Duncan Idaho was featured in the Dune trilogy’s first film as a skilled swordmaster who laid down his life to protect House Atreides.
Director Denis Villeneuve and actor Timothée Chalamet unveiled the second trailer for ‘Dune: Part Three’ on July 8 at a fan event in Los Angeles. The 2-minute and 30-second trailer packed plenty of action and emotion, but what caught fans’ attention was the return of a fan-favorite character who died in the first film. Jason Momoa, who played the warrior Duncan Idaho, is set to return in the film’s third installment to fans’ great delight. Duncan served as a loyal warrior and Swordmaster for House Atreides in ‘Dune.’ He also trained the young Paul in hand-to-hand combat and died at the end of the movie while helping the young heir and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), escape the Emperor’s Sardaukar attack on the House.
The first film in the trilogy saw the young Paul Atreides grappling with his destiny as a future emperor and struggling to understand his prescient dreams about an apocalyptic future. The second film charts his rise to power as a messianic figure and emperor who launches a holy war across the galaxy to consolidate his power. The third film depicts Paul as the powerful emperor, struggling to maintain control as new enemies emerge. But the guilt over his past actions weighs heavily on him as he faces new threats to his regime and empire. In the trailer, Duncan and his former protege can be seen engaging in a duel as the former’s voice can be heard saying, “You’ve conquered the galaxy. You’ve destroyed thousands of worlds.” He adds that Paul is “way beyond redemption” before telling him that he wants to deliver a peace proposal that will destroy him.
But how exactly is Duncan alive? ‘Dune: Part Three’ is based on Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel ‘Dune Messiah.’ As per the book, Duncan isn’t brought back to life in a typical sense, but he’s resurrected as a ghola named Hayt. In the universe of ‘Dune,’ gholas are created by a secret group of genetically altered humans known as Tleilaxu. Skilled in biogenetic engineering, they took the flesh from Duncan’s dead body and grew it in axlotl tanks, except for his eyes, to reanimate his body. Hence, he is imbued with metallic eyes and secret abilities that the Tleilaxu can control.
Although he looks like Duncan, Hayt has no memory of his previous life and work as a Swordmaster for House Atreides. He becomes part of a larger conspiracy aimed at undermining Paul and his empire. The upcoming film serves as the concluding chapter of the ‘Dune’ film trilogy, which began with ‘Dune’ in 2021 and was followed by ‘Dune: Part Two’ in 2024. Set 17 years after the events of the last film, ‘Dune: Part Three’ follows Paul’s reign as emperor, as he is challenged by Robert Pattinson’s Scytale. The highly anticipated sci-fi drama is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.