Who died and put Lucienne in charge?
And what are Desire's, well...desires?
Here's what we know about the ending of "The Sandman" Season 1.
The final episode of "The Sandman" Season 1 shows the demon Azazel egging Lucifer Morningstar
on, with the hellish ruler plotting to use the full might of their armies to bring Morpheus
to his knees.
While this strongly hints at a full-blown war between the demons of Hell and the forces
of the Dreaming, if the show follows the course of the source material, this subplot will
likely end in Lucifer's retirement from being the monarch of Hell, perhaps even following
a similar path to that of the Lucifer that Tom Ellis portrayed in the series of the same name.
Then again, the showrunners may subvert the expectations of longtime fans, and things
could unfold on the TV show in an entirely different manner.
In an interview with TV Line, Gwendoline Christie mused that the idea of losing to Dream must
be "entirely consuming" for the former favored angel of God, perhaps enough for it to dwell
on their mind and dictate their actions in future seasons.
The loss in Season 1 could even be considered the "final insult" for them.
"Well, Lightbringer, it's your move."
Additionally, Christie revealed that her portrayal of Lucifer wasn't even inspired by Tom Ellis'
version to begin with, despite being a fan of the latter.
She even avoided watching Ellis' show so that it wouldn't influence her take on the role,
and instead opted to take inspiration from assorted material.
Introduced in Episode 1, the Corinthian serves as a primary antagonist for the first season
of Netflix's "The Sandman."
The Corinthian's apparent obsession with killing people in the Waking World, and the unmistakable
joy he derives from taking a life, makes him the ideal season-long foil for Morpheus.
Aside from being an incredibly dangerous opponent, the Corinthian also represents everything
that stands against Dream's principles.
While Morpheus is all about maintaining balance, adhering to predetermined roles, and restoring
things to the way they were before his disappearance, the Corinthian delights in becoming an agent
of chaos and murder on Earth.
He refuses to stick to the responsibilities he was created to fulfill.
In "The Sandman Companion" Neil Gaiman confirmed that the nightmare's name came from the word
pertaining to the behavior typically attributed to someone from the ancient Grecian region
of Corinth: reckless, lacking in morals, and possessing a distaste for rules.
Given how closely the series sticks to the events of the source material, it's highly
likely that we'll see the Corinthian again in a future season, though perhaps not anytime soon.
Despite Dream's proclamation in Episode 10 that the world doesn't need another mouth-eyed
nightmare just yet, the comic book version of the Lord of Dreams does end up remaking
a more loyal, less petty version of the Corinthian.
The beginning of Netflix's "Sandman" series shows how Dream was captured by Roderick Burgess
in 1916 and kept as a prisoner in his mansion in Wych Cross, England.
The ruler of the Dreaming is shown to be unwavering, ruthless, and inflexible in his purpose as
well as his resolve.
He spends a century in his prison, remaining completely silent while being guarded round
the clock by Burgess' men.
And when an opportunity to escape arises, Morpheus swiftly takes it.
However, his quest to bring things back to the way they were leads him to become gradually
but profoundly changed.
He begins to realize that he has committed mistakes during his rule as Dreamlord, and
also learns to be less rigid and more merciful.
"It seems I owe you an apology.
I've always heard it impolite to keep one's friends waiting."
He recognizes the efforts of his librarian Lucienne to keep the Dreaming running in his
extended absence.
He also accepts the harsh truth that he does need friends, and even shows compassion in
situations where he would normally make cold calculated decisions.
In an interview with TheWrap, Tom Sturridge revealed that he followed two principles in
his portrayal of Morpheus: that his words are calculated and precise, and that he is
terrifying and authoritative, yet seductive.
This makes the character journey of someone as set in his ways as Dream so fascinating
to watch throughout "The Sandman."
It's an evolution we're sure to see more of.
For the uninitiated, one of the most shocking things to come out of the first season of
"The Sandman" is the dream pregnancy of Lyta Hall, which was somehow carried over to the
real world thanks to Rose Walker's powers as a Dream Vortex.
Lyta's child was conceived when she and her dead husband Hector met and made love in Lyta's dream.
In the "Sandman" Season 1 finale, Lyta gives birth to a healthy child, who has yet to receive a name.
After surviving her ordeal with Morpheus thanks to her grandmother Unity Kincaid's ultimate
sacrifice, Rose commits to raising the child alongside her brother Jed and Lyta.
What new fans of "The Sandman" may not realize, though, is that the series may have actually
planted the seeds of its finale as early as this sequence of events.
In the comics, the child, who is the son of established DC superheroes Dr. Fate and Fury,
receives the name Daniel from Morpheus himself.
Through a series of complicated and ultimately tragic events, Daniel grows up and discovers
that he has the power to cross over to the Dreaming.
Eventually, he becomes the new ruler of the Dreaming when Morpheus dies at the hands of
the Kindly Ones, becoming the new "Dream of the Endless."
Despite the Corinthian's attempts to trick Rose Walker into using her Dream Vortex abilities
to destroy Morpheus, the young woman decides to sacrifice herself to ensure the survival
of her loved ones.
She avoids this fate, however, thanks to the intervention of two characters: the enigmatic
Gilbert, who is secretly an escapee from the Dreaming called Fiddler's Green, and Rose's
grandmother Unity Kincaid, who takes the Dream Vortex from Rose so that she could die in
her great granddaughter's place.
