The resurgence of sci-fi has led to some perfect blockbusters, and Dune: Part Two now hits even harder two years later.

Dune dominates the big screen, and its characters and their story arcs are a huge part of why. But which ones are the best?

David Lynch’s Dune, from 1984, is a notorious turkey. It was panned by critics, bombed at the box office, and for decades, the director — who went on to become cinema’s greatest surrealist — refused ...