Dune introduced House Harkonnen as sinister villains, but the Harkonnen pet is perhaps the creepiest part about them. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is a transhumanist social sci-fi space opera that’s based on the cult 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. And while the Dune reboot’s depiction of the Baron Harkonnen is relatively faithful to the novel, Herbert’s book doesn’t mention a creepy Dune spider pet creature with human hands, which appears in the 2021 film on Geidi Prime in the scene where the Baron, Piter de Vries, and Reverend Mother Mohiam discuss the House Harkonnen plot.

As the true nature of this creature is unclear, it could be a number of things. The Harkonnens ruled Arrakis for 80 years, which has made the Baron a very wealthy and powerful man, able to purchase practically anything in the Known Universe. In fact, Dune’s Harkonnens are not only known for being brutal but also for their decadent and depraved natures. The Baron’s pet is clearly a representation of Harkonnen vice and overindulgence. And although there’s no mention of such a creature in the first book, the source material could still shine a light on this creepy mystery.

Baron Harkonnen’s Spider Could Be A Creation Of The Bene Tleilax

The Bene Tleilax Will Be An Important Faction In Dune 3, And The Spider Could Be A Hint At Them

The Harkonnen pet looks very much like a creation of the Bene Tleilax, a major Dune house from the books that wasn’t mentioned in the movie. The Bene Tleilax, also known as the Tleilaxu, form an order of isolationist, technologically advanced, and xenophobic genetically enhanced humans. In the book, the Tleilaxu programmed Piter de Vries into a cold and calculating Mentat to serve the Baron. The Tleilaxu also traffic artificial organs and even clones, all sold to the highest bidders.

It wouldn’t be unusual for the Bene Tleilax to supply the Baron with such an unusual creature for use as a pet. Moreover, the Tleilaxu are only briefly mentioned in the first Dune book, and their actual first appearance occurs in Herbert’s second book, Dune: Messiah. This means that the Baron’s creepy, unnamed pet could foreshadow the involvement of the Tleilaxu in Villeneuve’s planned third Dune movie, which will be based on Dune: Messiah.

The Spider May Be A Tarantuwolf From The Comic Book “The Metabarons” by Alejandro Jodorowsky

The Spider Could Be Inspired By This Legendary Film Director’s Graphic Novel

Villeneuve holds Jodorowsky in high regard, which can also be seen in Dune 2021’s depiction of the Sardaukar bloodletting sacrifices on Salusa Secundus.

Another possibility is that, much like some of Paul’s dreams and visions in Dune, the Harkonnen pet could be Villeneuve’s way of paying tribute to Alejandro Jodorowsky, a renowned film director who famously failed to adapt the novel back in the ‘70s. This is because the creepy creature very closely resembles the Tarantuwolf from The Metabarons, a comic book written by Jodorowsky and illustrated by Argentine artist Juan Gimenez. Like many filmmakers, Villeneuve holds Jodorowsky in high regard, which can also be seen in Dune 2021’s depiction of the Sardaukar bloodletting sacrifices on Salusa Secundus.

Dune Theory Claims Baron Harkonnen’s Spider Is Wanna Marcus (Dr. Yueh’s Wife)

The Spider Could Be Dr. Yueh’s Wife Kept As A Trophy By Baron Harkonnen

The most gruesome possibility is that the Harkonnen pet is actually Dr. Yueh’s wife. The Baron forced Yueh to betray the Atreides by using his wife, Wanna Marcus, as a hostage. While the movie infers that the Baron has already killed Wanna, unlike the other significant character deaths in Dune, this is never shown onscreen, and this could be because the Baron has somehow turned Wanna into his strange pet. As the Reverend Mother shows, the creature can be commanded with the Voice, which means that it understands human language. Anything is possible in the world of Dune.

What Dune’s VFX Artists Have Said About Baron Harkonnen’s Pet

Dune VFX Artists Confirmed Information About The Spider’s Origins

Dune‘s VFX artists have confirmed at least one thing: the creature was once human and has since been mutated or altered to have this disturbing shape (via Corridor Crew). Dune‘s Baron Harkonnen is certainly twisted enough to have done something like this himself (as per the theory that the spider creature is Yueh’s wife), but the atrocity still could have been committed by another party like the Tleilaxu. Either way, the creature’s unnatural movements were meant to capture the discomfort that a former human being would feel after being twisted into a spider’s shape.

Is Baron Harkonnen’s Creepy Spider Pet In Dune 2?

The Spider Was Left Out Of Dune: Part Two

With the Harkonnen pet not featured in the books or any other adaptation of Herbert’s work, it was one of the more controversial elements of the 2021 film. Therefore, in 2024’s Dune: Part Two, the spider was left out entirely. The Harkonnen plot shifts away from Baron Harkonnen for the majority of the film, with Feyd-Rautha assuming his place as the primary antagonist instead. While the Baron had his strange, off-putting moments in the first film, it’s Feyd-Rautha who’s given the weirder elements in Dune 2.

How Dune 2 Builds On Baron Harkonnen’s Creepy Spider Pet

Feyd-Rautha Takes Over As Dune 2’s Main Antagonist, And He’s Even Creepier Than The Spider

The spider pet is gone, but the Dune sequel offers plenty of strange material in its place. The 2024 film embraced weirder elements of House Harkonnen, particularly surrounding the newly introduced Feyd-Rautha, who spends his time on Giedi Prime in the company of cannibal women. Feyd-Rautha is packed with his quirks, many of which came from the choices of actor Austin Butler, who improvised scenes like his kiss with Baron Harkonnen, building on his Dune character and the strange, almost alien-like nature of the antagonist clan.