Where Thufir Hawat Should Be In Dune 2 & Why He’s Missing

Stephen McKinley Henderson’s Thufir Hawat is missing from Dune: Part Two for a difficult reason, but this is what his role should have been based on the book. Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to 2021’s Dune brings back almost every character who is still alive at the conclusion. It was expected that Thufir Hawat would be among those familiar faces audiences see again in Dune 2. The mentat for House Atreides did not have his fate detailed in Dune‘s ending, setting the stage for the sequel to follow Frank Herbert’s novel with where his story goes.

Instead of bringing Thufir Hawat back, he is nowhere to be found from the time the movie begins until Dune 2‘s ending. The movie follows the source material quite well in terms of exploring plot lines that should have included the return of Stephen McKinley Henderson’s character. The original movie completely ignored what happened to Thufir after House Harkonnen attacked Arrakis and killed Duke Leto Atreides. By leaving him out of Dune 2, the film erases Thufir from major moments he should have been part of.

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Thufir Hawat Should Be With The Harkonnens In Dune 2

He joins House Harkonnen after the fall of House Atreides

Thufir Hawat’s role in Dune 2 should have seen him be with House Harkonnen. Although the mentat was extremely loyal to House Atreides in the first movie, the book explores how he comes to work for Baron Vladimir Harkonnen after Duke Leto’s death and the presumed demise of Paul. This leaves Thufir in a spot where he twists aspects of the Harkonnen plot and plays a major role in their efforts to hunt down and kill the Fremen’s new leader, Maud’Dib. He is also convinced that Lady Jessica was the one who betrayed House Atreides.

The first Dune removed the idea of Thufir thinking Jessica was the Harkonnen’s spy, so that plot element was unlikely to surface in the sequel if he had appeared. However, his time working with the Harkonnens is a vital part of his character development. It even has a direct impact on how the story ends, as Thufir is appalled at his actions against Maud’Dib once he realizes this person is Paul. It leads to Thufir Hawat sacrificing himself, so he should have been among the characters who die in Dune 2. Instead, his fate is completely ignored in any direct sense.

Why Dune 2 Cut Thufir Hawat’s Book Role

Villeneuve’s decision came down to a new focus

The decision to cut Thufir Hawat from Dune 2 was not one made by Denis Villeneuve from the outset of development on the sequel. Stephen McKinley Henderson did return to film scenes for the sequel, indicating that it was only once the editing process began that Thufir’s role was removed. This would mean that there are Dune 2 deleted scenes featuring Thufir Hawat, but it is unknown if those will ever be released. Henderson confirmed in an appearance on the This Is Purdue podcast that he filmed scenes with Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha, teasing his missing role.

As for why Thufir Hawat’s scenes in Dune 2 were cut, Villeneuve revealed the reason in an interview with Screen Crush. He noted how much he loves the character and wished there was room for him in the sequel. But, Villeneuve decided to refocus the story around the Bene Gesserit and “focus the movie on that sisterhood.” It sounds like Stephen McKinley Henderson’s scenes became expendable at that point, resulting in Thufir Hawat missing from Dune: Part Two.

Sources: This Is Purdue Podcast, Screen Crush