Dune - Ending Explained

The film's climax reveals that the entire Atreides move to Arrakis was a joint conspiracy between the Emperor and House Harkonnen. The Emperor feared Duke Leto's rising influence in the Landsraad and used Arrakis as a 'graveyard' for the family. The betrayal is enabled by Dr. Yueh, whose wife was held hostage by the Baron; Yueh disables the shields but provides Leto with a poison tooth to kill the Baron (which fails). The film ends with Paul killing the Fremen warrior Jamis in ritual combat. This is a pivotal turning point: Paul, who had never killed a man, finally 'dies' as a boy and is reborn as a Fremen. The ending signifies that Paul has chosen the path of war over the path of peace, setting the stage for the 'crusade' he so fears.

While often viewed as a standard Hero's Journey, many critics interpret Dune as a deconstruction of the 'Chosen One' trope. In this reading, Paul is not a savior but a tragic figure being molded by a religious conspiracy (the Missionaria Protectiva) into a weapon of mass destruction. Another perspective focuses on the ecofeminist reading, where Lady Jessica and the planet Arrakis itself are the true drivers of the plot, subtly manipulating the masculine structures of empire to birth a new world order. Some viewers also see the film as a reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing themes of isolation, the fragility of global systems, and the necessity of radical adaptation to an invisible, overwhelming force.