"
* AnimalMotifs: His tendency to [[ScreamingWarrior snarl and bark during combat]] gives him a primal quality not unlike a rabid dog, not to mention how often he bares his [[ScaryTeeth blackened teeth]]. Gurney outright calls Feyd an "animal", a description that is even more appropriate here than in the original book.
* AntagonisticGovernor: He takes over Rabban's position as governor of Arrakis [[spoiler:and quickly brings the Fremen resistance to its knees.]]
* AntiVillain: Downplayed. He's firmly a bad man and violently unhinged, but Feyd has a sense of honor and sincere respect for his enemies, as well as his own twisted sense of morals that both the Baron and Rabban lack.
* AxCrazy: More subdued about it than his brother, but still there. He lives for battle and has no qualms about gruesome murder. When the Atreides soldier, Lanville, has his dagger inches away from his face, Feyd laughs like a madman because the thrill of dying excites him.
* BadBoss: Even more so than his brother and uncle. While Vladimir and Rabban have also harmed and killed their underlings, they usually do so during [[TantrumThrowing moments of extreme anger]] or when [[YouHaveFailedMe their minions have disappointed them]]. In stark contrast, Feyd casually murders servants and advisors with little to no provocation, simply because he feels like it or because [[ImAHumanitarian his concubines]] haven't eaten in a while.
* BenevolentBoss: He's a BadBoss to most of his underlings, but he treats his concubines fairly well and even provides them with [[ImAHumanitarian fresh food]].
* BigBrotherBully: {{Inverted}}. After replacing Rabban as Planetary Governor of Arrakis, Feyd demands that his older brother [[IKissYourFoot kiss his foot]], knocks him to the ground when he violently refuses, then forces him to comply at knifepoint, all while snarling that [[DisappointingOlderSibling Rabban humiliated their family]].
* BorrowedCatchphrase: When he is about to duel Paul, he returns the customary Fremen salute (though his tone implies he doesn't really care about the 'custom' aspect of it and simply returns the salute mockingly).
-->'''Paul''': May thy knife chip and shatter.\\
'''Feyd''': May ''thy'' knife chip and shatter.
* BloodKnight: Feyd loves fighting and killing, and his idea of a birthday celebration is fighting in the arenas of Giedi Prime. When his three opponents are the last of the Atreides soldiers taken during the attack on Arrakis, he is clearly bored while killing the first two because he knows that they have been drugged and easy kills provide him no satisfaction. But when he realizes that the third one is not drugged, he relishes the challenge and even congratulates the man for giving him a good fight after stabbing him.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: He's described as a sociopath, but Feyd seems more to follow a strange moral code based around social darwinism. He's happy to kill anyone he deems as weak, but he expresses sincere empathy and respect to those on his level, as well as showing no regard for his own life and viewing himself as just as expendable. He comforts Lanville after fatally wounding him in a manner that suggests he's genuinely compassionate towards him, and [[spoiler:sincerely compliments Paul for fatally wounding him.]]
* CasualKink: It isn't depicted onscreen[[note]]unless one interprets his success at the gom-jabbar test as being the product of his masochism[[/note]], but Lady Margot reports that Feyd derives sexual satisfaction from receiving pain and humiliation, a quality that, unlike his sadistic tendencies, isn't treated as one of Feyd's moral failings.
* ClashingCousins: [[spoiler:As Paul reveals before their duel, he and Feyd are cousins (first cousins once removed, to be specific). Feyd finds the revelation mildly interesting before noting that Paul wouldn't be the first relative he'd killed.]]
* CombatPragmatist: In single combat, Feyd likes to keep things [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen fair and square]]. When he assumes command of the Harkonnen forces on Arrakis, however, his go-to tactics involve DeathFromAbove, MoreDakka, and KillItWithFire from as far away as possible. Quite understandable since, every time Harkonnens engaged the Fremen in direct combat, they got their behinds soundly whooped.
* CombatSadomasochist: In battle, Feyd is a snarling maniac who revels in having an equal opponent. Even when his enemies injure or threaten to get the better of him, Feyd has a wide smile on his face, finding as much of a thrill in facing pain and death himself as he does in inflicting both on others. He goes so far as to deactivate and remove his shield while fighting Lanville, giving his opponent a ''better'' chance at victory, just for the sheer visceral thrill of facing mortal danger.
* CompositeCharacter: He adopts the literary Baron's dark sense of humor and FauxAffablyEvil personality, as well as the literary Feyd's role in the story.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Takes down the much bigger Rabban [[CurbStompBattle in two moves]] when the latter attacks him, and it actually looks convincing.
* DepravedBisexual: While primarily interested in women, he's in an incestuous relationship with the Baron, and it's implied he's attracted to Paul thanks to his violence and skill in combat.
* TheDragon: Succeeds Rabban as the Baron's right-hand after the former's repeated failure to quell the Fremen uprising on Arrakis, and is much more capable and efficient.
* DragonInChief: He's much more competent and dangerous than both the Baron and Rabban, even going as far as to deliver a CurbStompBattle to the latter [[BullyingADragon when being threatened by him]].
* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:He outlasts the Baron in the climax, facing Paul as Shaddam's champion to decide the throne.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He disdains fighting unfairly, if only because his ego can't handle a win he hasn't earned.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:While he quickly clocks that Paul and Chani are involved, Feyd, a product of his "use and abuse" society, refers to Chani as a "pet" (which is no doubt how he sees his own concubines) rather than entertaining the idea that Paul genuinely loves her. When he has the upper hand in their duel, Feyd heavily implies that he will [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil take Chani for himself]] after finishing off Paul, which inadvertently gives the latter a HeroicSecondWind to defeat and kill Feyd.]]
* EvilCounterpart: To Paul, being another Bene Gesserit "prospect" (and, at least in the book, the intended father of the [[TheChosenOne Kwisatz Haderach]]). Like Paul, Feyd is a [[GeniusBruiser highly-skilled fighter, a capable tactician,]] [[AmbitionIsEvil and has his eyes on the Emperor's throne.]]
* EvilSoundsRaspy: The brutish Feyd-Rautha has a noticeable rasp in his voice like his uncle.
* EvilVirtues: Lady Margot describes him as cruel and sociopathic, but also driven by honour. One can say many things about him, but he respects warrior customs and is far from a coward. This is in notable contrast to the book's version, who didn't hesitate to cheat if he thought he was going to lose.
* FairPlayVillain: Values honor in battle to the point that he literally roars and barks at an arena attendant that attempts to intervene during his fight against [[WorthyOpponent Lanville]].
* FanDisservice: Feyd is introduced wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He is muscled and handsome by comparison with other Harkonnens. He then kills two of his own underlyings to test the sharpness of a blade.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Tends to be very polite and cheerful, but will kill without provocation or warning, even his own servants.
* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:For ''Part Two''; with Rabban and the Baron dead and the Emperor and his party as captives, Feyd is the only thing standing between Paul and the Imperium's throne. His death marks the end of the reign of Shaddam IV, and the beginning of the reign of Paul Muad'dib.]]
* GeniusBruiser: Is as skilled a fighter as [[TheHero Paul Atreides]] himself and, once he takes over as Planetary Governor of Arrakis, [[spoiler:quickly puts an end to the northern Fremen's rebellion by launching surgical artillery strikes on their sietches.]]
* GigglingVillain: He audibly laughs in a mischievous, sincere way while grappling with Lanville, out of the sheer joy he feels at the challenge.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Upon realizing that Paul had managed to managed to fatally stab him, Feyd merely congratulates his opponent for a duel well fought before succumbing to his wounds.]]
* IAmAHumanitarian: Not Feyd himself, at least not explicitly, but he strongly implies that his concubines only eat human flesh and go hungry if he doesn't kill anyone in a while.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Once he finally meets Paul, he's clearly enamored with his ruthlessness and looks positively ecstatic when he watches Paul [[spoiler:coldly execute the Baron]].
* KickTheDog: His habit of murdering his slaves and subordinates aside, [[spoiler:Feyd also personally executes Shishakli by burning her alive with a flamethrower for "pleasure".]]
* KnightOfCerebus: For much of the film, ''Part Two'' feels like a dramatic, but still traditionally heroic struggle of underdogs Paul and the Fremen against the unambiguously evil Harkonnens. [[spoiler:Once Feyd gets involved in the conflict on Arrakis, however, his brutal tactics force Paul to resort to darker methods to defeat his enemies, and the full horror and tragedy of Paul's story comes to the forefront.]]
* KubrickStare: Introduced giving one of these.
* LaughablyEvil: Quite a bit of dark humor is mined from just how much of a lunatic Feyd is, and from his own morbidly sardonic jokes. For instance, after Paul reveals [[spoiler:that they're both cousins.]]
-->'''Feyd:''' [[spoiler:Cousin?]] ''[casually shrugs]'' Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've killed a relative.
* ManHug: A villain example, but when killing Lanville, Feyd warmly hugs and caresses him before gently laying him down and complimeting his fighting skills. It shows that he genuinely does respects warriors willing to fight him to the death and that he is sincere in it.
* {{Matricide}}: According to the Bene Gesserit, he murdered his own mother. Reverend Mother Mohiam cites this as a reason why Feyd would respond better to [[HoneyTrap a lover]] than a maternal figure.
* MythologyGag: Promotional interviews describe him as a [[https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1650936477755252769 "psychotic Mick Jagger"]]; Jagger was intended to be cast as Feyd-Rautha in Alejandro Jodorowsky's planned adaptation.
* NobleDemon: Deconstructed, this version of Feyd shares many of Paul's laudable qualities including his determination, courage, and martial discipline. However, Feyd also shows how these traits, while admirable and present, aren't enough to overpower or excuse a person's reprehensible aspects by themselves.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Before seducing Feyd, Lady Margot subjects him to ''gom jabbar'', the same test that Reverend Mother Mohiam put Paul through in the first film, during which the latter was shown to be in complete agony. When reporting to the Bene Gesserit after the fact, Margot reveals that Feyd passed without any issue, even suggesting that he may have ''enjoyed'' the pain that it inflicted on him.
