Editing Vladimir Harkonnen

{{Short description|Fictional character in the Dune universe}}
{{Infobox character
| series = [[Dune (franchise)|Dune]]
| creator = [[Frank Herbert]]
| name = Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
| image = Baron Harkonnen-John Schoenherr-Illustrated Dune (1978).jpg
| caption = Baron Vladimir Harkonnen by [[John Schoenherr]], from ''[[The Illustrated Dune]]'' (1978)
| children = [[Lady Jessica]]
| relatives = {{Plainlist|
* '''Original series:'''
* [[Glossu Rabban]] (nephew)
* [[Feyd-Rautha]] (nephew)
* [[Paul Atreides]] (grandson)
* [[Alia Atreides]] (granddaughter)
* [[Abulurd Harkonnen|Abulurd Harkonnen II]] (brother)
* '''Prequel series:'''
* Dmitri Harkonnen (father)<ref name="Prelude">{{cite book|last1=Herbert|first1=Brian|author-link1=Brian Herbert|first2=Kevin J.|last2=Anderson|author-link2=Kevin J. Anderson|title=[[Prelude to Dune]]|date=1999–2001}}</ref>
* Victoria Harkonnen (mother)<ref name="Prelude"/>
}}
| family = House Harkonnen
| portrayer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Kenneth McMillan (actor)|Kenneth McMillan]] ([[Dune (1984 film)|1984 film]])
* [[Ian McNeice]] ([[Frank Herbert's Dune|2000 series]] / [[Frank Herbert's Children of Dune|2003 series]])
* [[Stellan Skarsgård]] ([[Dune (2021 film)|2021]] / [[Dune: Part Two|2024 films]])
}}
| first = ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' (1963–65)
| last = ''[[Dune: House Corrino]]'' (2001){{efn|A [[ghola]] of Baron Harkonnen is created in ''[[Hunters of Dune]]'' (2006) and also appears in ''[[Sandworms of Dune]]'' (2007); these may or may not be considered appearances of the original character.}}
| home = Giedi Prime
| title = Baron
}}
'''Baron Vladimir Harkonnen''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɑːr|k|ə|n|ə|n}}<ref name="Pronunciation">{{cite web |url=http://www.usul.net/books/sounds.htm |title=Audio excerpts from a reading of ''Dune'' by Frank Herbert |via=Usul.net |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=November 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111172515/http://www.usul.net/books/sounds.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>) is a fictional character in the [[Dune (franchise)|''Dune'' franchise]] created by [[Frank Herbert]]. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' and is also a prominent character in the ''[[Prelude to Dune]]'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001) by Herbert's son [[Brian Herbert|Brian]] and [[Kevin J. Anderson]]. The character is brought back as a [[ghola]] in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, ''[[Hunters of Dune]]'' (2006) and ''[[Sandworms of Dune]]'' (2007).

Baron Harkonnen is portrayed by [[Kenneth McMillan (actor)|Kenneth McMillan]] in [[David Lynch]]'s 1984 film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''. [[Ian McNeice]] plays the role in the 2000 [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] [[miniseries]] ''[[Frank Herbert's Dune]]'' and its sequel, 2003's ''[[Frank Herbert's Children of Dune|Children of Dune]]''. Harkonnen is portrayed by [[Stellan Skarsgård]] in the 2021 [[Denis Villeneuve]] film ''[[Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]'' and its 2024 sequel ''[[Dune: Part Two]]''.

==Conception==
Frank Herbert wanted a harsh-sounding name for the antagonistic family opposing [[House Atreides]] in ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]''. He came across the name "[[Härkönen]]" in a California telephone book and thought that it sounded "Soviet", though it is in fact Finnish.<ref>{{cite book|author=Brian Herbert|year=2003 |title=Dreamer of Dune: The Biography of Frank Herbert |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9781429958448}}</ref> In earlier drafts of ''Dune'', the character was called "Valdemar Hoskanner".<ref>{{cite book|first1=Brian|last1=Herbert|first2=Kevin J.|last2=Anderson|chapter=Spice Planet|title=The Road to Dune|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/roadtodune00fran|chapter-url-access=registration|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|location=London, England|date=2005}}</ref>

