Summary
- Paul’s dreams and visions in Dune 2 foreshadow his destiny, showing the potential futures he must navigate.
- Lady Jessica plays a crucial role in Paul’s journey, leading him towards his fate in the desert planet’s culture.
- Paul’s visions provide insight into the future, guiding his decisions as he faces challenges and embraces his powers.
Paul Atreides’ powers grow in Dune: Part Two, and his ability to see possible futures means he has several dreams and visions. Paul was trained by his mother, Lady Jessica, from a young age to develop Bene Gesserit skills, and Dune showed how being around spice on Arrakis increases the likelihood of them happening. With Dune 2 following Paul as he fully integrates himself within the Fremen culture on the desert planet, his exposure to spice and eventually taking the Water of Life to become Lisan al Gaib results in more of them, building on Paul’s Dune 2021 visions.
Paul’s visions and dreams are a vital part of how director Denis Villeneuve builds up to Dune 2‘s ending. Although there are different glimpses into possible futures that come throughout the film, most of them are connected to Paul’s destiny and the inevitable nature of his ascendancy. However, some of these visions are more ambiguous in their meaning, while others are quite straightforward about what is to come. Paul comes to better understand what his dreams and visions mean as his power grow, with the ability to make sense of his prescience providing further insight into Dune 2 and beyond.
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8 Paul Has A Dream Of His Father’s Funeral
The first of Paul’s dreams in Dune 2 comes as he sees what looks to be the funeral for his father, Duke Leto Atreides. Oscar Isaac’s character notably died in Dune after a betrayal by Dr. Yueh and an attempt to assassinate Baron Harkonnen. Paul’s dream shows the portrait of Duke Leto framed and sitting on the side of a mountain in Arrakis. People surround the portrait and mourn his loss as they bow down in front of it.
A funeral for Duke Leto is not featured in Dune 2 beyond this dream, meaning that this is likely his wish for what would have happened following his father’s passing. Due to the manner in which he died and the Harkonnen takeover of Arrakis, there was no opportunity given to pay respects to the leader of House Atreides. Paul does not forget his father even if no funeral comes. Leto’s words and wisdom remain with Paul throughout the film, including Paul saying, “Father, I found my way” and taking off the Atreides ring as he is accepted by the Fremen.
7 Paul Has A Vision Of What Happens If He Goes South
The biggest of Paul’s visions in Dune 2 comes early on as he sees a future that unfolds if he goes to south Arrakis. He is shown following an unidentified woman through the deserts of Arrakis as they travel south and walk past many dead bodies. The vision warns Paul of what will happen to him and the universe if he decides to go south. This action will trigger a war across the galaxy that will result in the death of billions, making him responsible for the genocide that he is witnessing.
Seeing this possible future haunts Paul for the rest of Dune 2. It is not the first time that he has had a vision of a massive war breaking out under his name and rule, but how it comes about was previously unknown to him. This leaves Paul to repeatedly push back on the idea that he is the Lisan al Gaib and do everything he can think of to avoid going south. He does not want all this death on his hands, resulting in him fighting back to try and prevent this outcome. Ultimately, it is to no avail.
6 Paul Has A Vision Of Lady Jessica Leading Him To The South
Paul’s original visions of him traveling to south Arrakis did not directly identify who the mystery woman is and how she is responsible for the death that will come. This leaves the door open for any of Dune 2‘s prominent female characters – Chani, Jessica, Irulan, or Alia – to be the answer to his vision. Luckily for Paul, a clearer vision of this future comes later on, allowing him to see that his mother is the one leading him south. This glimpse into the future lets Paul know that Jessica has her own plans in motion.
Jessica’s role in Dune 2 changes once she becomes the Fremen’s Reverend Mother, replacing the previous Bene Gesserit in power. Knowing the culture’s prophecies and seeing how many already believe Paul to be their messiah, she takes matters into her own hands to get him followers. This begins with making people in the north believe, but Jessica’s true motives are to head south and make the more religious and fanatical side of the Fremen people believe. Once Paul does travel south and reunite with his mom, the fruits of her labor are evident as Paul rises to power.
5 Paul Has A Dream Of Chani Dying
All of Paul’s dreams and visions in Dune 2 have different effects on him, but the one he has of Chani hits him especially hard. He has a dream while he is sleeping of Chani standing on top of a sand dune, overlooking the rest of Arrakis. This is when a bomb goes off in the distance, making Paul race towards her. Once he gets there, he finds Chani with burns across her face, seemingly from the radiation of the atomic bomb that detonated. It ends with Chani dying in Paul’s arms.
