With a larger-than-life stature and an equally outlandish personality, the character has entrenched himself as a shorthand for the ultimate villainy being aimed at the more heroic House Atreides.
But director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve has changed the character in a key way, as he’s leaning more on a restrained and intimidating portrayal of the character.
In the literary world of author Frank Herbert’s Dune, as well as the filmed interpretations of the first couple of novels from the canon, the character of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has been a pretty outrageous presence to behold.