==Description==
Herbert's "Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses)" in ''Dune'' says of Harkonnen (in part):
{{blockquote|VLADIMIR HARKONNEN (10,110–10,193) Commonly referred to as Baron Harkonnen, his title is officially Siridar (planetary governor) Baron. Vladimir Harkonnen is the direct-line male descendant of the Bashar [[Abulurd Harkonnen]] who was banished for cowardice after the [[Battle of Corrin]]. The return of [[House Harkonnen]] to power generally is ascribed to adroit manipulation of the [[whale fur]] market and later consolidation with [[Melange (fictional drug)|melange]] wealth from [[Arrakis]].<ref name="Appendix">{{cite book|first=Frank |last=Herbert |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=Dune |chapter=Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses): Vladimir Harkonnen |year=1965 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London, England|isbn=978-0441172719|title-link=Dune (novel)}}</ref>}}

The character is usually described as the main antagonist of the novel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/denis-villeneuves-dune-has-found-its-baron-harkonnen-1831616603|title=Denis Villeneuve's ''Dune'' Has Found Its Baron Harkonnen|first=James|last=Whitbrook|website=[[io9]]|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507072843/https://io9.gizmodo.com/denis-villeneuves-dune-has-found-its-baron-harkonnen-1831616603|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/02/dune-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet-full-details-plot-cast-release-1202041809/|title=''Dune'': Everything to Know About Denis Villeneuve and Timothée Chalamet's Sci-Fi Epic|first=Zack|last=Sharf|work=[[IndieWire]]|date=February 8, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045643/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/02/dune-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet-full-details-plot-cast-release-1202041809/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/01/stellan-skarsgard-is-dunes-villain.html|last=Martin|first=Clare|date=January 9, 2019|title=Stellan Skarsgård Is the Villain of Denis Villeneuve's ''Dune''|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=April 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426155848/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/01/stellan-skarsgard-is-dunes-villain.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Comicon">{{cite web|url=http://www.comicon.com/2019/01/09/stellan-skarsgard-accepts-his-destiny-as-dunes-baron-vladimir-harkonnen/|title=Stellan Skarsgard Accepts His Destiny As ''Dune''{{'s}} Baron Vladimir Harkonnen|first=Erik|last=Amaya|website=Comicon.com|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=October 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023073954/https://www.comicon.com/2019/01/09/stellan-skarsgard-accepts-his-destiny-as-dunes-baron-vladimir-harkonnen/|url-status=live}}</ref> Herbert writes in ''Dune'' that the Baron possesses a "[[Basso profondo|basso]] voice" and is so "grossly and immensely fat" that he requires [[anti-gravity]] devices known as [[suspensor (Dune)|suspensors]] to support his weight.<ref name="sf.com">{{cite web|url=https://sciencefiction.com/2019/01/12/stellan-skarsgard-will-play-baron-vladimir-harkonnen-dune/|title=Stellan Skarsgård Will Play Baron Vladimir Harkonnen In ''Dune''|website=ScienceFiction.com|first=Stuart|last=Conover|date=January 12, 2019|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=September 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916215947/https://sciencefiction.com/2019/01/12/stellan-skarsgard-will-play-baron-vladimir-harkonnen-dune/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Screen Rant">{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/dune-movie-reboot-stellan-skarsgard-cast/|title=''Dune'' Movie Reboot Casts Stellan Skarsgård As Its Villain|date=January 9, 2019|website=[[Screen Rant]]|first=Sandy|last=Schaefer|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045643/https://screenrant.com/dune-movie-reboot-stellan-skarsgard-cast/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Frank |last=Herbert |author-link=Frank Herbert |title=Dune |year=1965 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London, England|isbn=978-0441172719|quote=As [Baron Vladimir Harkonnen] emerged from the shadows, his figure took on dimension — grossly and immensely fat. And with subtle bulges beneath folds of his dark robes to reveal that all this fat was sustained partly by portable suspensors harnessed to his flesh. He might weigh two hundred Standard kilos in actuality, but his feet would carry no more than fifty of them.|title-link=Dune (novel)}}</ref> He is one of the wealthiest members of the Landsraad and a bitter rival of [[Leto I Atreides|Leto Atreides]],<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/18/new-dune-movie-explained-what-to-know-about-the-classic-sci-fi-novel|title=''Dune'' Remake Movie Explained: What to Know About the Classic Sci-Fi Novel|website=[[IGN]]|first=Jesse|last=Schedeen|date=March 18, 2019|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=March 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319212316/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/18/new-dune-movie-explained-what-to-know-about-the-classic-sci-fi-novel|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Baron's "legendary evil and intellect" are unmatched by anyone else from House Harkonnen.<ref name="sf.com"/> In the novel, the Baron feigns outrage over losing control of Arrakis to Leto, but is actually conspiring to use the situation as an opportunity to destroy House Atreides once and for all.<ref name="IGN"/><ref name="IGN 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/15/dune-movie-reboot-cast-zendaya-oscar-isaac-javier-bardem|title=''Dune'' Movie: Every Actor in the Sci-Fi Reboot|first=Jesse|last=Schedeen|website=IGN|date=February 14, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045644/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/15/dune-movie-reboot-cast-zendaya-oscar-isaac-javier-bardem|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/01/09/dune-movie-reboot-stellan-skarsgard-baron-harkonnen/|title=Stellan Skarsgard to Play Baron Harkonnen in ''Dune'' Reboot|website=Comicbook.com|first=Jamie|last=Lovett|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=April 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426155611/https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/01/09/dune-movie-reboot-stellan-skarsgard-baron-harkonnen/|url-status=live}}</ref> 