* OnlySaneByComparison: Feyd is an absolute lunatic by any regard, but he's the most on-the-ball of the Harkonnens. Rabban is an incompetent fool, and while the Baron is no slouch, he's a SmugSnake [[spoiler:who ultimately can't back up his ambitions]]. Feyd by contrast is dangerously competent and proves the most pragmatic out of them, [[spoiler:proving willing to serve the Bene Gesserit so long as he gets the throne.]]
* PetTheDog: He's [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen not above fighting fairly]], and sincerely compliments Lanville for putting up a good fight and comforts the dying man after killing him.
* PrettyBoy: Similar to [[spoiler:his cousin]], Paul, Feyd is slender and gracious. The physical similarity to Paul is even bigger when he is put beside his FatBastard uncle and {{Hunk}}-looking older brother.
* PlotParallel: Feyd is seen by Reverend Mother Mohiam as the answer to Paul. Through the sequel, his plot is somewhat similar to Paul. [[MirrorCharacter He is the youngest nephew of Baron Vladimir, a charismatic warrior prince and an efficient leader, expected to inherit Arrakis and is in the middle of a conspiration to install him as Emperor.]] He has his own manipulative Bene Gesserit in lady Margot Fenring, mirroring Paul's connection to Jessica. [[spoiler:The film's climax showcases their similar, yet contrasting styles in an even-matched duel, which ends with Feyd's demise.]]
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: While grappling with Lanville for control of the blade that will kill one of them, Feyd begins laughing in pure delight.
* {{Sadist}}: In addition to his enjoyment of [[CombatSadomasochist giving and receiving pain in battle]], Feyd clearly revels in inflicting pain under any circumstances, taking satisfaction in humiliating his brother Rabban and describing burning [[spoiler:Shishakli]] alive as "pleasure".
* RedRightHand: In addition to the BaldOfEvil and EvilAlbino traits shared among all Harkonnen, Feyd and his cannibalistic harem have had their teeth painted black. This makes him particularly unsettling to look at, especially when he's [[ScaryTeeth baring them in the heat of battle]].
* ScreamingWarrior: In combat, Feyd punctuates just about every strike by grunting and snarling.
* TheSociopath: Margot outright calls him one and with good reason. He casually murders two of his slave girls simply to test the edge of a new blade, then proceeds to complain it's not quite perfect. Unlike the rest of his family, he does show a twisted sense of empathy, comforting Lanville after fatally wounding him out of sincere respect.
* SequelAdaptationIconicVillain: A fairly iconic character of the novel, he's been saved for ''Part Two'' (though the two parts still adapt the first novel anyway).
* TheStarscream: Subverted. Unlike in the books, he doesn't attempt to assassinate his uncle just so that he can quickly become Baron of House Harkonnen. He does threaten to drown his uncle in his own bathing pool when he confronts him for rigging his fight with the last of the enslaved Atreides troops, but that's as far as it goes. [[spoiler:Then again, Feyd doesn't do anything to stop a Sardaukar from crippling his uncle, nor does he seem particularly broken up when Paul kills the Baron in front of the Imperial court.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: Downplayed. Feyd is a murderous lunatic, but he's the only Harkonnen with any sign of morals or empathy. He comforts Lanville after fatally wounding him in a moment of oddly sincere kindness, is sincerely committed to his ideals of honor, [[spoiler:and compliments Paul after he fatally wounds Feyd]].
* TooKinkyToTorture: After seducing Feyd and subjecting him to the ''gom jabbar'' test, Lady Margot tells Mohiam that he finds pleasure in pain, implying that Feyd passed the test because he literally got off on it.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: When he takes control of Arrakis, Feyd's first act is to launch a full scale assault on the Freman's northern ''Sietches'' to quell their rebellion, injuring and killing many and forcing the others to evacuate to the South. This unknowingly prompts Paul to finally embrace his role as ''Lisan-al-Gaib'' to gain the support of the southern Fremen, setting in motion the events that will eventually lead to a mass jihad that Paul's visions idicate will ''devastate'' the Imperium.
* VillainousValor: For all his savagery, Feyd understands and appreciates honor, enjoys a fair fight (and takes it badly if anything happens to make the fight unfair), and isn't above showing grace to his enemies, [[spoiler:even if they've just killed him]].
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Feyd is highly admired by the people of Giedi Prime, with his victories in the arena and his assignment to govern Arrakis being met with loud cheers and adulation from the crowds. Baron Vladimir also plots to exploit and invoke this with Feyd's ruling of Arrakis, allowing Rabban's governance to end in disaster so that his younger brother would be seen as a savior in comparison.
* WeakWilled: Downplayed; Feyd is defiant enough towards his uncle that he threatens the Baron's life over a presumed assassination attempt, but Lady Margot bends him to her will with next to no effort, quickly seducing him to the point that she has Feyd literally on his knees before her. She later reports that Feyd would, in fact, be much easier to control than Paul Atreides ever would be.
* WorthyOpponent: Considers Lanville (the only Atreides gladiator that wasn't drugged) to be one after a particularly hard-fought battle. [[spoiler:Feyd extends this courtesy to Paul after being fatally stabbed by the latter.]]
--> [[IronicEcho "You fought well, Atreides..."]]
* XenomorphXerox: An unusual example, but Feyd's bald head, black chitonous armour, black teeth and animalistic ferosity make him very xenomorph like, especially in the environment of the H.R. Giger inspired Giedi Prime. He's like if the alien from ''Film/{{Alien}}'' could talk and reason like a person.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Piter de Vries]]
!!Piter de Vries
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dune_devries.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My Lord, you gave your word to the witch, and she sees too much."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DavidDastmalchian [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Luis Leonardo Suárez (SP, [=LatAm=]), Pau López (SP, Spain), Creator/YojiUeda (JP)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]''
The mentat of House Harkonnen.
----
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He's a subdued, quiet servant instead of a mentally unstable fast talker as in the novel.
* CompositeCharacter: He has more in common with [[VideoGame/DuneII Edric O]] than the books' Piter de Vries, both in terms of [[BaldOfEvil his]] [[EvilWearsBlack appearance]] and [[TheStoic personality]]
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:He perishes when Duke Leto Atreides unleashes the DeadlyGas from his fake tooth trying to kill Baron Vladimir. The gas appears to have corroded his skin and dissolved his eyeballs.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: His clarification to Rabban clearly has a subtle condescending tone at his inability to grasp the whole plan.
* DemotedToExtra: Downplayed. Piter wasn't a prominent character in the novel to begin with, but his 2021 version is reduced to an extra who has very few lines and whose name isn't pronounced once. [[spoiler:In this version, Yueh isn't killed by him but by the Baron.]] That being said, one of his important scenes in this movie is an event which happened completely offscreen in the book (the hiring of the Sardaukar).
* DissonantSerenity: He is right next to many of the film's freakiest elements, including the ferocious Sardaukar, but he never bats an eye. If anything, it seems like only the Baron's discussions manage to get him to express surprise.
* MouthOfSauron: He represents House Harkonnen when going to seek Sardaukar reinforcements on Salusa Secundus.
* NoNameGiven: Despite his relative importance to the plot, including his AdaptationExpansion on Salusa Secundus, Piter's name is never mentioned in the first film.
* ProphetEyes: Can be seen very briefly doing this, like fellow Mentat Thufir Hawat, when Rabban arrives on Giedi Prime and at the end of his talk to the Bashar.
* TheStoic: He doesn't show much emotion for most of the film, even when in the same room with a volatile Rabban or face to face with the dreaded Sardaukar. His composure only falters [[spoiler:as he's being fatally poisoned]].
[[/folder]]
----
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harkonnen.jpg]]
* AlbinosAreFreaks: The villainous Harkonnens and their soldiers have very pale skin in this adaptation. Villeneuve [[https://ew.com/movies/dune-trailer-breakdown-denis-villeneuve/ explained]] that their homeworld of Giedi Prime is so polluted that they're not used to the sun.
* AlwaysNight: The planet Giedi Prime is fouled with pollution, preventing sunlight from piercing the cloud cover.
* ArchEnemy: With the Atreides, and the transfer of Arrakis is a scheme to kickstart their downfall.
* ArmorIsUseless:
** Their pressure suits have armored parts, yet their assault to the Arrakeen palace is almost routed by the first line of Atreides soldiers, many of which are caught in the attack wearing only fatigues and dress uniforms.
** It doesn't help much against the Fremen either as seen in ''Part Two''.
* BadBoss: Most prominent in ''Part Two'', where the heads of House Harkonnen show their cruelty towards their underlings.
** Rabban is shown to repeatedly kill his minions out of frustration over what he perceives as failures.
** The Baron kills two of his attendants out of anger over the Fremen repeatedly sabotaging spice harvesting, and by the end of the film he is so fed up with Rabban's inability to control the situation on Arrakis that he warns him that the next time he fails him will be the last.
** Feyd is shown killing underlings just to test out the sharpness of his weapons and at one point slits the throat of a Harkonnen soldier just for being mildly annoying.
* TheBadGuyWins: With help from the Sardaukar, they take over Arrakis by the end of the first movie.
* BaldOfEvil: In contrast to both prior adaptations which gave them flaming red hair (in the book, their hair was not described other than Rabban's brother being dark-haired and the Baron red), and likely based on their look in the cutscenes of ''VideoGame/EmperorBattleForDune'', the antagonistic and amoral Baron Harkonnen and Rabban are completely bald, as are the Harkonnen troops and their personal attendants. This is in contrast to the heroic Atreides characters, who all have hair.
