Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Netflix show The Sandman and the comics it’s based on.
The Netflix series The Sandman premiered to critical acclaim, in large part thanks to its incredible depiction of events, storylines, and characters from the award-winning comic book series by Neil Gaiman. The recently released adaptation of the legendary comics introduced some members of The Endless, the powerful family made up of Death, Destiny, Dream, Destruction, Desire, and Despair.
They are key figures in the comics who are depicted as entities with unique abilities and individual realms. There are some fascinating facts about them that only fans of the comics will know, which includes information about their history, function, and even their rules.
They Are Their Function
When Death talks to Dream in the Netflix series about her important realization that their purpose is their function, it’s more than a philosophical observation. The Endless are not representatives or personifications of the concepts they’re named after; rather, they are those things themselves.
Just as Death is death itself, so is Dream, Desire, and everyone else in their family. They are inextricably linked with their function, which is why it’s such a big deal that Destruction manages to walk away from his role as a member of the Endless.
Destruction Left During The Age Of Reason
There are several references to “the prodigal” in the Netflix show and Sandman comic fans already know who that mysterious character is. The missing sibling is Destruction, a powerful being who grew tired of his duties and responsibilities, especially with the Age of Reason just around the corner.
Destruction wanted to forge another path, one which did not make him responsible for the constant chaos and violence that comes with his role. His departure marked an unprecedented event for the Endless, with Delirium taking it particularly hard. Destruction would go on to pursue his interest in art and even poetry, along with a wisecracking dog named Barnabas.
Despair Is Not The First Iteration Of The Sibling
Despair is far from being a likable character in Sandman and her realm is one of the creepier places in their world. She may seem experienced and skillful when it comes to inspiring humans to commit horrid actions, but she’s not the first version of Despair.
The original Despair was murdered, but it’s not clear how or why. The new iteration of Dream tells Lyta during the Wake that Despair’s murderer had better cause than she did, though. Despair is the first Endless to die and the first to be replaced by a new aspect of herself, which is eventually exactly what happens to Dream, too.
Delirium Was Once Delight
Delirium’s depiction in the comics is wild, as her appearance is constantly shifting, not to mention the way her thought bubbles reflect her bizarre style of speaking. She wasn’t always this way, though, as a brief flashback shows her past form as Delight, a much younger-looking character who was close with Destruction.
There’s another moment in Overture that portrays her last few moments as Delight, as she tells Dream that she’s changing. What exactly caused her to change and if she’ll ever go back to being Delight again is still a mystery.
Destiny Is Blind
Often considered one of the most powerful members of the Endless, Destiny is the eldest among the siblings and knows everything that has come to pass and what is yet to happen (with some exceptions). He only has to turn the pages of his book, which is chained to his wrist, to determine the course of the events in the universe.
Destiny is actually blind, but only he has the ability to read the book. The words and sometimes images will appear to him often before they happen in reality. He’s the most stoic among the siblings but has expressed strong emotions on rare occasions.
Dream Has A Son
Dream may be someone who follows rules when it comes to his duties, but he has been known to break them to make certain exceptions for romantic relationships. They often end badly, like in Killala and Nada’s case, but there was one muse he ended up having a child with.
His only son, Orpheus, goes through many terrible things that eventually end up with him living as a severed head. Dream isn’t allowed to intervene in his life, but he does indirectly try to make it more comfortable and safe for him by creating an order of priests to protect him. Their first meeting in centuries places Dream on the irreversible path to his death, but Orpheus’ boon was a long time coming.
Death Takes A Mortal Form Every Hundred Years
In both the Netflix series and the comics, Death is a likable character who seems to be more in touch with and appreciates humanity. The spinoff, The High Cost of Living, depicts how she manages to stay so connected with the human experience, as she takes a mortal form every hundred years.
In the spinoff, Death’s mortal form is called Didi, an upbeat and optimistic version of herself who isn’t bothered in the least by any bad experiences she has on earth. She’s just happy to be able to eat apples, go to parties, and meet people, especially because she knows she has a limited time to soak it all in.
Delirium Can Control Her Chaos When Necessary
Whether it’s her hair, clothes, or thoughts, there’s always something that’s changing when Delirium is around. There’s a panel that proves she can stick to one appearance and even speak in a somewhat consistent manner, though.
When Delirium visits Destiny with Dream, Morpheus is temporarily floored by what Destiny tells him. This forces Delirium to control her chaotic nature and appear stable, with even the color of her eyes becoming the same. She does tell Dream that this hurts her, which could mean that there is still an essence of Delight left inside somewhere, but it’s too painful for her to channel that.
They Have Certain Rules
They may be powerful entities, but the Endless aren’t exempt from their own set of ancient rules, although it isn’t clear who made them. One of these rules is the divine law of not spilling family blood, one which Morpheus breaks. There’s also a rule that forbids them from forming romantic relationships with mortals, which both Desire and Morpheus have done, too.
Die-hard fans may be familiar with the enigmatic Council of The First Circle, who are said to have set the boundaries and laws of existence upon the creation of the universe. There's also the Three, who have already appeared on the show, and will eventually hunt Morpheus down for violating divine law.
They Have Cosmic Entities For Parents
Since the Endless are siblings and treat each other as family members, it makes sense that they would have parents. Their parents are, of course, even more daunting and stronger than they are, as they were conceived by the cosmic entities, Night and Time.
In Overture, it’s revealed that their father, Time, gave most of his abilities to Destiny and is still upset over the way things went with their mother. Night seems to be more dangerous and unpredictable, as she isn’t happy when Dream rejects an offer she makes and leaves him to rot in a black hole.