William Hughes of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' describes the Baron as "a decadent, monstrous gasbag of depravity and evil".<ref name="AV">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/ladies-and-gentlemen-stellan-skarsgard-is-your-new-bar-1831622192|title=Ladies and gentlemen, Stellan Skarsgård is your new Baron Harkonnen|first=William|last=Hughes|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915024144/https://news.avclub.com/ladies-and-gentlemen-stellan-skarsgard-is-your-new-bar-1831622192|url-status=live}}</ref> As ruthless and cruel as he is intelligent and cunning, the Baron is "crafty and power-hungry" and has a talent for manipulating others and exploiting their weaknesses<ref name="Screen Rant"/> as well as a propensity for torture and blackmail.<ref name="Nerdist">{{cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/article/denis-villeneuve-new-dune-whos-playing-who/|title=Who's Playing Who in Denis Villeneuve's ''Dune''|website=[[Nerdist]]|first=Lindsey|last=Romain|date=February 13, 2019|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045643/https://nerdist.com/article/denis-villeneuve-new-dune-whos-playing-who/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' describes the character as "cruel, sadistic, and hedonistic".<ref name="IGN"/> Travis Johnson of Flicks.com.au says that Harkonnen is written as "a predatory homosexual given to pederasty and incest, an unrepentant rapist and murderer."<ref name="Flicks">{{cite web|url=https://www.flicks.com.au/features/why-denis-villenueves-upcoming-version-of-dune-has-us-crazy-excited/|title=Why Denis Villenueve's upcoming version of ''Dune'' has us crazy excited|website=Flicks.com.au|first=Travis|last=Johnson|date=February 13, 2019|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045645/https://www.flicks.com.au/features/why-denis-villenueves-upcoming-version-of-dune-has-us-crazy-excited/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Baron's sexual preference for young men is implied in ''Dune'' and ''Children of Dune''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dune|first=Frank|last=Herbert|date=1965|quote='I'll be in my sleeping chambers,' the Baron said. 'Bring me that young fellow we bought on Gamont, the one with the lovely eyes. Drug him well. I don't feel like wrestling.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Dune|first=Frank|last=Herbert|date=1965|quote='Why haven't you ever bought a Bene Gesserit, Uncle?' Feyd-Rautha asked. 'With a Truthsayer at your side—'<br>'You know my tastes!' the Baron snapped.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Dune|first=Frank|last=Herbert|date=1965|quote=Baron to Feyd: 'This old fool saw through the shielded needle you'd planted in that slave boy's thigh. Right where I'd put my hand on it, eh?'}}</ref> It is noted, however, that he "once permitted himself to be seduced" by a [[Bene Gesserit]] in the liaison which produced his secret daughter.<ref name="Jessica's father">{{cite book|title=Dune|first=Frank|last=Herbert|date=1965|quote=Paul to Jessica: 'There's a thing you don't know and should—we are Harkonnens...You're the Baron's own daughter...The Baron sampled many pleasures in his youth, and once permitted himself to be seduced. But it was for the genetic purposes of the Bene Gesserit'.}}</ref>

== Plotlines ==
[[File:Harkonnen Griffin.svg|thumb|right|160px|The blue griffin emblem of House Harkonnen]]

=== ''Dune'' ===
As ''Dune'' begins, a longstanding feud exists between the Harkonnens of [[Giedi Prime]] and the [[House Atreides|Atreides]] of [[Caladan]]. The Baron's intent to exterminate the Atreides line seems close to fruition, as Duke Leto Atreides is lured to the [[desert planet]] Arrakis on the pretense of taking over the valuable melange operation there. The Baron has an agent in the Atreides household: Leto's own physician, the trusted [[Suk School|Suk doctor]] [[Wellington Yueh]]. Though Suk Imperial Conditioning supposedly makes the subject incapable of inflicting harm, the Baron's twisted [[Mentat]] [[Piter De Vries]] has managed to break it using the threat of interminable torture on Yueh's captive wife [[Wanna (Dune)|Wanna]]. 

