All the reasons why Paul Atreides is Generation Z’s Michael Corleone & more related news here

Two heirs, two reluctant heroes, one journey. Duneby Paul Atreides and the godfatherMichael Corleone’s Michael shares a similar arc as they both begin their journey into tragic anti-heroes. The resemblance is uncanny, as both characters go through similar character stories and journeys that eventually lead them down a dangerous path.

Like Corleone, Paul is a tragic prince who must choose between excessive violence and the safety of his people. For a generation raised on anti-heroes and ‘chosen ones’, Paul appeals to the Gen Z audience in a way that feels self-deprecating, similar to what Corleone brought to the table at the time.

Paul and Michael are also played by two actors who were stalwarts for their age at the time. Al Pacino was on his way to becoming a legend (and he did so thanks to the godfather), while Timothée Chalamet is on his way to becoming ‘one of the greats’ of Hollywood.

1 Paul Atreides and Michael Corleone are reluctant heroes

Timothée Chalamet provided the conflicted heroic energy of Paul Atreides in the Dune franchise perfectly. In the films, Paul is still young and has to migrate from his homeworld of Calladan to the desert planet of Arrakis. Initially reluctant to fulfill these royal duties, he heeds the hero’s call after the death of his father, Duke Leto.

Paul’s story bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Corleone’s arc in the godfather. Masterfully played by Al Pacino, Michael, all too reluctantly, joins the family’s underworld business at a time of tragedy. After his father, Don Vito Corleone, and brother Sonny are shot in public, Michael takes over the Corleone family business.

Modern generations are wary of destined heroes, and reluctant heroes like Paul and Michael are easier to identify with. They are still brave and make the choice to support their families and the systems they have been given. But they don’t like it, they hate that they were part of it. Generation Z relates to this.

2 They both see their father betrayed and receive broken systems

Duke Leto’s sudden move to Arrakis is suspicious from the start. The fact that the Harkonnens left the spice-producing planet is uncharacteristic of them. However, the Emperor’s betrayal is seen when he sends the Sardaukar to Arrakis, attacking Leto’s army and killing the Duke (by the traitor Dr. Yueh).

It is under these circumstances that Paul Atreides becomes duke in exile. They put him into a system of exploitation, religious manipulation and broader espionage plans, which he never wanted to enter. As Duke Leto says, he just wanted to be Leto’s son.

Michael is in the army and only visits the family during his sister’s wedding, when his father, Don Corleone, is shot in a market and left bedridden. The family system is further shaken when the eldest son, Sonny, is killed. Michael reluctantly becomes the Don and takes revenge on Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey.

He is thrown back into a corrupt and violent system that he had avoided his entire life. The glitz and glamor of the underworld never interested him and he did everything he could to stay away from the family business. However, circumstances push him into this world. Generation Z is all too familiar with being thrown into a broken world and system that they did not create and that is built on exploitation.

3 Paul and Michael use their brains instead of just violence

It is easy to use violence to take back empires. But what Paul and Michael do is different. Paul uses the legend of Lisan-al-Gaib to his advantage and manipulates the Fremen into becoming his army, retaking Arrakis and even the position of the Emperor. Before the events of Dune: part three (due out this year), simply use the threat of war to achieve this.

Michael also uses his intelligence to punish traitors and return control to the Corleone family. Of course, there is violence in this world and its threat lurks. But he only kills when necessary, and the environment around the murders is what makes him dangerous. Generation Z loved the use of brains instead of senseless violence to retain power.

4 Michael and Paul have false hopes that love will save them

Michael had Apollonia and Kay; Paul Atreides had Chani, who is the heart of Dune. The two heroes tried to leave the life of crime and violence behind, but it only draws them back. Paul’s relationship with Chani brings him closer to the Fremen and their Arrakis recapture movement, while Michael loses Apollonia and grows further away from Kay the longer he tries to hold on.

Reality gets in the way of love and nothing will be happy forever. Gen Z audiences have increasingly seen the old concept that love solves everything being destroyed in real time. This aspect of Paul and Michael rings true to them.

5 They both eventually become what they feared most

Dune Director Denis Villeneuve directly compared Paul’s tragedy to the life of Michael Corleone, especially in this aspect. The two spend a lot of time avoiding their fate, but eventually become what they fear most. Michael joins his father’s business and becomes a godfather.

Paul becomes Lisan-al-Gaib and finds no other way to stop a universe-wide g*nocide than to create a relatively smaller but necessary war in his name. The aspect of becoming the thing you feared most rings true to every generation, especially Generation Z.

A generation that grew up with social media and various social ‘rules’ and terminologies, which slowly became what they avoided the most and what they opposed the most after entering the real world, is something that hits close to home for Generation Z. Paul is definitely the new Michael Corleone, and these aspects just prove it.

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