Despite its faults, David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune is actually a rather enjoyable film in its own right, due in no small part to its creative production design, stellar soundtrack and unabashed weirdness. However, as many have pointed out, the two-hour runtime and certain creative choices do result in the 1984 movie falling a bit flat as an adaptation of Herbert's beloved sci-fi epic.

Lynch's film ultimately misses the point of Herbert's text by portraying Paul Atreides -- known to the Fremen of Arrakis as Muad'Dib -- as an actual god-like figure, as opposed to a false messiah who manipulated a native people into launching a holy war in his name. That's not the only change 1984's Dune made to its source material, however. In fact, one of the film's most notable omissions is Paul's first-born son.

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Dune's Leto II, the Elder (Leto 1.5)

Many Dune fans are sure to be familiar with Leto II Atreides, Paul's son who would go on to transform himself into a sandworm and rule the Known Universe as the God-Emperor. But what those who have only seen the Lynch movie may not know is that prior to Muad'Dib's jihad, there was actually another person who carried the name Leto II.

Like the movie, Herbert's original novel sees Paul, son of Duke Leto Atreides, and his mother, Lady Jessica of the Atreides, join the Fremen following a coup that wipes out most of their house, Leto included. While living with the Fremen, Lady Jessica gives birth to Alia Atreides, Paul's younger sister.

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The part of the book that the movie leaves out, however, is that around the same time, Paul and his Fremen lover, Chani, also had a baby -- a boy named Leto II (not to be confused with the God-Emperor). In the book, the original Leto II doesn't live very long, as he is murdered as an infant during a Sardaukar raid.

Of course, Paul would eventually lay waste to House Harkonnen and claim the throne as Emperor of the Known Universe. Dune Messiah, the second book in Herbert's Dune saga, chronicles Paul and Chani's struggle to produce an heir. In the end, Chani gives birth to twins: a girl named Ghanima and a boy named Leto II. In turn, the child who was born and died on Arrakis in the first book has been retroactively dubbed "Leto II the Elder" (and is sometimes referred to by fans as "Leto 1.5").

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Dune's Leto II, the God-Emperor

The new Leto II's rise and reign are chronicled in Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune. After Paul abdicates the throne, Leto II must do what his father could not bring himself to and set humanity on the Golden Path. The mutated Leto II becomes a ruthless tyrant who rules for 3,500 years, knowing that the only way humanity can survive is if it learns to reject leaders like him.

Heretics of Dune, Herbert's fifth novel set 1,500 years after the God-Emperor's death, actually acknowledges the fact that thanks to the existence of Leto II the Elder, Leto II the God-Emperor would technically be "Leto III." However, the priests of Arrakis -- now known as simply "Rakis" -- theorize that the Elder was actually reincarnated in the God-Emperor, with part of the former remaining in heaven.

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Why Wasn't Leto 1.5 in David Lynch's Dune?

There are a few possible reasons as to why Leto II the Elder was excluded from Lynch's adaptation of Dune. For starters, the film notoriously glosses over the two years between Paul joining the Fremen and Paul overthrowing the Empire, with most of that period of time being reduced to a montage. Paul and Chani having and ultimately losing a son is something the film likely just didn't have room to adequately explore, especially seeing as how even the original book didn't spend that much time on it. Secondly, it's hard to imagine a scene where someone murders a young child getting the green light from the studio.

Nevertheless, Leto II the Elder did make his way to live-action in Frank Herbert's Dune, the television miniseries that aired on the Sci Fi Channel in 2000. The miniseries shows the lead-up to the child's murder, though cuts away just before the act actually occurs. Frank Herbert's Dune was followed up by Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, a 2003 miniseries adapting both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. The Children of Dune miniseries starred a young James McAvoy as the second Leto II, the man who would become the God-Emperor.

With Denis Villeneuve's recent film adaptation of Dune concluding just as Paul and Lady Jessica join the Fremen, it remains to be seen if the upcoming second part will finally bring Leto II the Elder to the big screen.

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