Harkonnen also distracts Leto's Mentat [[Thufir Hawat]] from discovering Yueh by guiding Hawat toward another suspect: Leto's [[Bene Gesserit]] [[concubinage|concubine]] [[Lady Jessica]], of whom Hawat is already distrustful. The Atreides are soon attacked by Harkonnen forces, secretly supplemented by the seemingly unstoppable Imperial [[Sardaukar]], as Yueh disables the protective shields around the Atreides palace on Arrakis. Yueh takes Leto prisoner as instructed, but provides him with a fake tooth filled with poisonous gas as a means to assassinate the Baron. De Vries kills Yueh, Leto and De Vries die from the gas, but Harkonnen survives. The Baron then manipulates Hawat into his service, by convincing Hawat that Jessica was the traitor and using Hawat's desire for revenge on her and the Emperor as motivation to assist House Harkonnen.

Jessica flees into the desert with her and Leto's son [[Paul Atreides]], and both are presumed dead. Paul's [[prescience (Dune)|prescience]] helps him determine the identity of Jessica's father, the "maternal grandfather who cannot be named"—the Baron himself.<ref name="Jessica's father"/> Over the next two years, Harkonnen learns that his nephews [[Glossu Rabban]] and [[Feyd-Rautha]] are conspiring against him to usurp his throne. He lets them continue to do so, reasoning that they have to somehow learn to organize a conspiracy. As punishment for a failed assassination attempt against him, Harkonnen forces Feyd to single-handedly slaughter all the female slaves who serve as Feyd's lovers. He explains that Feyd has to learn the price of failure.

The Baron's plan to assure Feyd's power is to install him as ruler of Arrakis after a period of tyrannical misrule by Rabban, making Feyd appear to be the savior of the people. However, a crisis on Arrakis begins when the mysterious [[Muad'Dib]] emerges as a leader of the native [[Fremen]] tribes, uniting them against the rule of the Harkonnens. Eventually, a series of Fremen victories against Beast Rabban threaten to disrupt the trade of the spice, inciting the [[Padishah Emperor]] [[Shaddam IV]] to intervene personally, leading several legions of Sardaukar. After the emperor's arrival on Arrakis, both Corrino and Harkonnen are shocked to learn that rather than a native Fremen warlord, their opponent Muad'Dib is the still-living Paul Atreides, and the Emperor's intervention was part of his plan. 

The Imperial forces fall prey to a surprise attack by the Fremen, who let a sandstorm short out the force field shields of the transport ships, and then disable them with projectile weapons, subsequently mounting a mass assault using [[sandworm (Dune)|sandworm]]s as siege-breakers. Their enemies are left trapped on the planet, outnumbered by the many tribes and outgunned by the sandworms. The Harkonnens' past ruthlessness further causes the enraged Fremen to give them little to no quarter. Over the course of the battle their entire army is exterminated.

The Harkonnen leadership are also all killed in the course of this battle. Rabban dies first, in the early stages of the battle. Baron Harkonnen himself is poisoned with a [[gom jabbar]] by Paul's sister [[Alia Atreides]], a two-year-old born as a fully aware Fremen [[Reverend Mother (Dune)|Reverend Mother]], who reveals that she is his granddaughter to him just before his death. His remaining heir Feyd-Rautha is killed in ritual combat by Paul Atreides. House Harkonnen as a political entity is left virtually defunct - permanently excluded from galactic power - though Harkonnen ''blood'' is technically ascendant since Imperial House Atreides is composed entirely of Vladimir Harkonnen's descendants.

=== ''Children of Dune'' ===
Alia had been born with her ancestral memories in the womb, a circumstance the Bene Gesserit refer to as [[abomination (Dune)|Abomination]], because in their experience it is inevitable that the individual will become possessed by the personality of one of their ancestors. In ''[[Children of Dune]]'', Alia falls victim to this prediction when she shares control of her body with the ego-memory of the Baron Harkonnen, and eventually falls under his power. Alia eventually commits [[suicide]], realizing that Harkonnen's [[consciousness]] has surpassed her abilities to contain him.

=== ''Prelude to Dune'' ===
In the ''Prelude to Dune'' prequel series by Brian Herbert and Anderson, it is established that Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the son and heir of Dmitri Harkonnen and his wife Victoria. Harkonnen's father had been the head of House Harkonnen and ruled the planet Giedi Prime. Trained since youth as a possible successor, Vladimir had been eventually chosen over his half-brother [[Abulurd Harkonnen|Abulurd]], namesake of the original. Unhappy with his brother's doings, Abulurd eventually marries Emmi Rabban and renounces the family name and his rights to the title. 