* BlackSpeech: The Harkonnen soldiers speak a harsh and guttural "battle language" among themselves. It isn't inhuman sounding like the Sardaukar's, and they're also heard speaking English.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: During [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-02-22/austin-butler-denis-villeneuve-dune-part-two-villain-feyd-rautha-harkonnen-interview an interview]], Denis Villeneuve stated they and their people operate under this.
--> '''Denis Villeneuve:''' I think that the Harkonnen are trying to be as disconnected from nature as possible. Their world is an artificial, plastic world. I like to think that, for them, hair is vulgar, and to remove everything and become hairless is sexy for them. Some of my friends on the team and I used to say: If there's a party, you want to be on Giedi Prime. That's where the party is.
* BondageIsBad: House Harkonnen has a subtle undercurrent of BDSM styling to their aesthetic in ''Part One'', with black being their heraldic color, use of a lot of shiny rubbers and latex-like materials in their uniforms, and their homeworld Giedi Prime have a distinctly [[Creator/HRGiger Giger-esque]] design language, all of which gets cranked up in ''Part Two'' as we see that their familial and governing politics are predicated on the giving and receiving of favors or punishments, Feyd-Rautha both being something of a CombatSadomasochist as well as keeping a harem of cannibal concubines dressed in skin-tight black rubber, sealing the ascendancy of the next Baron of the House with a kiss that is eagerly returned, and Rabban favoring a multi-lash whip in combat. Naturally, House Harkonnen totally ignores SafeSaneAndConsensual.
* TheCaligula: The entire family is full of hedonistic, sadistic, genocidal slaving bastards.
* DarkIsEvil: Their planet Giedi Prime is a grim, colorless, shadowy world, and the rulers are not good people at all. Even their fireworks produce dark flashes somehow.
* TheDreaded: Subverted. They are fiercely described by Gurney Halleck as being "brutal" but who turn out to be pushovers when it comes to fighting, if the assault on Arrakeen is anything to go by. Unlike the Sardaukar.
* EvilColonialist: The Fremen see them as intruders who came to their world to butcher them and plunder the spice. They're not wholly wrong.
* EvilIsPetty: During their invasion, the Harkonnens set fire to the date palms the Fremen have been caring for in the heart of Arrakeen. When asked about the Fremen after he takes back the planet, the Baron orders Rabban to kill them.
* EvilWearsBlack: While members of House Atreides tend to wear an austere black or dark grey, members of House Harkonnen uniformly wear jet black, often with a glossy texture, that contrasts sharply with their pallid skin.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Originally, Creator/FrankHerbert modeled the Harkonnens after ThoseWackyNazis and DirtyCommunists, and the surname Harkonnen, which he found in a phone book, was chosen because it sounded "Soviet"[[note]]even though it was actually Finnish[[/note]]. This is averted in the movie, as the Harkonnens are far more alien in aesthetics than any other faction, resembling more some kind of fictional sci-fi cyborg collective that any real culture.
* FacelessGoons: Harkonnen soldiers, their pale skins unaccustomed to the punishing Arrakis sun, wear enclosed environmental suits that completely obscure their faces. It is also implied they rely on numbers more than skill.
* TheHeavy: Pun aside, they are the primary antagonists to House Atreides, though they're not the ones pulling the strings.
* JetPack: The heavy armor Harkonnen soldiers use in the deep desert include repulsors, which seems quite useful in case of incoming {{sand worm}}s.
* NoBrows: On top of being bald, the Harkonnens and their retainers and troops have no eyebrows either, giving the impression they're completely hairless. This adds to their alien vibe, and as with their unnaturally pale skin, is likely intended to reflect Giedi Prime's environment.
* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: Averted. Upon his recuperation, Baron Vladimir lists off the basic costs of their coup, which doesn't even take into account the losses of personnel, fuel, and equipment during it. He notes that they'll have to work Arrakis hard to recuperate what they spent before they start generating profit again.
* PoisonousPerson: The Fremen consider the water from the bodies of Harkonnen soldiers as too poisonous/polluted to drink, and instead use it for their cooling systems.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: When transporting the captured Paul and Jessica into the desert, the three Harkonnen soldiers can be heard enthusiastically discussing their plans to have their way with the latter. Thankfully, Jessica and Paul are able to escape before this can happen, with Jessica brutally killing the trio for good measure.
* WeHaveReserves: Their rank-and-file are no match for the Atreides soldiers, let alone the likes of the Fremen and Sardaukar, but the Harkonnens have more than enough CannonFodder to spare.
* WickedWastefulness: The Harkonnens' water wastefulness for the sake of cruelty (aside from any other acts off-screen) is portrayed in this film by them having planted a big row of palm trees at the entrance of the palace that had to be watered daily with what the Fremen gardener says is enough water for five men (for each). When he hears this, Paul offers to get the trees cut down but the gardener declines saying that the trees are resilient like the Fremen and actually liked by the people (the fact the Harkonnens ordered him to do so under pain of death and he is still wary of the Atreides also factors). [[spoiler:The Harkonnens [[KickTheDog make a point of setting the trees on fire]] when they massacre the Atreides.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Baron Vladimir]]
!!Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baronvladimir.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said I will not harm them, and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis. And the desert takes the weak."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/StellanSkarsgard [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Creator/PedroDAguillonJr (SP, [=LatAm=]), Joan Massotkleiner (SP, Spain), Normand D'Amour (FR, Quebec)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]'' | ''Film/DunePartTwo''
->''"When is a gift not a gift? The Atreides voice is rising and the Emperor is a jealous man. A dangerous, jealous man."''\\
\\
The head of House Harkonnen, who conspires with Emperor Shaddam IV to destroy the Atreides.
----
* AccentsArentHereditary: Baron Harkonnen has Stellan Skarsgard's natural Swedish accent, which is not shared by anyone else in his House. Despite the TranslationConvention in effect in the films, [[FridgeBrilliance this is justified to a degree in-universe]] given that Rabban is not from the same planet as the Baron (being born on Lankiveil, whereas the Baron is from Giedi Prime) and lived on Arrakis for many years, all of which would justify his having a different accent to the Baron. It's subverted with Feyd, who has the same accent and speaking style as the Baron.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: Rather than being polite and affected as in the book, this version of him is scarily solemn, wasting few words and generally carrying himself with a somber dignity in all his scenes.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Downplayed, but still visible. In the book, where he was officially 400 pounds, the Baron was obese to the point of not being able to walk without help, and had a bloated face with almost buried eyes. In the film, aside from looking much lighter than that, he is portrayed as less of a morbidly obese and more of a powerfully built, broad-shouldered man who only happens to be really fat too, with Creator/StellanSkarsgard's elegant features to complete it. His character design now makes it look like he could walk perfectly if he wanted and only uses his repulsors because he prefers to levitate around.
* AdaptationalBadass: The novel version is constantly thrown around by events, playing a perfunctory role in the Emperor's machinations and only surviving to Leto's attempt on his life by dumb luck, and this is best shown when he's reduced to submission by the Emperor's arrival. His film version, in contrast, is almost always much more in control of everything: he survives the attempt thanks to his personal gear and quick thinking, kills personally Yueh in a impressive way suggesting he is not a total NonActionGuy, and when the Emperor arrives in Arrakis, even if their encounter transpires the same way, the Baron at least has the will and influence to gather the noble houses in response and turn them ''against'' Shaddam.
* AdaptationalDumbass: Downplayed. He's much less incompetent than the literary Baron, but he lacks his novel counterpart's streak of GenreSavvy. Notably The Baron accepts Rabban's statement that Paul and Jessica died from flying into a sandstorm, whereas his book counterpart flew into a rage when presented with this claim, knowing that it's premature to believe they're dead if the Harkonnens NeverFoundTheBody. Additionally, in the book Piter and the Baron develop the plan to bring the downfall of House Atreides. While the Emperor aided and supported him, it was largely The Baron's scheme. In the movie, The Baron is depicted as a junior, albeit extremely willing, partner in The Emperor's ploy.
* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the novels, the Baron was a cunning planner and quite dangerous, but he was quite firmly a SmugSnake who was easily manipulated and was constantly thrown for a loop whenever something interfered with his plans. While ultimately proven to be a BigBadWannabe, Villeneuve's Baron is much more adaptable and intelligent, as well as being a very competent [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]].
* AdaptationalJerkass: In the books, the Baron was a thoroughly repugnant figure, but [[FauxAffablyEvil he was quite jolly and urbane, and put on an effort to be charming.]] The film Baron is still superficially polite, but he's much more stern and cold, lacking his literary counterpart's pretensions of civility. In the novel, the Baron also never intended to wipe out the Fremen and instead just wanted to use them as a work force; here, he intends to wipe them all out.
* AdaptationalKarma: While he does get chastised by the Emperor as in the books for failing to properly deal with the Fremen, Shaddam IV takes it a step further by ordering one of the Sardaukar to destroy the Baron's breathing device and anti-gravity suspensor, leaving the Baron lying on the ground helpless.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Downplayed, as he's still a repugnant and vicious character. His personality change in the film makes him less prone to gloat in his evil, instead looking contemplative and straightforward, and unlike in the novel, he is never seen verbally mistreating his clansmen. The book character's [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil fondness]] [[DepravedHomosexual for men and boys]] has also been either reduced to subtext ([[spoiler:his stripping of Leto, his bath attendant wearing see-through clothing, and him kissing Feyd-Rautha during his coronation]]) or removed entirely. Also, because Feyd makes no attempt to assassinate him, he doesn't order his nephew to kill his concubines as punishment.
* AdaptationalSeriousness: The literary Baron was quite LaughablyEvil to the point of being the novel's comic relief, with only his extreme evil balancing out the levity he brought. In the films, he's much more serious and stoic; where in the novels he was an almost pathetic figure, here he's quite dignified and always commands the utmost respect.
