| Leto II Atreides | |
|---|---|
| Dune character | |
 Leto II as God Emperor, from the paperback cover of God Emperor of Dune (1981) | |
| First appearance | Dune Messiah (1969) |
| Last appearance | The Winds of Dune (2009) |
| Created by | Frank Herbert |
| Portrayed by | James McAvoy (2003 series) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human/Sandworm hybrid (God Emperor of Dune) |
| Title | God Emperor |
| Affiliation | Fremen |
| Family | House Atreides |
| Relatives |
|
Leto II Atreides (/ˈleɪtoʊ əˈtreɪɪdiːz/)[1] is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah (1969), Leto is a central character in Children of Dune (1976) and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune (1981). The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007). Leto also appears as a child in the prequel The Winds of Dune (2009).
Leto is the son of Paul Atreides and his Fremen concubine Chani, and the twin brother of Ghanima. Leto is named for his paternal grandfather Duke Leto I Atreides, who is killed in the Harkonnen invasion of the desert planet Arrakis (Dune) during the events of Dune (1965). Leto II is the second child of Paul to bear that name, the first having been killed as an infant by the Emperor's Sardaukar in Dune.
Leto is portrayed by James McAvoy in the 2003 miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Dune: Creating the Audiobooks (Official promotional video, includes images of Frank Herbert's pronunciation notes for some terms). Macmillan Audio. December 23, 2008. Event occurs at 4:04. Retrieved January 23, 2010.