Under the name Abulurd Rabban, he reigns as governor of the secondary Harkonnen planet [[Lankiveil]]. Abulurd and his wife have two sons: Glossu Rabban, later nicknamed "Beast Rabban" after he murders his own father, and Feyd-Rautha. Vladimir later adopts the boys back into House Harkonnen, and Feyd becomes his designated heir. The Baron's most prominent political rival is Duke Leto Atreides. The Harkonnens and the Atreides have been bitter enemies for millennia, since the [[Battle of Corrin]] that ended the [[Butlerian Jihad]]. When Emperor Shaddam IV orchestrates a plot to destroy the "Red Duke" Leto, the Baron eagerly lends his aid.

The young Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is described as an exceedingly handsome man, possessing red hair and a near-perfect physique. The Bene Gesserit [[Reverend Mother (Dune)|Reverend Mother]] [[Gaius Helen Mohiam]] is instructed by the Sisterhood to collect his genetic material, through conception, for their breeding program. As the Baron's homosexuality is something of an open secret, Mohiam blackmails him into having sexual relations with her, and conceives his child. When that daughter proves genetically undesirable, Mohiam kills her and returns to Harkonnen for a second try. At this point, he drugs and [[rape]]s her. She exacts her retribution by infecting him with a rare, incurable disease that later causes his obesity. Mohiam's second child with the Baron is Jessica.{{efn|According to the authors, the revelation that Mohiam is Jessica's mother was pulled directly from Frank Herbert's working notes for the original ''Dune'' series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/herbertandanderson.html |title=Chat with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson: ''Dune: House Harkonnen'' |year=2000 |publisher=[[SyFy|Sci-Fi Channel]] |via=SciFi.com |access-date=February 7, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071105073412/http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/herbertandanderson.html |archive-date = November 5, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} 

In ''[[Dune: House Harkonnen]]'', the deteriorating Baron at first walks with the assistance of a cane, then relies on belt-mounted suspensors to retain mobility. He consults numerous doctors in the expanse of time between the ''[[Dune: House Atreides]]'' and ''Dune: House Harkonnen'', up to and including his future instrument Dr. Yueh, all of whom are ultimately no help. To conceal this debilitation, he pretends that his obesity is due to intentional overindulgence, lest the Landsraad remove him from power. When he determines that Mohiam inflicted him with the disease, he attempts to coerce her into revealing the cure, but soon discovers that there is none. The Baron, Duke Leto, and Jessica are unaware that Jessica is secretly the Baron's daughter, or that he has even fathered one. In the year 10,176, the Baron's grandson Paul is born to Leto and Jessica.

=== ''Hunters of Dune'' ===
In ''[[Hunters of Dune]]'' (2006), the continuation of the original series by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the Baron is resurrected as a ghola (5,029 years after the death of Alia) by the [[Lost Tleilaxu]] [[Uxtal]], acting on orders from the [[Face Dancer]] [[Khrone]]. Khrone intends to use the Baron ghola to manipulate a ghola of Paul Atreides, named [[Paolo (Dune)|Paolo]]. Khrone tries various torture techniques for three years to awaken the 12-year-old Baron's genetic memories; these methods fail due to the Baron's [[sadomasochism|sadomasochistic]] nature. Khrone is successful when he imprisons the Baron in a sensory deprivation tank for a prolonged period; the Baron's memories of his former life return. The reincarnated Baron is soon haunted by the voice of Alia in his mind; the source of this inner Alia is never explained.

==In adaptations==

=== Cancelled 1970s film ===
[[File:Orson Welles in Who's Out There? (1973).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Orson Welles]] was cast as the Baron in Alejandro Jodorowsky's [[Dune (novel)#Early stalled attempts|cancelled adaptation]]]]

In 1975, [[Orson Welles]] agreed to play the Baron in [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]]'s ultimately [[Dune (novel)#Early stalled attempts|unsuccessful adaptation]]. The film's concept art by [[Jean Giraud|Jean "Mœbius" Giraud]] depicts the Baron, as well as Feyd-Rautha and Rabban, in multiple [[Drag queen|drag]] appearances.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adema |first=Claire |date=February 24, 2020 |title=Check out these incredible, abandoned Moebius drawings for ‘Dune’ |url=https://happymag.tv/check-out-these-incredible-abandoned-moebius-drawings-for-dune/ |website=Happy Mag |access-date=May 13, 2024 |archive-date=June 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240609154629/https://happymag.tv/check-out-these-incredible-abandoned-moebius-drawings-for-dune/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the documentary ''[[Jodorowsky's Dune]]'', the director discussed the casting:

