Dune's Two 2024 Releases Both Did The Same Emperor Story

Includes SPOILERS for Dune: Prophecy season 1!

The Dune franchise is kicking off in full force in 2024, with Dune: Prophecy airing on HBO and Dune: Part 2 released in cinemas, both telling a similar story. On the Dune timeline, the HBO prequel series is set 10,000 years before Denis Villeneuve's feature films, examining the Imperium at a much earlier stage, when known factions like the Bene Gesserit and the noble houses were in vastly different positions in terms of political standings. Still, ideas from Frank Herbert's original Dune novel are always prevalent, connecting the titles with similar themes.

One similarity between the two titles is that House Corrino reigns over the Imperium. Mark Strong plays Emperor Javicco Corrino in Dune: Prophecy's cast, while Christopher Walken portrayed Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV in the cinematic adaptation. Shaddam is a character taken directly from Frank Herbert's original Dune novel, and Denis Villeneuve's film adaptation is relatively direct in his adaptation. Meanwhile, Javicco is an entirely new character created for the HBO series, and he ends up fulfilling a similar role.

The Emperor Is Overthrown In Both Dune 2 & Dune: Prophecy

Emperor Javicco & Emperor Shaddam Fulfill A Similar Role

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Beginning with Dune: Part 2's plot, Paul Atreides leads his assault on Arrakeen to defeat House Harkonnen and House Corrino. The movie's climax sees him fight Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in a duel to the death, with Feyd representing Shaddam as his champion. Paul wins, defeating his rival and ascending to become the emperor of the Known Universe. In agreement with Princess Irulan Corrino, Paul spares Shaddam and places him in exile. Emperor Javicco Corrino wasn't so lucky in Dune: Prophecy season 1's ending.

The plot of Dune: Prophecy sees the emperor overthrown, though in this case, it's by his own hand. After Valya Harkonnen reveals to Javicco that he's been a puppet his whole life, he stabs himself to demonstrate his own autonomy for the first time. Empress Natalya then kills Sister Francesca, securing her control over the Imperium alongside Desmond Hart. The fate of the Imperium in Dune: Prophecy is unclear, but the story portrays its emperor in a manner similar to that of the films and original book.

Related Dune: Prophecy Confirms Denis Villeneuve Performed A Miracle With Dune 1 & 2 The ambitious approach of HBO's prequel series Dune: Prophecy confirms that Denis Villeneuve pulled off an extraordinary feat with his Dune movies.

Why Both Dune 2024 Projects Tell The Same Emperor Story

Dune's Stories Question The Concept Of Power & Who Truly Wields It

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The role of the emperor is an essential question in both Dune projects as they contemplate the idea of power and who truly wields it. The emperor, by all accounts, should be the most powerful man in the Known Universe, but both stories see them as relatively average men without any notable skills or intelligence to wield. Both titles could suggest that the Bene Gesserit truly wields political power, but the line of questioning is more complicated than that.

Human beings are all inherently fallible, and thus, the balance of power is subject to drastic changes.

Rather than suggesting that one person or faction holds strength and influence, Dune: Prophecy examines the obscurity of power. Human beings are all inherently fallible, and thus, the balance of power is subject to drastic changes. This is why the Sisterhood desires to create a perfectly bred leader: to counteract the flawed nature of a human ruler with one who's designed inorganically for leadership. However, as shown in the original Dune books, this ideology comes with its own consequences.