* AdaptationalSexuality: Implied; [[spoiler:the fact that he fathered Jessica isn't treated as out-of-character for the Baron, suggesting that this version of the character is a DepravedBisexual, rather than a DepravedHomosexual.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: Zig-zagged. Both the literary and film depictions of the Baron are monstrous people, and the films make the Baron considerably less depraved. However, the novels depicted the Baron as being a vocal proponent of PragmaticVillainy which meant he restrained himself and his nephews from violence that didn't serve them in some way and refused to kill his own men as long as they were useful even if they angered him. He also balked at wiping out the Fremen entirely, simply wanting to use them as workers and entirely willing to reward them for cooperating with his regime (albeit out of self-serving reasons). Here, his nephews gleefully kill their underlings with no disapproval from the Baron and he's willing to kill off all the Fremen until it proves unfeasible, indicating that nothing reins him in here.
* AdiposeRex: He rules a Great House, and he's enormously fat.
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:For as evil as he is, the Baron's death is shown in a pitiable light. He's left crippled on the stairs to the Emperor's throne, and vainly tries to crawl up them to get to the throne he so coveted before Paul coldly executes him.]]
* AnimalMotif: The thick, mud-like liquid he bathes in [[spoiler:to heal from Leto's poison]], combined with his extreme weight, hairlessness, and grey-tinged skin causes him to resemble a hippo or elephant.
* ArchnemesisDad: [[spoiler:He is revealed to be the biological father of Jessica, which not only makes him an Archnemesis Dad to Jessica but also makes him an Archnemesis Father-in-Law and Archnemesis Grandfather to Leto and Paul respectively. However, he doesn't seem to be aware of this fact, and he doesn't really get to process this revelation when Paul acknowledges him as his grandfather because the latter kills him seconds later.]]
* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Baron was the BigBad of the first film whilst his nephew Rabban was TheDragon. [[spoiler: Come ''Part Two'' and it is quickly revealed how powerless and weak he is compared to the even ''bigger'' BigBad that is the Emperor who not so subtly flexes the gulf of power between him and the Baron.]]
* BaldOfEvil: He's bald, and quite the sadistic bastard.
* BeautyInversion: It took ''eight'' hours of make-up to turn Stellan Skarsgard, who is handsome and has an average body type, into the bald, ugly and monstrously obese Harkonnen.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: He's soft-spoken and quiet, but the Baron is a very dangerous man and a cunning planner.
* BigBad: He is the principal villain of the first film.
* BigBadWannabe: [[spoiler:By the end of ''Part Two'', the Baron is left all but helpless against the Emperor, who was himself little more than a pawn to Reverend Mother Mohiam; his failure to appease Shaddam sees the Baron humiliated before the Emperor and helpless to defend himself when Paul arrives to kill him.]]
* BodyHorror. Hard to see at first, but the repulsors are actually implanted into his back. The rest of his body, while less modified, is not much less unsettling.
* CharacterTic: Often rubs his skull.
* CharacterExaggeration: This incarnation of the Baron takes his characterization as a cunning, amorally pragmatic schemer and runs with it at the expense of his quirkier personality in the books.
* TheChessmaster: The Baron has clearly been manipulating everyone (the Emperor, Dr. Yueh...etc) for years, if not decades in a grand attempt to gain more power for himself and his house. [[spoiler:He calls the other Great Houses in desperation claiming that the the Emperor and his Sardaukar troops invaded Arrakis.]]
* ColonelKurtzCopy: Strongly evokes Creator/MarlonBrando's character in ''Film/ApocalypseNow'', being a bald, stout leader with a pensive aura all over him who is often framed in shadows, additionally being much colder and [[MumblingBrando quieter]] than he was in the books. There is even a shot where he rubs his scalp that is filmed in the same way as when Kurtz did it, which seems to replace the Baron's canonical CharacterTic of touching his head. The costume department confirmed in interviews that Villeneuve compared his vision for the Baron to Brando's Kurtz.
* ColdHam: Despite having a visibly larger-than-life presence due to being an ObviouslyEvil [[Film/Dune1984 floating fat man]], Vladimir carries with him a quiet, direct manner of speaking that contrasts with his more theatrical appearance.
* CrazyPrepared: Even when having [[spoiler:Leto stripped naked at his mercy, the Baron still puts up his personal shield before approaching him. This ends up saving his life.]]
* CreepyMonotone: His raspy voice lacks any intonation.
* {{Cyborg}}: His anti-gravity device appears to be embedded in his ''spine''.
* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: After barely surviving his poisoning by Leto Atreides, ''Part Two'' has the Baron now hooked up to several life support machines to maintain his body's vitals. [[spoiler:When the Emperor has the system disabled, the Baron struggles to breathe and can't even stand under his own power, and despite his past displays of strength, he's totally helpless when Paul arrives to kill him.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes the name and role of the literary Baron, but his dark sense of humor and his FauxAffablyEvil demeanor are transplanted to Feyd.
* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: [[spoiler:Due to the lack of Alia (who is still in Jessica's womb in the whole second movie), the Baron isn't poisoned by Alia's ''gom jabbar'' needle but stabbed by Paul.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: In ''Part Two''. After Paul kills him, his nephew Feyd-Rautha and Emperor Shaddam IV remain as the threats for the Atreides to overcome.]]
* DepravedHomosexual: An ImpliedTrope, as opposed to it being explicit like in the book. [[spoiler: In ''Part One'' While humiliating his archnemesis Leto Atreides, he has him stripped naked for his own amusement and seems to enjoy the sight. In ''Part Two'' he kills two of his attendants offscreen while naked, and later kisses Feyd Rautha on the mouth when granting him Arrakis.]] [[spoiler: His fathering of Jessica, while a plot twist, is not considered out of character]], as mentioned above with AdaptationalSexuality.
* DesecratingTheDead: [[spoiler:After he is slain by Paul, the Fremen leave his body to the desert to be eaten by insects.]]
* EnemyEatsYourLunch: [[spoiler:The first thing he does in the Duke's palace? Treat himself to a large meal in front of the captive Leto, with the food coming from the plundered Atreides kitchen.]]
-->'''Baron:''' [[IShallTauntYou You have a wonderful kitchen, cousin.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Subverted. He only views Feyd and Rabban as henchmen, and is quick to endanger them if it serves his plan. He does demonstrate some affection for Feyd, but of the [[VillainousIncest incestuous variety]]. [[spoiler:However, after drinking the Water of Life, Paul has a vision of the Baron tenderly playing with a baby Jessica, implying he once had the capacity for unconditional love.]]
* EvilIsBigger: Compared to his enemy the Duke, the Baron is ''huge''.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: The Baron speaks in a low, harsh growl, making him sound as much like a monster as his actions show him to be.
* ExactWords: He's fond of LoopholeAbuse when it comes to some life-sparing obligations he's bound to.
** Says he won't harm Paul and Jessica. He never made any promises for the desert, though, so he orders his men to drop them in the desert where they'll be exposed to the harsh elements and likely die.
** He assures [[spoiler:Dr. Yueh]] that he'll be able to join [[spoiler:his wife, only to kill him a moment later, implying that she's already been murdered.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Downplayed. His death is mostly pathetic and he's obviously panicked when Shaddam cripples him, but as Paul prepares to kill him Vladimir remains stoic and composed.]]
* FanDisservice: His gross, obese body is naked twice in the film for [[SarcasmMode the viewing pleasure of the audience]], the first bathing in a sauna, the second relaxing in a tub of presumably healing oils and tar-like slime.
* FatBastard: Very overweight and immensely evil. He's so heavy that he favors an anti-gravity harness in order to float around rather than walking.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The Baron is sterner than his more urbane literary counterpart, but he's still rather polite with his underlings and enemies alike. It does nothing to disguise how evil he is, and any amiability he expresses comes with a sinister undercurrent.
* GenreSavvy: [[spoiler:When he gloats to a paralyzed Leto and his enemy murmurs something, he immediately flicks on his shield, not letting his guard down despite his enemy being paralyzed and nude. Unfortunately, [[OutGambitted a shield is mostly worthless against poison gas]]]].
* {{Gonk}}: The most grotesque-looking character in the film by far, but oddly still more dignified and menacing than other versions of the character, including the original.
* {{Greed}}: All he cares about is his Spice profits, and if the Fremen are in the way? He'll casually order total planetary ''genocide''.
-->'''Baron Harkonnen:''' But Arrakis is Arrakis, and the desert takes the weak. ''My'' desert. ''My Arrakis''. '''''My Dune'''''.
* GruesomeGrandparent: His family tree is a plot point in the second film; [[spoiler:the Baron is Paul's maternal grandfather and he tries to kill him multiple times, albeit without any cognisance that he's Jessica's father or Paul's grandfather.]]
* JabbaTableManners: Not to a great extent, but he still burps once and eats noisily in front of Leto.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:After managing to cheat death in ''Part One'', the Baron gets everything that's coming to him in ''Part Two'', as Paul's ascension dashes every one of the Baron's schemes and ambitions to pieces and leaves the man himself dying at the point of his grandson's crysknife.]]
* KickTheDog:
** [[spoiler:After Dr. Yueh betrayed House Atreides to save his beloved wife, the Baron coldly murders him and is implied to have done the same to Yueh's wife beforehand.]]
** Simply besting Duke Leto isn't enough for the Baron; [[spoiler:after the attack on Arrakeen, the Baron has Leto stripped naked and rubs in the supposed deaths of Jessica and Paul to twist the knife. Not killing Leto immediately ends up backfiring painfully for the Baron.]]
* TheHeavy: The Emperor is the one who orchestrates the downfall of House Atreides, but he remains in the background, leaving Baron Harkonnen to serve as the main antagonist.
