Why Dune’s Sequels Need To Reverse The First Movie’s Best Death Scene

Warning: Potential SPOILERS ahead for Dune sequels.

Dune 2 needs to reverse the first movie’s best death scene by bringing back Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa). Idaho is a swordmaster in the service of House Atreides, and a close friend and confidant to Paul (Timothée Chalamet). During the events of Denis Villeneuve’s first Dune movie, Idaho earned the love and intrigue of audiences with his easy, lighthearted charm which was only matched by his deadly abilities in combat. Tragically, however, Idaho dies by the end of the first Dune movie as he defends Paul and Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) from a hoard of elite Sardaukar soldiers.

Despite Idaho’s clear death in combat, fans of the character may not need to despair as a Dune 2021 editor teased a surprise character return. Joe Walker stated, “Those who know the book know that Duncan Idaho, for example, reappears, so it’s not over until the last lady sings.” Indeed, in the later books of the Dune series, originally published by Frank Herbert in 1965, Idaho is reincarnated as a ghola—an artificial human who is replicated from the genes of a dead individual. With that in mind, it’s certainly not impossible that Momoa could again lend his charisma to Duncan Idaho in a Dune sequel.

Reversing Idaho’s death would be of huge benefit to the next installment of Dune because his character was integral to the film striking a balance between darkness and levity. Without his easygoing allure to offset the sheer intensity of most of the other characters, the next film could risk coming off as overly bleak. Particularly as the plot will only get darker going forward, Jason Momoa’s return could help fix the problem and restore the ideal balance that the first movie found.

Audiences palpably felt Duncan Idaho’s effect on Villeneuve’s first Dune movie, an effect that led to the popularity of the character. Within a tense plot that plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy, Idaho’s relationship with Paul is heartwarming and fun, and his genuine charisma helps lighten the mood even when he isn’t being deliberately funny. One of the reasons Dune has so often been considered unadaptable is that the story can easily leave viewers wallowing in its morbid intensity, but Villeneuve refutes this idea with the help of Momoa’s performance as Duncan Idaho.

A force of positivity will be just as necessary in Dune 2 and the rest of Villeneuve’s saga if not more so as the story grows even darker. As he ascends to power on Arrakis, Paul finds himself struggling to cope with the implications of his powers and the future ramifications of his actions. There are also no other characters that provide the same type of comfort and comradery as Idaho does to Paul in Dune. At various points in time, Paul is at odds with everyone from his mother to Chani (Zendaya), and even the return of Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) won’t bring quite the same level of companionship that Idaho supplies.

Especially given what a fan-favorite he became following Dune 2021, the sequels need to bring back Duncan Idaho. Villeneuve runs the risk of ruining Dune 2 if the darkness goes too far, and Momoa’s character would be the perfect counterweight to reintroduce a little levity. Unfortunately, the timeline for his return in the books does not add up with the period that the next film will likely cover, but it’s still possible that Momoa’s Duncan Idaho could make a brief appearance by the end of Dune 2.

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