{{Blockquote|text=Orson Welles had a bad reputation ... they said that he liked to drink and eat ... and then he did not finish the movies, he was moody. But I said, "No, Orson Welles is a genius, he is the one." ... Therefore, I sent a secretary to ask... in all the gastronomic restaurants in Paris: "Where does Orson Welles eat?" And we discover a restaurant and then he was eating ... I speak with all the respect, because was for me [he] was an idol. He say, "I don't want to do it. I don't want any more." I say to him, "I will propose something." If you do the picture, even if we pay what you want as an actor, I will hire the chef of this restaurant and you will eat, as here, every day. And he say, "I do it."<ref name="Jodorowsky's Dune">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/jodorowskys-dune-film |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210213550/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/jodorowskys-dune-film |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2015 | title=''Jodorowsky's Dune'' (12A) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=January 14, 2015 | access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref>}}

===1984 film===
[[File:Valerie Harper Kenneth McMillan Nancy Walker Rhoda 1977.JPG|thumb|upright=.8|[[Kenneth McMillan (actor)|Kenneth McMillan]] plays Vladimir Harkonnen in ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'' (1984). He is centre here in 1977, in the TV show ''[[Rhoda]]'']]
Baron Harkonnen is portrayed by [[Kenneth McMillan (actor)|Kenneth McMillan]] in [[David Lynch]]'s [[Dune (1984 film)|1984 film]].<ref name="NYT 1984-12">{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F06E2D71238F937A25751C1A962948260|title=Movie Review: ''Dune'' (1984)|last=Maslin|first=Janet|date=December 14, 1984|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 15, 2010|archive-date=March 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311010339/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F06E2D71238F937A25751C1A962948260|url-status=live}}</ref> The obese and disheveled Baron is overtly unstable, and covered in oozing [[pustule]]s. William Hughes of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' deemed McMillan's facial prosthetics "very memorable".<ref name="AV"/> Emmet Asher-Perrin of ''[[Tor.com]]'' wrote that "Lynch's attempt is infamous for really leaning on [the] codified aspects of the Baron, to the point where his sore-ridden appearance has been called out as a likely connection to the [[AIDS]] epidemic, which was a prevalent health crisis while the film was in production."<ref name="Tor.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2019/02/05/how-to-handle-the-baron-harkonnen-in-a-modern-dune-adaptation/|title=How to Handle the Baron Harkonnen in a Modern ''Dune'' Adaptation|first=Emmet|last=Asher-Perrin|website=[[Tor.com]]|date=February 5, 2019|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=September 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917050211/https://www.tor.com/2019/02/05/how-to-handle-the-baron-harkonnen-in-a-modern-dune-adaptation/|url-status=live}}</ref> Travis Johnson of Flicks.com.au noted that the Lynch film embraced "the archetype of the depraved gay sadist", which would not be acceptable in 2019.<ref name="Flicks"/> Asher-Perrin added, "Lynch also makes a point of connecting the Baron's desire for men to deviancy and violence, deliberately juxtaposing his assault of a young man with a tender love-scene between Duke Leto and Lady Jessica Atreides."<ref name="Tor.com"/>