* HumiliationConga: Got a brief one near the end. [[spoiler:The Baron was forced to kneel and be belittled by the Emperor for his failures, before the Emperor orders a Sardaukar to sever him from his life support and crawl on his feet. This public humiliation continues ''after'' his already embarrassing death of being publicly knifed by his grandson on the stairs, as Paul orders the Fremen to unceremoniously dump his body in the desert to be ripped apart by ants and forgotten.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: [[https://www.gq.com/story/stellan-skarsgard-on-becoming-dune-part-twos-big-space-bad During an interview]], his actor Creator/StellanSkarsgard explicitly described him as lacking empathy.
--> '''Stellan Skarsgard:''' No, I have to understand him as much as he understands himself. I understand Harkonnen because he doesn't have empathy. I mean, in that sense, he's a monster. But he has rationality behind his actions; he's a realpolitik [thinker]. It's like any corporate leader.
* LargeAndInCharge: It's difficult to measure how tall he is compared to his underlings, as he usually floats around and wears long robes, but the Baron is clearly a big, burly man (his actor Stellan Skarsgard is 6'3", about the same height as Dave Bautista, who plays the main enforcer Rabban), and his excess of meat only makes him even more physically imposing for his rank.
* MeaninglessVillainVictory: [[spoiler:Ironically, he succeeds in getting a Harkonnen on the throne as he wanted. It's just that said Harkonnen is his hated rival Leto's ''son'', meaning his family line has been subsumed by that of his hated enemy's.]]
* MissingStepsPlan: Baron Harkonnen claims to intend to leverage his knowledge of the Emperor's complicity in the destruction of House Atreides to [[spoiler:put Feyd-Rautha on the Imperial Throne]], but never gives specifics on ''how'' he would achieve such a thing, and all and the available options are highly dangerous to the Harkonnens themselves[[note]]The Baron cannot use the information to blackmail the Emperor into marrying Irulan to Feyd-Rautha because the plot being revealed would turn the Great Houses against House Harkonnen just as much as it would against House Corrino. By the same token, the Baron cannot use the information to rally the Great Houses in revolt against House Corrino because the Great Houses would never trust or follow a House that conspired with the Emperor to extinguish one of their own.[[/note]]
* MysteriousPast: In contrast to the novel, most of the Baron's past and motivations are left mysterious. It eventually becomes clear he's motivated by his ambition to have his family ascend the ranks, but even then everything else about him is never explained.
* NakedFirstImpression: The first time we see him, he is naked in a sauna.
* NotQuiteFlight: His suspensors in his spine allow him to move around by floating. The way he actually moves with it is done up in a way to [[GhostlyGlide make him seem more menacing]].
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:When Leto releases the poison gas in his tooth, the Baron goes visibly OhCrap and rapidly escapes to the farthest, highest corner of the ceiling he can find to remove himself from the threat. He is still clinging to that spot when his servants unseal the room the next morning, and is moaning in pain, fear or both.]]
* OhCrap: He visibly composes this expression when Duke Leto busts open the poisonous gas on him.
* ParentalFavoritism: He clearly favors his youngest nephew, Feyd, and frequently gives him praise for his competency. He's pretty indifferent to Rabban at first, but when Rabban continues to screw up in handling spice production on Arrakis, the Baron makes clear his intention to severely punish him if he continues to embarrass their family name.
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: The flashback of him being presented with his infant daughter Jessica shows a surprisingly tender side to him, hinting he may have once had the capacity to unconditionally love a family member.]]
* ProperlyParanoid: When gloating to an anesthetized Leto that his reign and house are over, Leto murmurs something. The Baron is [[GenreSavvy suddenly alert and activates a shield]] before leaning in and asking him to repeat what he said. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for everyone else, [[DeadlyGas it was the kind of weapon that was indiscriminate and that a shield couldn't defend against]]. The Baron manages to survive anyways by going up into a corner of the ceiling until the morning.]]
* {{Sadist}}: Notably downplayed in comparison to the novel and other adaptations, but he still shows signs of being one. He takes quite a bit of pleasure in mocking a defenseless Leto and stripping him naked, and brutally murders [[spoiler:Yueh]] once he's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness.]] However, he never reached his literary counterpart's level of cruelty and pointless sadism.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: A dark example. In [[https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/dune-2-stellan-skarsgard-interview-baron-harkonnen an interview]], Stellan Skarsgard stated the Baron didn't drug Lanville so he could see if Feyd has what it takes to succeed him after Rabban has proved to be a disappointment.
--> '''Stellan Skarsgard:''' I risk Feyd-Rautha's life because I have to see if he can take it. Is he really the tough guy that I need? And he is.
* SmugSnake: The Baron is leagues more competent than his literary counterpart, but he's ultimately still this. [[spoiler:He fails to realize the Fremen inhabit the southern reaches of Arrakis, and his plans to overthrow the Emperor quickly fall apart the second Shaddam even vaguely suspects the Baron could be plotting against him.]]
* TheSocialDarwinist: Implied. He makes sure Lanville isn't drugged so that he can see if Feyd-Rautha has what it takes to succeed him, indicating he values a person's intelligence and their capacity for violence as equally beneficial qualities.
* TheSociopath: In a noticeably different way than his novel counterpart. The Baron has no empathy whatsoever, but he's more of a coldly rational manipulator than his pointlessly sadistic literary counterpart. He certainly takes some joy in his enemies suffering, but mostly he comes across as bored when inflicting violence, and thinks nothing of threatening his own family member's lives.
* TheSpock: The Baron operates on ambition and logic rather than empathy or emotion.
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler: The Baron's ultimate goal is for his house to usurp the Corrinos by installing Feyd-Rautha on the Imperial throne through marriage to Irulan, intending to use Shaddam's complicity in the destruction of the Atreides as blackmail to accomplish this.]]
* TheStoic: The Baron is always seen calm and collected, never raising his voice, not even in dire situations. Even his ultimate freakout in the second film is rather subdued.
* StoutStrength: The Baron is hideously obese, but he's strong enough to slice a man's head clean off with one motion. [[spoiler:As Dr. Yueh can confirm.]]
* UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler:After being left unable to stand by a Sardaukar, the Baron is helpless on his back when Paul finishes him off, and afterward, he orders that Vladimir's body be tossed into the desert, where ants begin eating the lifeless tyrant.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Though the Baron had the opposite of pure intentions when he called the Great Houses to Arrakis as an insurance policy against the Emperor, they arrive too late to save his life and the ensuing nuclear standoff directly leads to Paul's holy war.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Paul's vision shows him tenderly playing with a baby Jessica, hinting he was once capable of sincere love, before becoming who he is now. It's all the more notable considering how willing he is to risk Feyd and Rabban's lives, and even threaten to kill them himself.]]
* VicariouslyAmbitious: [[spoiler:As his entry under TheStarscream shows, the Baron realizes that he himself will never sit on the Golden Lion Throne, but he can at least ensure that ''a'' Harkonnen will claim it, scheming to secure the throne for Feyd-Rautha. That said, when he's left helpless during the FinalBattle, the Baron does make some effort to climb to the throne amidst the chaos, [[AllForNothing only to die like an animal mere feet away from it]].]]
* VillainousIncest: He has an incestuous relationship with Feyd, and kisses him quite lustfully before his nephew leaves for Arrakis.
* VillainousGlutton: The Baron is quite overweight and [[EnemyEatsYourLunch gorges himself on Leto's food]] after taking the Arrakeen palace.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rabban]]
!!Glossu "Beast" Rabban
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rabban.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"How can the Emperor TAKE EVERYTHING we've built, and give it to that Duke?! HOW?!?"'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DaveBautista [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Creator/DanOsorio (SP, [=LatAm=]), Alfonso Vallés (SP, Spain), Creator/FumihikoTachiki (JP)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]'' | ''Film/DunePartTwo''
The older nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and the main enforcer of his will.
----
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Even under heavy makeup, the tall and musclebound Dave Bautista is still much easier on the eyes than the short, ugly and rotund figure that Rabban is described as in the book.
* AdaptationalDumbass: While not an outright DumbMuscle like in previous adaptations, Rabban's few moments of [[HiddenDepths genuine insight and intelligence]] from the book are still mostly omitted. The second film also gives him an almost darkly comical hair-trigger temper, and places him in situations where his lack of wits gets him humiliated, with a poignant example being the fight where he tries to face the Atreides weaponmaster while solely armed with an inkvine slavery whip [[spoiler:and is consequently killed in an instant.]]
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: He's present right in the film's prologue, in a flashback narrated by Chani, while in the novel he didn't appear until well after the Harkonnen attack.
* AdaptationalJerkass: To an extent. In the original novel, most of Rabban's crimes were OffstageVillainy and during his brief appearance, he came off as a PunchClockVillain carrying out the Baron's orders to save his own neck. It wasn't until Brian Herbert's novels that he became a much more monstrous figure. Here, he's depicted as extremely violent and actively racist towards the Fremen.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the books, he had Gurney's sister raped and it's indicated he frequently raped his slaves. Here, there's no such indication Rabban has inflicted any kind of sexual violence on anyone.
* AdvertisedExtra: At least in the first movie, for how much publicity Rabban gets, he only has 4 appearances. Two very short ones with no dialogue, and two where he has conversations with his uncle. He has a much more prominent role in ''Part Two''.
* ArchEnemy: To Gurney Halleck. Rabban is the one who personally murdered his family and disfigured him. [[spoiler:It's fittingly Gurney who slays Rabban at the end of ''Part Two''.]]
* AxCrazy: Rabban is both extremely insecure and very easy to anger, which means he's quite prone to violently lashing out and murdering his own men during his numerous temper tantrums.
* BadBoss: Rabban does not treat his minions well at all, starting from ''Part Two''. He beats one man to death by slamming his head against a console and snaps the neck of an ornithopter pilot for losing sight of the Fremen. It's no wonder his underlings are left {{Stress Vomit}}ing.
* BaldOfEvil: He's bald, like his FatBastard of an uncle and the rest of the Harkonnen.