In an interview with Popverse conducted during SDCC 2022, Vanesu Samunyai shared that in
bringing Rose the Dream Vortex to life, she had to work on building the character's back
story on her own.
This was because they were using an early storyline from the comics that covered only
a fraction of Rose's development.
She also described her role in a way that hinted that there's more to come for the character
in future seasons.
Plus, given Rose's commitment at the end of the series to take care of her brother Jed
and Lyta's currently unnamed child, it's almost a certainty that we'll see the character again,
maybe even as early as Season 2.
Perhaps her time as a Dream Vortex will come in handy when she guides Lyta's child into adulthood.
In Dream's absence, the librarian Lucienne takes it upon herself to maintain order in the Dreaming.
Whereas the other enchanted denizens of the realm lost faith in Morpheus and left the
kingdom, Lucienne stayed, firmly believing that Dream would return someday.
When Morpheus finally does make his return, he starts by being largely dismissive and
unappreciative of Lucienne's thoughts and opinions.
By season's end, though, Dream places the day-to-day operations of the realm in Lucienne's
capable hands once again, as he focuses on creating a new batch of dreams and nightmares.
"Would you mind taking care of things while I work?"
From the many interactions between Morpheus and Lucienne throughout "The Sandman," it's
clear that the Dreaming's librarian has a deep respect and reverence for Dream.
Despite Dream's apparent disregard for her efforts, Lucienne continues to work behind
the scenes to prevent the kingdom from collapsing.
This is partly because she's aware of the tremendous weight on Dream's shoulders and
wants to save him from self-ruin.
Vivienne Acheampong, affirmed this in an interview with Collider, calling the relationship between
the lord and the librarian "very important and special."
It's almost guaranteed at this point that we'll see Lucienne in future seasons of "The Sandman."
Unless the series decides to deviate radically from the source material, the librarian of
the Dreaming will likely continue to be Dream's most trusted servant.
In Episode 10 of "The Sandman" Season 1, we see Dream confront his sibling Desire in the latter's realm.
As it turns out, the misfortunes that befell Dream in the Waking World were brought about by Desire.
In their conversation with the fellow Endless known as Despair, it becomes clear that Desire
harbors massive enmity towards Dream, and is willing to do anything to bring the master
of the Dreaming down a few notches.
While "The Sandman" Season 1 doesn't explore the deeper reasons behind Desire's malicious
grudge against Dream, their heated exchange during the last episode promises that we'll
see more of this sibling rivalry in subsequent seasons.
Interestingly, despite the disastrous consequences of Desire's actions, Dream's sibling doesn't
see themself as a villain, but as the hero of their own story.
Mason Alexander Park, who plays Desire, states this in an interview published by FanSided,
adding that the character only really comes into conflict with their older brother because
of their disparity in morals and character traits.
Among the seven siblings who comprise the Endless, audiences have only been formally
introduced to Dream, Desire, Despair, and Death.
Their "prodigal" brother Destruction was referred to, but not name-dropped.
"The Prodigal has returned?"
"What?
Oh, him, no."
We don't get to see Delirium and Destiny in Season 1, but they're bound to show up in
future seasons, especially since Park expressed their excitement at being part of a scene
where the siblings come together.
Longtime fans of "The Sandman" may not recognize Gault, who plays a fairly significant role
in the first season.
That's because she's a character created for the series, combining two nightmares from
the comics (Brute and Glob) while retaining the same narrative role they filled.
Much like the Corinthian, Gault serves as an effective obstacle in Dream's way because
she does not want to follow her predetermined path.
Her desire to become a vision that inspires hope, rather than one that brings a person's
fear to the surface, which is her actual role as a nightmare, is what prompted her to escape
from the Dreaming in the first place.
To watch this contrast play out in the few episodes she's in is a treat, especially because
it doesn't get immediately resolved when she confronts Dream.
Rather, we see her get her wish in Episode 10 when Morpheus remakes her into a dream,
complete with beautiful wings.
This represents a significant change not only in Gault, but in the formerly inflexible Dream as well.
In a way, her rebellion helped both of them to grow.
"I had no right returning here after over a century expecting everything to be just
as I left it."
Since Gault's character journey has already come full circle by the end of Season 1, it's
unlikely that we'll see her pop up in future seasons.
Never say never, though, as her newfound role and abilities may still play a part in Dream's
future adventures.
Fans who read the source material may have expected to see some familiar faces from the
DC Universe in Season 1 of Netflix's "The Sandman."
For starters, two superheroes strongly affiliated with the Justice League: Mister Miracle in
his civilian identity, as well as the Martian Manhunter, appear during the first arc of
the comic book series.
The demon Etrigan served as Dream's guide when he ventured to Hell to retrieve his helmet.
Perhaps most significantly, Morpheus originally had to fight the DC supervillain Doctor Destiny
to regain the powers contained in his ruby.
The Netflix series does utilize John Dee in this specific role, but never refers to him
as his nefarious alter-ego.
While viewers cannot be faulted for speculating that the reason for their omission was strictly
due to various licensing issues, the reality appears to be a lot less corporate-driven
than that, at least according to "Sandman" creator Neil Gaiman.
In a 2021 Tumblr post, a fan asked Gaiman about his decision to incorporate established
DC characters into "The Sandman."
The author responded that while it was his desire to tap into "the fabric of the DC universe"
while writing "Sandman," the book, for the show,
"[It] seemed naturally to drift away from the DC Universe into [a universe] that looked
a lot more like ours."