Warning: SPOILERS for The Sandman Season 1In Netflix's The Sandman, Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream of The Endless, discovers Desire's master plan just in the nick of time. The details of Desire's scheme slowly unravel throughout season 1 of The Sandman, which is based on Neil Gaiman's Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House, both from DC Comics. Though Morpheus exposes Desire's plan at the end of The Sandman's season 1, the exact details and ramifications of the plan remain unclear.
Morpheus initially meets the Dream Vortex, Rose Walker, when she intrudes on his throne room in the Dreaming. As the Dream Vortex, Rose's powers threaten both the Dreaming and the waking world since she breaks down the walls between dreams as she sleeps. Morpheus has no choice but to kill the Dream Vortexes to protect both realms. However, Rose's maternal grandmother, Unity Kinkaid, sacrifices herself to retake the Dream Vortex power that is rightfully hers so that Rose can live.
Desire's entire plan spans throughout The Sandman season 1 and even before the events of the series with the debacle between Nada and Dream's Kai'ckul. Desire consorts with their twin, Despair of the Endless, out of a mutual hatred for the Lord of Dreams, and while the twins originally concoct a plan together, Desire strikes out on their own to try and take down Morpheus and very nearly succeeds. While Desire's plan is undoubtedly well conceived, with Morpheus commenting on how well they covered their tracks, the timeline and semantics of Desire's machinations can still be confusing.
Desire And Despair's Original Dream Plan In The Sandman
Desire and Despair's original plan involved Roderick Burgess, also known as The Magus. In the season premiere of The Sandman, Burgess summons and captures Morpheus while looking for his sister, Death. Morpheus is kept trapped in Burgess's basement for 106 years, and his absence wreaks havoc on the waking world in the form of the real sleeping sickness of 1916 when humans around the world went to sleep and never woke up. Desire and Despair's plan is foiled when Burgess is accidentally killed and the ensuing negligence by his son allows Morpheus to escape from captivity and return to the Dreaming.
How Rose Walker Becomes The Dream Vortex
Rose Walker becomes the Dream Vortex because while Morpheus is captured, Unity succumbs to sleeping sickness and is unable to become the Dream Vortex. Desire recognizes this and impregnates Unity, who then gives birth while still asleep, setting a new plan in motion while Roderick Burgess is still alive. Unity's daughter, Miranda Walker, goes on to mother Rose and Jed Walker, and Rose inherits and becomes the Dream Vortex sometime after Miranda dies.
The real catch in Desire's plan is the fact that Rose Walker is both the Dream Vortex and part of the Endless family. Morpheus is forced to kill the Dream Vortexes as they appear in each era, but killing Rose would mean Morpheus would spill family blood and bring the wrath of the Fates upon himself. Desire planned for Morpheus to kill Rose Walker and avoid the destruction of the waking world and the Dreaming; however, Morpheus catches this once Unity mentions meeting a beautiful man with yellow eyes while asleep.
Why Desire Hates Dream In The Sandman
Desire hates Morpheus because they believe him to be smug and self-important. As Desire and Despair discuss their failed plans and Desire's new plan for Morpheus, Desire also laments how Morpheus behaves as if the Dreaming is better than Despair's realm and even Desire's Threshold. Not only is Desire infuriated by the audacity of Dream's power, but they also believe that "dreams are merely echoes of desire and despair." Desire is determined to bring Morpheus down to their level and maybe even prove their superiority over Dream.
Why Desire's Plan Fails
Desire's plans fail in the season 1 finale of The Sandman because of Unity Kinkaid's sacrifice. Rose and Unity reunite in the Dreaming, whereupon Rose hands the power of the Dream Vortex, heart-shaped like Desire's sigil, back to her grandmother. By retaking the Dream Vortex power from Rose, Unity sacrifices her own life, so that Rose may live, and also allows Morpheus to kill the proper Dream Vortex without angering the Fates because Unity isn't related to Dream or any of the Endless.
Even though Desire's plan in The Sandman season 1 fails, they promise to "draw blood" next time against Dream. Given that Lucifer has plans for The Sandman season 2, Morpheus will have two major powers to contend with as he continues to get the Dreaming back in order. Fortunately, Morpheus will have Lucienne, Johanna Constantine, and even Death and Destiny on his side if Netflix continues to adapt Neil Gaiman's classic work.