Who is Feyd-Rautha? ‘Dune: Part Two’ lore, explained

Dune: Part Two is fast approaching, and looks all but ready to take the crown as 2023’s key blockbuster that isn’t something from Disney. Indeed, with the new trailer promising an explosive return to Denis Villeneuve’s take on the sci-fi world, Part Two will be the one to watch for this year’s fall cinema season.

With protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) having aligned himself with Chani and the Fremen people following the events of 2021’s Dune, Part Two will see the young duke launch an unorthodox offensive against the diabolical House Harkonnen, home to a powerful new player in the form of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen; the cunning, deadly younger nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

With the ever-impressive Austin Butler spearheading this role, complete with the most intimidating bald head we’ve ever seen, Feyd-Rautha is bound to be a scene-stealer in Part Two, but who exactly is this terrifying new antagonist?

Who is Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen?

As mentioned before, Feyd-Rautha is the younger nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), making him the younger brother of Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), who’s a dreadful brute in his own right, but not quite as intimidating as Feyd-Rautha when the latter’s mind is brought into the conversation.

Power-hungry and boasting a distinct lack of remorse, Feyd-Rautha’s skill as a fighter is only matched by his talent as a tactician, being particularly dedicated to the Harkonnen culture of meticulous, incisive brutality, which his older brother Glossu contrasts by way of his more bone-headed barbarism. It’s because of Feyd-Rautha’s multi-pronged competency that – like in Frank Herbert’s novel – Dune: Part Two will establish the character as the baron’s intended successor for House Harkonnen’s long-term Arrakis campaign.

In the books, Feyd-Rautha and Paul Atreides serve as narrative foils to one another; both received the very best upbringings in terms of education and combat training, and are revered as distinguished noblemen in their respective cultures, but the former’s egotistical hunger to conquer couldn’t be more different from the latter’s sympathy-centric outlook on his duties. It’s safe, then, to assume a similar dynamic from Butler and Chalamet’s iterations of these characters, and will no doubt be a marked point of critical interest in Dune: Part Two.

If this Feyd-Rautha is anything like the character Herbert dreamed up back in 1965, then we can expect him to have an uncontested claim to the main antagonist role and as Paul’s greatest threat. With a recent Best Actor nominee filling those shoes, it will surely be quite the task to divert one’s attention away whenever he’s on screen.

Dune: Part Two will release in cinemas on Nov. 3.