* ABeastInNameAndNature: Rabban is often referred to as "The Beast Rabban", a name he easily shows that he deserves through his temperament and brutality. [[spoiler:And like a stereotypical beast, if he's up against a threat he can't easily dominate, he'll run for the nearest hole.]]
* BigEgoHiddenDepths: He's ultimately an insecure coward, and Rabban masks this by lashing out and behaving like an arrogant, raging brute.
* TheBully: For all his status and authority, this is what Rabban boils down to, a feckless thug who uses brute force to abuse those weaker than him, and who will turn and run with his tail between his legs when faced with an actual threat. [[spoiler:When faced with an actual threat in Gurney, he turns out to be a PaperTiger who lasts about all of five seconds before dying.]]
* ButtMonkey: He spends most of the second film being threatened by the Baron and Feyd, being outwitted by Paul and the Fremen, [[spoiler:and gets done in with minimal effort from Gurney.]]
* TheBrute: Especially emphasized in this adaptation, as he loses what little displays of surprising intelligence he had in the novel.
* CompositeCharacter: Minor example. Since Feyd-Rautha doesn't appear in the first film, Rabban takes his place in scenes with the Baron, which also gives Rabban an AdaptationalEarlyAppearance. However Feyd appears in the second film, and still fills his main role in the story.
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Despite Rabban's displays of cowardice, to his credit, he goes out fighting, [[CurbStompBattle even if Gurney makes short work of him]]. It isn't much, but it's still a better end than [[UndignifiedDeath his uncle got from Paul]].]]
* {{Dehumanization}}: In his very first appearance in ''Part Two'', he refers to the Fremens as "rats" and bashes the head of one of his underlings for correcting him and suggesting he needs some rest, while screaming to kill those rats already.
* DirtyCoward: Rabban swears to kill Muad'Dib and leads an assault force into the desert, but panics and flees the instant he sees his adversary stalking towards him while the Fremen make mincemeat of his troops. He again tries to run away during the final battle, [[spoiler:although when Gurney comes to challenge him, Rabban ''does'' stand and fight, [[PaperTiger albeit not for that long]]. Presumably he didn't think he could get away if he ran.]] Dave Bautista discussed it during [[https://youtu.be/qIKcKD6SO7k?si=z7oZbsKSu2Kw2XJV an interview]], stating that Rabban at his core is a coward and that his actions all stem from that.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Despite being the Baron's eldest nephew, he is viewed as this. Vladimir has displaced Rabban as his heir after his numerous failures and Feyd takes special pleasure in humiliating his brother when the two reunite.
* TheDragon: He was in charge of the Harkonnen occupation of Arrakis before their withdrawal and leads the assault on the Atreides forces. He winds up losing this role to Feyd in ''Part Two'', after the Baron becomes fed up with his inability to deal with the Fremen.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[https://youtu.be/qIKcKD6SO7k?si=z7oZbsKSu2Kw2XJV According to]] Creator/DaveBautista, Rabban is the only Harkonnen to feel ''some'' affection for his family - or at least the Baron, and sincerely wants their unconditional love. The fact he never gets it means he constantly lashes out at the people around him and fuels his brutality.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Creator/DaveBautista's trademark deep, gruff voice fits the hulking, brutish Rabban like a glove.
* FatalFlaw: Rabban's cowardice and insecurity are ultimately what hinder him the most and makes him into a GeneralFailure.
* GeneralFailure: Rabban is more reliant on brute force than strategy or any sort of forward thinking, at one point ordering his gunships to fire at a random mesa in a fit of petulant rage.
* HiddenDepths: In the films, he never shows anything but hostility towards Feyd and tries to attack him for taking over Rabban's position as governor of Arrakkis. However, Dave Bautista [[https://youtu.be/qIKcKD6SO7k?si=z7oZbsKSu2Kw2XJV has stated]] that Rabban is ultimately motivated by earning the love of his family, implying deep down he really does have some affection for Feyd and wants him to return it.
* HotBlooded: Has quite a temper, screaming his frustration that the Emperor has taken Arrakis away from them and given it [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "To. That. DUKE!"]]. [[spoiler:After the Harkonnen takeover, he personally executes Atreides prisoners for no other reason but his passionate loathing of them.]]
* HumiliationConga: He can't catch a break in ''Part Two''. [[spoiler:He fails to prevent the spice production from halting due to constant Fremen attacks, tries to confront Muad'Dib himself only to flee with his tail between his legs, and gets demoted by his uncle as a result. Then, when Feyd-Rautha comes to replace him, he finds himself kicked to the floor and forced to [[IKissYourFoot kiss his foot]] so his life will be spared. Gurney eventually puts him out of his misery in the FinalBattle.]]
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Remains untouched throughout the first part, [[TheUnfought and Paul never faces him either]], but [[spoiler:Gurney [[CurbStompBattle takes him down within seconds of engaging him in the second]]]].
* KickTheDog: With the conquest of Arrakeen mostly complete, a brief scene shows Rabban brutally [[OffWithHisHead beheading]] a line of kneeling, defenseless Atreides [=POWs=] one after the other.
* LargeAndInCharge: Rabban is a hulking brute, built like a tank, and he's a major commander in his uncle's army.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He's not too bright and fairly incompetent, but he's still dangerous by brute force alone and the protagonists regard him as a serious threat for his sheer brutality.
* PaperTiger: While Rabban is very intimidating in both appearance and demeanor, ''Part Two'' proves that unless his targets are helpless or taken by surprise, he's all but useless in a fight. [[spoiler:He flees in cowardice from Paul, is laid out and humiliated by Feyd, and is killed by Gurney in a few swift moves during the final battle.]]
* PsychopathicManchild: Rabban has a very childlike temperament, frequently throwing tantrums and, at least to begin with, showing a naïve understanding of the politics surrounding Arrakis being given to the Atreides. He's also an incredibly violent BadBoss, not to mention ''batshit insane''.
* StarterVillain: Rabban and his forces are the biggest direct threat to the protagonists in the second film's first act, before the far more dangerous Feyd takes over his position and escalates things.
* SuddenlyShouting: "How can the Emperor TAKE EVERYTHING WE BUILT AND GIVE IT TO THAT DUKE?" in reaction to the Harkonnens being ordered to hand over Arrakis to House Atreides.
* TragicVillain: Rabban is a bad man and a brutal tyrant, but he's ultimately motivated by trying to earn the love of people incapable of doing so and who constantly abuse him, making him somewhat sympathetic.
* TheUnfought: Despite Rabban being built up as a threat throughout the two films, he and Paul never fight or even meet in person. Their closest encounter occurs in ''Part Two'' during Rabban's disastrous attempt to hunt the Freman rebels, though he [[DirtyCoward flees in terror]] before Paul can confront him directly.
* UnskilledButStrong: For all his size and strength, Rabban doesn't have any fighting skills to speak of, immediately fleeing when directly confronted by Muad'Dib and almost being killed by a random Fremen during his retreat. Rabban doesn't fare any better in any other altercation, with Feyd-Rautha and [[spoiler:Gurney Halleck]] dealing out a CurbStompBattle on separate occasions.
* VillainousBreakdown: Spends most of ''Part Two'' having an ongoing breakdown over his fall from grace due to Muad'Dib, beating his minions to death and snapping their necks for failing to find the Fremen hiding in the desert. [[spoiler:He ultimately dies ignominiously at the hands of Gurney Halleck.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: Rabban desperately wants the approval and love of his family. He never gets it, both due to his incompetence and because his two living relatives are [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] incapable of unconditional love.
* WhipOfDominance: Sports a whip in ''Part Two'', emphasizing his oppresive nature. [[spoiler:And isn't all that good with it, emphasizing his PaperTiger nature.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: He's on the receiving end of a non-lethal example. For his inability to quell the Fremen rebellion and get spice production back on track, [[DemotedToDragon he's fired from his position as governor of Arrakis]] and the mantle is handed over to Feyd instead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Feyd-Rautha]]
!!Na-Baron Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1787.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You fought well, Atreides..."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/AustinButler [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Mark Pokora (SP, [=LatAm=])[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/DunePartTwo''
The younger and favorite nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and the Baron's heir.
----
* AdaptationalLateAppearance: Feyd-Rautha first appeared in the second chapter of the novel along with his uncle; this version of the character only appears in the second part of a two-film adaptation.
* AdaptationalBadass:
** This version of Feyd doesn't use any of [[CombatPragmatist the dirty tricks his book counterpart relied upon]], even taking on the un-drugged Atreides gladiator without having to fall back on a paralyzing trigger word. [[spoiler:His climactic duel against Paul is much more evenly matched than in the book, and the poison and hidden blade that Feyd used in the book are absent, making it a contest of pure skill that Feyd almost wins.]]
** Notably, this version of Feyd is subjected to the ''gom jabbar'' and successfully passes, something that never happens in the novel and would seem pretty improbable given that he lacks Paul's Bene Gesserit training, the only thing that allowed him to survive his own test. This also means the filmic Feyd passed solely thanks to his natural mental resources.
* AdaptationalJerkass: This adaptation has Feyd kill off slaves and underlings on a whim, while the original novel only had him kill his concubines, which even then was a punishment imposed on him by the Baron for an assassination attempt. The film also establishes that Feyd [[{{Matricide}} murdered his own mother]], who was never mentioned at all in the book, and adds a confrontation with Rabban, where he beats, humiliates, and threatens his older brother.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Feyd is still very much a psychotic despot-to-be, but the film's AdaptationalBadass treatment makes him much more of an honorable warrior than the original CombatPragmatist from the book. His attempts to assassinate the Baron are also omitted, with him reacting to his own assassination attempt with the disgust of someone who considers himself over treachery, and it's stated Feyd intends to inherit his uncle's titles legitimately.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the novel, Feyd was a skilled warrior and quite intelligent, but he was more of a charming schemer and a playboy than a fighter. In the films, Feyd is depicted as an almost feral NobleDemon who takes great joy in violence, and is a much more hands-on opponent. He's also much more violent and unpredictable, prone to killing even his own men at random where his literary counterpart only did so at the Baron's behest.
