Abstract
This paper examines the god-emperor archetype in science fiction through two prominent incarnations: Leto II from Herbert’s God Emperor of Dune (1981) and the Emperor of Mankind from the narrative universe of Warhammer 40,000, a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. These figures represent reimagined versions of Frazer’s sacred king concept (1915), transformed into posthuman/transhuman rulers. Both preside over totalitarian regimes that relate to contemporary concerns including bureaucratization, religious extremism, and technological ambivalence. The analysis explores the socio-political structures underlying these depictions and their visual representations in canonical texts. Additionally, the paper investigates how American Alt-Right groups have appropriated these figures by depicting Donald Trump as both the God-Emperor of\r\nMankind from Warhammer 40,000 and characters from Dune, demonstrating how these science fiction archetypes influence modern political discourse and function as cultural critiques of power centralization.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 160-175 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | METABASIS.IT |
| Volume | XX |
| Issue number | 39 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Keywords
- God-Emperor
- Political imagery
- Science fiction
- Totalitarianism
- Transhumanism
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