===2000 miniseries===
[[File:Ian McNeice.png|thumb|upright|[[Ian McNeice]] plays Baron Harkonnen in the [[Frank Herbert's Dune|''Dune'' miniseries]] (2000).]]
[[Ian McNeice]] plays the Baron in the 2000 [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] [[miniseries]] ''[[Frank Herbert's Dune]]'',<ref name="NYT Stasio">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/tv/cover-story-future-myths-adrift-in-the-sands-of-time.html?src=pm |title=Cover Story: Future Myths, Adrift in the Sands of Time |first=Marilyn |last=Stasio |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 3, 2000 |access-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222224856/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/tv/cover-story-future-myths-adrift-in-the-sands-of-time.html?src=pm |url-status=live }}</ref> and its [[sequel]], 2003's ''[[Frank Herbert's Children of Dune|Children of Dune]]''.<ref name="NYT Wertheimer">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/arts/television-review-a-stormy-family-on-a-sandy-planet.html |title=Television Review: A Stormy Family on a Sandy Planet |first=Ron |last=Wertheimer |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 15, 2003 |access-date=January 19, 2015 |archive-date=January 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119194500/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/arts/television-review-a-stormy-family-on-a-sandy-planet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Asher-Perrin notes that the miniseries played down the negative aspects emphasized by the Lynch film, and writes, "[The Baron's] appearance was not altered to make him seem ill, he never physically attacks anyone, and the miniseries paid more attention to the fact that the Baron was a rapist, his preference for men being incidental."<ref name="Tor.com"/> He praises McNeice as a standout among the cast, writing that he "manages to make the Baron Harkonnen—easily one of the most despicable characters in science fiction literature—every bit as conniving and vicious as he needs to be...and every bit as fascinating. McNeice has a superb sense of how to make the baron mesmerizing to watch no matter how odiously he behaves".<ref name="Tor 2000">{{cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2017/05/09/syfys-dune-miniseries-is-the-most-okay-adaptation-of-the-book-to-date/|title=Syfy's ''Dune'' Miniseries is the Most Okay Adaptation of the Book to Date|first=Emmet|last=Asher-Perrin|date=May 9, 2017|website=Tor.com|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-date=February 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223074241/https://www.tor.com/2017/05/09/syfys-dune-miniseries-is-the-most-okay-adaptation-of-the-book-to-date/|url-status=live}}</ref> Austin Jones of ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' writes, "McNeice commands his role as Baron Harkonnen, capturing the vile indulgence and vanity of a feudal lord".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/frank-herbert/dune-miniseries-2000-syfy/|title=TV Rewind: How Syfy's Forgotten ''Dune'' Miniseries Made the Most of Herbert's Complex Story|first=Austin|last=Jones|date=November 5, 2021|website=Paste|access-date=November 9, 2021|archive-date=April 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417120639/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/frank-herbert/dune-miniseries-2000-syfy/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2021 and 2024 films===
[[File:Stellan Skarsgård 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Stellan Skarsgård]] plays Baron Harkonnen in the 2021 film ''[[Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]'' and its 2024 sequel ''[[Dune: Part Two]]''.]]
Baron Harkonnen is portrayed by [[Stellan Skarsgård]] in the 2021 [[Denis Villeneuve]] film ''[[Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]'' and its 2024 sequel ''[[Dune: Part Two]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stellan-skarsg-play-villain-legendarys-dune-1174870|title=Stellan Skarsgård to Play Villain in Legendary's ''Dune''|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Borys|last=Kit|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417082200/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stellan-skarsg-play-villain-legendarys-dune-1174870|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/stellan-skarsgard-playing-villain-in-dune-movie-1203104276/|title=Stellan Skarsgard to Play Villain in ''Dune'' Movie|first=Dave|last=McNary|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=January 11, 2019|archive-date=January 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110073447/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/stellan-skarsgard-playing-villain-in-dune-movie-1203104276/|url-status=live}}</ref> Skarsgård called the role "small but important",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2467370/stellan-skarsgard-compares-the-dune-cast-to-the-avengers|title=Stellan Skarsgård Compares the ''Dune'' Cast to the Avengers|date=February 23, 2019|website=CinemaBlend|first=Sarah|last=El-Mahmoud|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020101213/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2467370/stellan-skarsgard-compares-the-dune-cast-to-the-avengers|url-status=live}}</ref> and noted, "I had seven hours in make-up every day because I had to be really fat."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/dune-movie-details-stellan-skarsgard/|title=Stellan Skarsgard Says Denis Villeneuve Had 'Pretty Free Hands' Directing ''Dune''|first=Perri|last=Nemiroff|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|date=September 16, 2019|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018120538/https://collider.com/dune-movie-details-stellan-skarsgard/|url-status=live}}</ref> Villeneuve said:
{{blockquote|As much as I deeply love the book, I felt that the baron was flirting very often with caricature. And I tried to bring him a bit more dimension. That's why I brought in Stellan. Stellan has something in the eyes. You feel that there's someone thinking, thinking, thinking—that has tension and is calculating inside, deep in the eyes. I can testify, it can be quite frightening.<ref name="Collider 2020-04">{{cite web|last=Chitwood|first=Adam|date=April 14, 2020|title=Denis Villeneuve Explains Why ''Dune'' Will Be Split into Two Movies|url=https://collider.com/dune-two-movies-sequel-explained-reason-why-denis-villeneuve/|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|access-date=June 4, 2020|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604204216/https://collider.com/dune-two-movies-sequel-explained-reason-why-denis-villeneuve/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