* AdaptationalSympathy: Inverted. In the novels, Feyd was depicted in a somewhat sympathetic light as the product of the Baron's abuse -- with the prequels revealing he had been stolen from his loving parents -- and it was noted that he could easily have turned out like Paul had he not been corrupted by the Baron. here, he murdered his own mother and is implied to have been a sociopath from the get-go.
* AdaptationalUgliness: In the book, Feyd-Rautha is young, handsome and athletic in great contrast to his brutish-looking brother and morbidly obese uncle. He's deliberately groomed by the Baron to look different so that he can all the better win hearts and minds to the Harkonnen leadership on Dune. While he still fits that description in this version and Margot is impressed with his physicality, he's also a creepy, hairless, black-mouthed albino.
* AdaptationalWimp: The reader never quite gets a look on Feyd's inner world in the novel, so it's reasonable to assume he's just as confident and worldly as he looks. Meanwhile, the film makes him surprisingly vulnerable in this field, showing him disappointed and angry at his uncle's attempt on his life, and later insecure and almost disturbed at Margot's advances. Her report on him to Mohiam explicitly she is drawing on his insecurity to manipulate him.
* AmbiguouslyBi: While Feyd demonstrates plenty of attraction to women, sleeping with Lady Margot and keeping an entourage of cannibalistic concubines, he notably returns a kiss from [[VillainousIncest his uncle]] with one of his own, and some of the looks he gives Paul could be interpreted as lustful.
* AndYourLittleDogToo: [[spoiler:Like in the novel, Feyd attempts to provoke Paul during their duel by threatening Chani after picking up on their connection.]]
--> "She's your pet? Any special attention for the pet?"
* AnimalMotifs: His tendency to [[ScreamingWarrior snarl and bark during combat]] gives him a primal quality not unlike a rabid dog, not to mention how often he bares his [[ScaryTeeth blackened teeth]]. Gurney outright calls Feyd an "animal", a description that is even more appropriate here than in the original book.
* AntagonisticGovernor: He takes over Rabban's position as governor of Arrakis [[spoiler:and quickly brings the Fremen resistance to its knees.]]
* AntiVillain: Downplayed. He's firmly a bad man and violently unhinged, but Feyd has a sense of honor and sincere respect for his enemies, as well as his own twisted sense of morals that both the Baron and Rabban lack.
* AxCrazy: More subdued about it than his brother, but still there. He lives for battle and has no qualms about gruesome murder. When the Atreides soldier, Lanville, has his dagger inches away from his face, Feyd laughs like a madman because the thrill of dying excites him.
* BadBoss: Even more so than his brother and uncle. While Vladimir and Rabban have also harmed and killed their underlings, they usually do so during [[TantrumThrowing moments of extreme anger]] or when [[YouHaveFailedMe their minions have disappointed them]]. In stark contrast, Feyd casually murders servants and advisors with little to no provocation, simply because he feels like it or because [[ImAHumanitarian his concubines]] haven't eaten in a while.
* BenevolentBoss: He's a BadBoss to most of his underlings, but he treats his concubines fairly well and even provides them with [[ImAHumanitarian fresh food]].
* BigBrotherBully: {{Inverted}}. After replacing Rabban as Planetary Governor of Arrakis, Feyd demands that his older brother [[IKissYourFoot kiss his foot]], knocks him to the ground when he violently refuses, then forces him to comply at knifepoint, all while snarling that [[DisappointingOlderSibling Rabban humiliated their family]].
* BorrowedCatchphrase: When he is about to duel Paul, he returns the customary Fremen salute (though his tone implies he doesn't really care about the 'custom' aspect of it and simply returns the salute mockingly).
-->'''Paul''': May thy knife chip and shatter.\\
'''Feyd''': May ''thy'' knife chip and shatter.
* BloodKnight: Feyd loves fighting and killing, and his idea of a birthday celebration is fighting in the arenas of Giedi Prime. When his three opponents are the last of the Atreides soldiers taken during the attack on Arrakis, he is clearly bored while killing the first two because he knows that they have been drugged and easy kills provide him no satisfaction. But when he realizes that the third one is not drugged, he relishes the challenge and even congratulates the man for giving him a good fight after stabbing him.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: He's described as a sociopath, but Feyd seems more to follow a strange moral code based around social darwinism. He's happy to kill anyone he deems as weak, but he expresses sincere empathy and respect to those on his level, as well as showing no regard for his own life and viewing himself as just as expendable. He comforts Lanville after fatally wounding him in a manner that suggests he's genuinely compassionate towards him, and [[spoiler:sincerely compliments Paul for fatally wounding him.]]
* CasualKink: It isn't depicted onscreen[[note]]unless one interprets his success at the gom-jabbar test as being the product of his masochism[[/note]], but Lady Margot reports that Feyd derives sexual satisfaction from receiving pain and humiliation, a quality that, unlike his sadistic tendencies, isn't treated as one of Feyd's moral failings.
* ClashingCousins: [[spoiler:As Paul reveals before their duel, he and Feyd are cousins (first cousins once removed, to be specific). Feyd finds the revelation mildly interesting before noting that Paul wouldn't be the first relative he'd killed.]]
* CombatPragmatist: In single combat, Feyd likes to keep things [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen fair and square]]. When he assumes command of the Harkonnen forces on Arrakis, however, his go-to tactics involve DeathFromAbove, MoreDakka, and KillItWithFire from as far away as possible. Quite understandable since, every time Harkonnens engaged the Fremen in direct combat, they got their behinds soundly whooped.
* CombatSadomasochist: In battle, Feyd is a snarling maniac who revels in having an equal opponent. Even when his enemies injure or threaten to get the better of him, Feyd has a wide smile on his face, finding as much of a thrill in facing pain and death himself as he does in inflicting both on others. He goes so far as to deactivate and remove his shield while fighting Lanville, giving his opponent a ''better'' chance at victory, just for the sheer visceral thrill of facing mortal danger.
* CompositeCharacter: He adopts the literary Baron's dark sense of humor and FauxAffablyEvil personality, as well as the literary Feyd's role in the story.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Takes down the much bigger Rabban [[CurbStompBattle in two moves]] when the latter attacks him, and it actually looks convincing.
* DepravedBisexual: While primarily interested in women, he's in an incestuous relationship with the Baron, and it's implied he's attracted to Paul thanks to his violence and skill in combat.
* TheDragon: Succeeds Rabban as the Baron's right-hand after the former's repeated failure to quell the Fremen uprising on Arrakis, and is much more capable and efficient.
* DragonInChief: He's much more competent and dangerous than both the Baron and Rabban, even going as far as to deliver a CurbStompBattle to the latter [[BullyingADragon when being threatened by him]].
* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:He outlasts the Baron in the climax, facing Paul as Shaddam's champion to decide the throne.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He disdains fighting unfairly, if only because his ego can't handle a win he hasn't earned.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:While he quickly clocks that Paul and Chani are involved, Feyd, a product of his "use and abuse" society, refers to Chani as a "pet" (which is no doubt how he sees his own concubines) rather than entertaining the idea that Paul genuinely loves her. When he has the upper hand in their duel, Feyd heavily implies that he will [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil take Chani for himself]] after finishing off Paul, which inadvertently gives the latter a HeroicSecondWind to defeat and kill Feyd.]]
* EvilCounterpart: To Paul, being another Bene Gesserit "prospect" (and, at least in the book, the intended father of the [[TheChosenOne Kwisatz Haderach]]). Like Paul, Feyd is a [[GeniusBruiser highly-skilled fighter, a capable tactician,]] [[AmbitionIsEvil and has his eyes on the Emperor's throne.]]
* EvilSoundsRaspy: The brutish Feyd-Rautha has a noticeable rasp in his voice like his uncle.
* EvilVirtues: Lady Margot describes him as cruel and sociopathic, but also driven by honour. One can say many things about him, but he respects warrior customs and is far from a coward. This is in notable contrast to the book's version, who didn't hesitate to cheat if he thought he was going to lose.
* FairPlayVillain: Values honor in battle to the point that he literally roars and barks at an arena attendant that attempts to intervene during his fight against [[WorthyOpponent Lanville]].
* FanDisservice: Feyd is introduced wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He is muscled and handsome by comparison with other Harkonnens. He then kills two of his own underlyings to test the sharpness of a blade.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Tends to be very polite and cheerful, but will kill without provocation or warning, even his own servants.
* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:For ''Part Two''; with Rabban and the Baron dead and the Emperor and his party as captives, Feyd is the only thing standing between Paul and the Imperium's throne. His death marks the end of the reign of Shaddam IV, and the beginning of the reign of Paul Muad'dib.]]
* GeniusBruiser: Is as skilled a fighter as [[TheHero Paul Atreides]] himself and, once he takes over as Planetary Governor of Arrakis, [[spoiler:quickly puts an end to the northern Fremen's rebellion by launching surgical artillery strikes on their sietches.]]
* GigglingVillain: He audibly laughs in a mischievous, sincere way while grappling with Lanville, out of the sheer joy he feels at the challenge.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Upon realizing that Paul had managed to managed to fatally stab him, Feyd merely congratulates his opponent for a duel well fought before succumbing to his wounds.]]
* IAmAHumanitarian: Not Feyd himself, at least not explicitly, but he strongly implies that his concubines only eat human flesh and go hungry if he doesn't kill anyone in a while.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Once he finally meets Paul, he's clearly enamored with his ruthlessness and looks positively ecstatic when he watches Paul [[spoiler:coldly execute the Baron]].
