The new movie Dune, the adaptation of the bestselling and classic novel by Frank Herbert, seems poised to become one of the major blockbusters of the new decade. There are already talks of a TV series spinoff, and the movie itself could become part of a franchise.

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Taking that into consideration, it’s fascinating to think about the many men and women that inhabit this world alongside those that inhibit one of the other major movie franchises currently dominating the box office, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are, in fact, some surprising parallels between them.

Stilgar - Nick Fury

Dune's Stilgar and MCU's Nick Fury in a split image

Stilgar is one of the movie’s most important characters. The leader of a group of natives called the Fremen, he is the one who takes in Paul and Jessica when they flee the assassination of Duke Atreides at the hands of the Harkonnens. He’s a tough and practical leader, always with his eye on what’s best for his people.

In that respect, he has a lot in common with Nick Fury of the MCU, who likewise has a no-nonsense demeanor but always has the Avengers and their best interests at heart. And, just as Stilgar has some great scenes in Dune, Fury also has them in the MCU.

Duncan Idaho - Iron Man

Dune's Duncan Idaho and MCU's Tony Stark in a split image

Portrayed by Jason Momoa in one of his best movie roles, Duncan Idaho is a formidable fighter and a genuinely good man, serving House Atreides loyally until his own death. However, there’s also a bit of rebelliousness about Idaho that verges on reckless, particularly when his own safety is on the line.

This makes him align quite well with Tony Stark/Iron Man, one of the most compelling, yet also frustrating, members of the MCU, given his own belief that his way is the right one.

Paul Atreides - Spider-Man

Dune's Paul Atreides and MCU's Peter Parker in a split image

Paul Atreides is not only one of Timothee Chalamet’s most likable characters, he’s also a bit of a boy wonder, a prodigy who will come to play a pivotal role in the events of the universe.

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He has quite a lot in common with another young man who, as a result of an accidental encounter with a spider, would come to play a key role in many of the great events of his lifetime, one Peter Parker, who would become famous as Spider-Man. Both characters also have to endure the loss of a father figure, which they are helpless to prevent.

Duke Leto - Captain America

Dune's Duke Leto Atreides and MCU's Captain America in a split image

If there’s one word that describes Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto Atreides (one of his best characters), it’s noble. Leto will do whatever he is appointed to do, even if that means he’s putting his own life at risk. As a result, he can sometimes be a bit stubborn, refusing to admit when he might be wrong about something.

He therefore has a lot in common with Captain America, another man who is very loyal and noble but also notoriously stubborn and even a bit of a jerk at times.

Gurney Halleck - Hank Pym

Dune's Gurney Halleck and MCU's Hank Pym in a split image

Gurney Halleck is the mentor of House Atreides, and he plays a key role in helping Paul to become the warrior that needs to be as the family is given authority over the planet Arrakis. He clearly has a lot of fondness for Paul (and for House Atreides more generally).

He matches most closely with Hank Pym in the MCU, a man who similarly takes a young man under his wing (Ant-Man) and helps him to become the hero that he has to be.

Lady Jessica - Peggy Carter

Dune's Lady Jessica and MCU's Peggy Carter in a split image

Lady Jessica is one of Dune’s most interesting characters, and arguably a heroine in her own right. As Bene Gesserit, she’s been trained to privilege duty above all else, but she puts that aside when she bears her husband a boy rather than the girl that she was supposed to.

She very closely resembles Peggy Carter, a woman similarly torn between her duty and her heart, though fortunately, Agent Carter does at last get to have her romance with Captain America.

Baron Harkonnen - Red Skull

Dune's Baron Harkonnen and MCU's Red Skull in a split image

Baron Harkonnen is, in many ways, the epitome of evil in the Dune universe, capable of great cruelty and heartlessness, both toward his allies and towards his enemies. He has almost no conscience at all, and this allows him to do essentially whatever he wants.

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He thus has a lot in common with Red Skull of the MCU who, after being spurned and mistreated by the Nazis, develops his own sinister organization with which he plans to dominate the world. For both the Baron and Red Skull, power is an end in itself, and nothing else matters.

Gaius Helen Mohiam - Hela

Dune's Gaius Helen Mohiam and MCU's Hela in a split image

As a member of the secretive Bene Gesserit, Gaius Helen Mohiam is a formidable power, someone with the ability to manipulate events to her liking, though she’s always careful to act as if she’s doing what she does in the service of some broader goal.

She has a lot in common with Hela, one of the MCU’s relatively few female villains, who is also a woman bent on her own mission, no matter how much devastation she must cause and how many people she must hurt as she pursues it.

Chani - Black Widow

Dune's Chani and MCU's Black Widow in a split image

Black Widow is one of the few female heroes in the MCU, and for that reason among others, she has become one of its best characters. Similarly, Chani of Dune is one of the movie’s few female characters that’s given much depth.

Like Black Widow, she’s a formidable warrior, someone who isn’t afraid to shed blood in the defense of her homeland. At the same time, she also has a core honor system that governs her actions, and she will always do what she thinks is right.

Piter De Vries - Ebony Maw

Dune's Piter De Vries and MCU's Ebony Maw in a split image

The twisted Mentat Piter De Vries is the Baron’s right-hand man and his most valued and trusted servant. He has little agency of his own, preferring instead to do the bidding of his noble master, no matter what terrible thing he commands him to do.

He fulfills almost the exact same narrative function as Ebony Maw, who is something of a proselytizer for Thanos, attempting to ensure that everyone sees the Titan’s actions as both justified and morally right.

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