==Merchandising and influence==
A line of ''Dune'' action figures from toy company [[LJN]] was released to lackluster sales in 1984. Styled after David Lynch's film, the collection featured a figure of Baron Harkonnen, as well as other characters.<ref name="Nerd Bastards toys">{{cite web|url=https://nerdbastards.com/2014/01/12/toys-we-miss-dune/|title=Toys We Miss: The Long Forgotten Figures From Frank Herbert's ''Dune''|first=James|last=Daniels|website=Nerd Bastards|date=January 12, 2014|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=January 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127111043/http://nerdbastards.com/2014/01/12/toys-we-miss-dune/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Collectors toys">{{cite web|url=https://www.collectorsofdune.com/toys.asp|title=Toys|website=Collectors of Dune|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=October 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030152955/https://www.collectorsofdune.com/toys.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, [[SOTA Toys]] produced a Baron Harkonnen action figure for their "Now Playing Presents" line.<ref name="Collectors toys"/>

[[H. R. Giger]]'s [[Harkonnen Chair]] is a chair originally designed by the artist as set dressing for an unrealized 1970s adaptation of ''Dune'' by [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]].<ref>{{cite book |first=H. R. |last=Giger |author-link=H. R. Giger |title=H.R.Giger's Film Design |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |location=London, England|date=1996 |isbn=9781852867195}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hrgiger.com/chairs.htm |title=H.R. Giger's Harkonnen Chairs |publisher=HRGiger.com |access-date=23 August 2015 |archive-date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921042506/http://www.hrgiger.com/chairs.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Analysis==
Thomas West of ''[[Screen Rant]]'' writes that "there are few science fiction villains quite as compelling and darkly charismatic as the Baron".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/most-powerful-quotes-dune-2021/|title=10 Most Powerful Quotes in ''Dune'' 2021|date=October 21, 2021|first=Thomas|last=West|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=November 9, 2021|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105204736/https://screenrant.com/most-powerful-quotes-dune-2021/|url-status=live}}</ref> William Hughes of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' calls the Baron "one of the most iconically awful villains in all of science fiction".<ref name="AV"/> Stuart Conover of ScienceFiction.com describes him as "one of the most insidious villains".<ref name="sf.com"/> Maude Campbell of ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' writes that the Baron is "one of the most evil characters ever put to paper (including [[Darth Vader]])",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a25889196/dune-rumors-news/|title=Everything We Know So Far About Denis Villeneuve's ''Dune''|first=Maude|last=Campbell|date=February 15, 2019|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215003551/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a25889196/dune-rumors-news/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Jon Michaud of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' compares "Herbert's scheming, backstabbing villain, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen" to the villainous Lannister family of [[George R. R. Martin]]'s ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' series.<ref name="New Yorker Michaud">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/dune-endures |title=''Dune'' Endures |first=Jon |last=Michaud |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=July 12, 2013 |access-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822023640/http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/dune-endures |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Emmet Asher-Perrin suggests that "what makes the Baron truly monstrous [is] the fact that he spends all of his time plotting murder, sowing discord, and destroying populations of people to get his way".<ref name="Tor.com"/> Hughes writes that the evil Harkonnen is "specifically designed to make the noble Atreides family seem that extra bit more dignified and pure".<ref name="AV"/>  Jesse Schedeen of ''[[IGN]]'' agrees that the Baron is "as cruel and vindictive as Leto is noble and just."<ref name="IGN 2"/> Hughes says that Herbert "successfully made [the Baron] so vampirically vile that he casts a (sometimes literal) shadow over the entire series."<ref name="AV"/> Sandy Schaefer of ''Screen Rant'' calls the Baron "a deliciously despicable antagonist".<ref name="Screen Rant"/>

While the novel suggests that the Baron's obesity might be the result of a genetic disease, the ''[[Prelude to Dune]]'' prequel trilogy by [[Brian Herbert]] and [[Kevin J. Anderson]] explains that Harkonnen was once a fit, attractive but vain man who is given the incurable disease intentionally by the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Mohiam after he drugs and rapes her. Asher-Perrin suggests that in this narrative, "The Baron's corpulence is meant to be comeuppance for doing something reprehensible, a physical punishment meant to hurt his vanity by taking away the attractiveness he so prized in himself."<ref name="Tor.com"/>

==Family tree==
{{House Atreides family tree}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170419101847/http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008386/ Baron Vladimir Harkonnen] on [[IMDb]]

{{Dune franchise}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkonnen, Vladimir}}
[[Category:Dune (franchise) characters]]
[[Category:Fictional gay men]]
[[Category:Fictional dictators]]
[[Category:Fictional barons and baronesses]]
[[Category:Fictional murderers]]
[[Category:Fictional rapists]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1963]]<!--Serial-->
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1965]]<!--Novel-->
[[Category:Fictional LGBTQ characters in film]]
[[Category:Male literary villains]]
[[Category:Male film villains]]
[[Category:LGBTQ villains]]
[[Category:Fictional LGBTQ characters in literature]]