* KickTheDog: His habit of murdering his slaves and subordinates aside, [[spoiler:Feyd also personally executes Shishakli by burning her alive with a flamethrower for "pleasure".]]
* KnightOfCerebus: For much of the film, ''Part Two'' feels like a dramatic, but still traditionally heroic struggle of underdogs Paul and the Fremen against the unambiguously evil Harkonnens. [[spoiler:Once Feyd gets involved in the conflict on Arrakis, however, his brutal tactics force Paul to resort to darker methods to defeat his enemies, and the full horror and tragedy of Paul's story comes to the forefront.]]
* KubrickStare: Introduced giving one of these.
* LaughablyEvil: Quite a bit of dark humor is mined from just how much of a lunatic Feyd is, and from his own morbidly sardonic jokes. For instance, after Paul reveals [[spoiler:that they're both cousins.]]
-->'''Feyd:''' [[spoiler:Cousin?]] ''[casually shrugs]'' Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've killed a relative.
* ManHug: A villain example, but when killing Lanville, Feyd warmly hugs and caresses him before gently laying him down and complimeting his fighting skills. It shows that he genuinely does respects warriors willing to fight him to the death and that he is sincere in it.
* {{Matricide}}: According to the Bene Gesserit, he murdered his own mother. Reverend Mother Mohiam cites this as a reason why Feyd would respond better to [[HoneyTrap a lover]] than a maternal figure.
* MythologyGag: Promotional interviews describe him as a [[https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1650936477755252769 "psychotic Mick Jagger"]]; Jagger was intended to be cast as Feyd-Rautha in Alejandro Jodorowsky's planned adaptation.
* NobleDemon: Deconstructed, this version of Feyd shares many of Paul's laudable qualities including his determination, courage, and martial discipline. However, Feyd also shows how these traits, while admirable and present, aren't enough to overpower or excuse a person's reprehensible aspects by themselves.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Before seducing Feyd, Lady Margot subjects him to ''gom jabbar'', the same test that Reverend Mother Mohiam put Paul through in the first film, during which the latter was shown to be in complete agony. When reporting to the Bene Gesserit after the fact, Margot reveals that Feyd passed without any issue, even suggesting that he may have ''enjoyed'' the pain that it inflicted on him.
* OnlySaneByComparison: Feyd is an absolute lunatic by any regard, but he's the most on-the-ball of the Harkonnens. Rabban is an incompetent fool, and while the Baron is no slouch, he's a SmugSnake [[spoiler:who ultimately can't back up his ambitions]]. Feyd by contrast is dangerously competent and proves the most pragmatic out of them, [[spoiler:proving willing to serve the Bene Gesserit so long as he gets the throne.]]
* PetTheDog: He's [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen not above fighting fairly]], and sincerely compliments Lanville for putting up a good fight and comforts the dying man after killing him.
* PrettyBoy: Similar to [[spoiler:his cousin]], Paul, Feyd is slender and gracious. The physical similarity to Paul is even bigger when he is put beside his FatBastard uncle and {{Hunk}}-looking older brother.
* PlotParallel: Feyd is seen by Reverend Mother Mohiam as the answer to Paul. Through the sequel, his plot is somewhat similar to Paul. [[MirrorCharacter He is the youngest nephew of Baron Vladimir, a charismatic warrior prince and an efficient leader, expected to inherit Arrakis and is in the middle of a conspiration to install him as Emperor.]] He has his own manipulative Bene Gesserit in lady Margot Fenring, mirroring Paul's connection to Jessica. [[spoiler:The film's climax showcases their similar, yet contrasting styles in an even-matched duel, which ends with Feyd's demise.]]
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: While grappling with Lanville for control of the blade that will kill one of them, Feyd begins laughing in pure delight.
* {{Sadist}}: In addition to his enjoyment of [[CombatSadomasochist giving and receiving pain in battle]], Feyd clearly revels in inflicting pain under any circumstances, taking satisfaction in humiliating his brother Rabban and describing burning [[spoiler:Shishakli]] alive as "pleasure".
* RedRightHand: In addition to the BaldOfEvil and EvilAlbino traits shared among all Harkonnen, Feyd and his cannibalistic harem have had their teeth painted black. This makes him particularly unsettling to look at, especially when he's [[ScaryTeeth baring them in the heat of battle]].
* ScreamingWarrior: In combat, Feyd punctuates just about every strike by grunting and snarling.
* TheSociopath: Margot outright calls him one and with good reason. He casually murders two of his slave girls simply to test the edge of a new blade, then proceeds to complain it's not quite perfect. Unlike the rest of his family, he does show a twisted sense of empathy, comforting Lanville after fatally wounding him out of sincere respect.
* SequelAdaptationIconicVillain: A fairly iconic character of the novel, he's been saved for ''Part Two'' (though the two parts still adapt the first novel anyway).
* TheStarscream: Subverted. Unlike in the books, he doesn't attempt to assassinate his uncle just so that he can quickly become Baron of House Harkonnen. He does threaten to drown his uncle in his own bathing pool when he confronts him for rigging his fight with the last of the enslaved Atreides troops, but that's as far as it goes. [[spoiler:Then again, Feyd doesn't do anything to stop a Sardaukar from crippling his uncle, nor does he seem particularly broken up when Paul kills the Baron in front of the Imperial court.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: Downplayed. Feyd is a murderous lunatic, but he's the only Harkonnen with any sign of morals or empathy. He comforts Lanville after fatally wounding him in a moment of oddly sincere kindness, is sincerely committed to his ideals of honor, [[spoiler:and compliments Paul after he fatally wounds Feyd]].
* TooKinkyToTorture: After seducing Feyd and subjecting him to the ''gom jabbar'' test, Lady Margot tells Mohiam that he finds pleasure in pain, implying that Feyd passed the test because he literally got off on it.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: When he takes control of Arrakis, Feyd's first act is to launch a full scale assault on the Freman's northern ''Sietches'' to quell their rebellion, injuring and killing many and forcing the others to evacuate to the South. This unknowingly prompts Paul to finally embrace his role as ''Lisan-al-Gaib'' to gain the support of the southern Fremen, setting in motion the events that will eventually lead to a mass jihad that Paul's visions idicate will ''devastate'' the Imperium.
* VillainousValor: For all his savagery, Feyd understands and appreciates honor, enjoys a fair fight (and takes it badly if anything happens to make the fight unfair), and isn't above showing grace to his enemies, [[spoiler:even if they've just killed him]].
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Feyd is highly admired by the people of Giedi Prime, with his victories in the arena and his assignment to govern Arrakis being met with loud cheers and adulation from the crowds. Baron Vladimir also plots to exploit and invoke this with Feyd's ruling of Arrakis, allowing Rabban's governance to end in disaster so that his younger brother would be seen as a savior in comparison.
* WeakWilled: Downplayed; Feyd is defiant enough towards his uncle that he threatens the Baron's life over a presumed assassination attempt, but Lady Margot bends him to her will with next to no effort, quickly seducing him to the point that she has Feyd literally on his knees before her. She later reports that Feyd would, in fact, be much easier to control than Paul Atreides ever would be.
* WorthyOpponent: Considers Lanville (the only Atreides gladiator that wasn't drugged) to be one after a particularly hard-fought battle. [[spoiler:Feyd extends this courtesy to Paul after being fatally stabbed by the latter.]]
--> [[IronicEcho "You fought well, Atreides..."]]
* XenomorphXerox: An unusual example, but Feyd's bald head, black chitonous armour, black teeth and animalistic ferosity make him very xenomorph like, especially in the environment of the H.R. Giger inspired Giedi Prime. He's like if the alien from ''Film/{{Alien}}'' could talk and reason like a person.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Piter de Vries]]
!!Piter de Vries
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%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17093053960.99430400
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dune_devries.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My Lord, you gave your word to the witch, and she sees too much."'']]
!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/DavidDastmalchian [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Luis Leonardo Suárez (SP, [=LatAm=]), Pau López (SP, Spain), Creator/YojiUeda (JP)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[Film/Dune2021 Dune: Part One]]''
The mentat of House Harkonnen.
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* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He's a subdued, quiet servant instead of a mentally unstable fast talker as in the novel.
* CompositeCharacter: He has more in common with [[VideoGame/DuneII Edric O]] than the books' Piter de Vries, both in terms of [[BaldOfEvil his]] [[EvilWearsBlack appearance]] and [[TheStoic personality]]
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:He perishes when Duke Leto Atreides unleashes the DeadlyGas from his fake tooth trying to kill Baron Vladimir. The gas appears to have corroded his skin and dissolved his eyeballs.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: His clarification to Rabban clearly has a subtle condescending tone at his inability to grasp the whole plan.
* DemotedToExtra: Downplayed. Piter wasn't a prominent character in the novel to begin with, but his 2021 version is reduced to an extra who has very few lines and whose name isn't pronounced once. [[spoiler:In this version, Yueh isn't killed by him but by the Baron.]] That being said, one of his important scenes in this movie is an event which happened completely offscreen in the book (the hiring of the Sardaukar).
* DissonantSerenity: He is right next to many of the film's freakiest elements, including the ferocious Sardaukar, but he never bats an eye. If anything, it seems like only the Baron's discussions manage to get him to express surprise.
* MouthOfSauron: He represents House Harkonnen when going to seek Sardaukar reinforcements on Salusa Secundus.
* NoNameGiven: Despite his relative importance to the plot, including his AdaptationExpansion on Salusa Secundus, Piter's name is never mentioned in the first film.
* ProphetEyes: Can be seen very briefly doing this, like fellow Mentat Thufir Hawat, when Rabban arrives on Giedi Prime and at the end of his talk to the Bashar.
* TheStoic: He doesn't show much emotion for most of the film, even when in the same room with a volatile Rabban or face to face with the dreaded Sardaukar. His composure only falters [[spoiler:as he's being fatally poisoned]].
[[/folder]]
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