Chani does not die in Dune 2, leaving several different possible readings for what this dream meant. The first is that it was a manifestation of Paul’s fears that Chani could die as a result of the coming war. With Paul preparing to use the atomic bombs in his quest to become Emperor and begin a war afterward, it would be understandable if he feared that Chani would be a casualty of the battles that were about to take place. There is also the possibility that Denis Villeneuve wanted to use this dream to foreshadow Chani’s fate in Dune 3.
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The other possibility is that this isn’t a dream, but rather a vision that is more metaphorical than literal. Not all Paul’s visions come true as he sees them, as evident throughout Dune. Perhaps this vision in Dune 2 is meant to show Paul that he will lose Chani if he uses the bombs and goes down this path of war. Chani might not die, but she does leave Paul at the end of the movie. It is possible that this is what the vision was trying to communicate; only Paul took it more literally regarding how he’d lose Chani.
Chani does die in a future book in the Dune series
4 Paul Has A Vision Of Talking To Jamis
Paul’s latest vision involving Jamis comes at a pivotal part in his journey to becoming Lisan al Gaib, as he is put in a position where he must choose whether to go down that path or not. Paul then sees his old friend/enemy as he searches for answers about what he needs to do. He hears many different voices, but it is Jamis who he sees and tells him that he needs to see the full picture – past, present, and future – and drink the Water of Life.
Even though Jamis is dead after the fight with Paul in Dune, his return through one of the visions is intriguing. They only knew each other briefly in the first movie, and Jamis was quite aggressive and hostile towards Paul and his mother. Yet, Paul’s other visions seemed to show Jamis as a close friend, resulting in Maud’Dib still trusting him. Dune 2 doubles down on that by having Jamis be the figure Paul sees when it comes time to make a decision that will alter his life and the entire universe.
3 Paul Has A Vision Of Arrakis’ Future & Alia
Paul’s decision to drink the Water of Life allows him to access the future like never before, giving him a crystal clear vision of Arrakis’ future. He sees the sands of the familiar planet met with seas of water that have now returned. Paul also sees a grown-up version of his sister, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Alia Atreides, who is standing in the sand. She tells Paul, “I love you,” to end the vision.
This is among the most important of Paul’s visions in Dune 2, as it is the rare instance where he sees some potential “good” that will come in his future. The seas returning to Arrakis are the direct result of Paul becoming Lisan al Gaib and Emperor. This is evidence of him delivering on the hope that he could bring water and gardens back to the desolate planet. Meanwhile, seeing a future version of Alia shows him a family member he has yet to meet but will one day grow quite close to.
2 Paul Has A Vision Of His Fight With Feyd-Rautha
The shortest of Paul’s visions in Dune 2 comes with a glimpse at his fight with Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. He sees a glimpse of the upcoming duel, with the movie only showing someone stabbing another person in the gut with a knife. At the time, it is not clear if Paul is the one being stabbed or if he is delivering a fatal blow to an opponent. It’s only as Paul and Feyd-Rautha’s fight plays out that the vision makes sense, as it teaches Paul how to beat his cousin.
1 Paul Has A Vision Confirming Jessica Is A Harkonnen
A major revelation comes near the end of Dune 2 as another vision of Paul’s is shown. This one begins with images of a newborn baby. It then shows Baron Harkonnen meeting the child, indicating that he is the father. The meaning of the vision is not hidden, as Paul speaks overtop of the footage while talking to his mother. This is how Dune 2 confirms that Jessica is Baron Harkonnen’s daughter, a fact that she herself did not know until drinking the Water of Life.
The twist connecting Jessica to the Harkonnen bloodline is another piece of the Bene Gesserit’s plan to produce the Kwisatz Haderach. This not only means that the Bene Gesserit planned for the Atreides and Harkonnen bloodline to mix, but it also makes Paul the grandson of Baron Harkonnen. It is through this vision that Paul learns that he is part of two powerful Houses, as well as the Bene Gesserit. These facts, coupled with Paul becoming the Lisan al Gaib, Emperor, and part of House Corrino, show just how powerful he is by the time Dune: Part Two concludes.
