Warning: SPOILERS for The Sandman Season 1
For audiences who experienced The Sandman on Netflix but haven't read Neil Gaiman's beloved DC Comics graphic novel series, The Sandman season 2 will be even more monumental for Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge). The Sandman season 1 adapted Gaiman's first two collected volumes, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House, which introduced major characters like Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), and Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie), who will play an even more impactful role in The Sandman season 2.
The Sandman season 1 was broken up into two distinct sections adapting the first two graphic novel volumes. The first five episodes of The Sandman encompassed Preludes and Nocturnes, which depicted Dream's imprisonment for over a century and his quest to rebuild his broken realm, the Dreaming, by regaining his stolen symbols of office - his ruby, his pouch of dream sand, and his helmet - upon his escape. The Sandman episode 6, "The Sound of Her Wings," was an epilogue that introduced Death and Morpheus' immortal friend, Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley). The final four episodes of The Sandman season 1 adapted The Doll's House, which introduced the Dream Vortex named Rose Walker (Vanesu Samunyai), the unnamed baby of Lyta Hall (Razane Jammal) who was born in the Dreaming, and featured Dream's final showdown with the rogue nightmare serial killer, The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook).
If The Sandman season 2 continues the format of adapting two volumes, the next season will bring to life some of the most popular Sandman stories of all: Dream Country and The Season of Mists. Dream Country is a series of four self-contained stories that includes the beloved "Dream of A Thousand Cats" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which was set up when Morpheus met William Shakespeare in The Sandman episode 6. The Season of Mists is an epic story that reveals Lucifer's shocking revenge on Dream, introduces Gaiman's version of the Norse gods Thor, Loki, and Odin, and resolves the story of Nada, Morpheus' lover who he banished to Hell for 10,000 years.
The Sandman Season 2 Will See Big Changes To Dream That Season 1 Set Up
The Season of Mists will follow up on Lucifer's threat to Dream at the end of The Sandman season 1 in a most unexpected way: the Devil decides to abandon Hell and he leaves the infernal realm and its key to Morpheus, who becomes the new owner of Hell. This storyline is similar to the plotline of FOX and Netflix's Lucifer TV series starring Tom Ellis, but the character of Lucifer Morningstar actually originated in the pages of The Sandman. In addition, The Season of Mists reveals the name of Lyta Hall's baby, who Dream personally names, which sets up how important the child will ultimately be as The Sandman continues. The Season of Mists will also introduce two more family members of The Endless, Destiny and Delirium, which will also set up the search for their missing brother, the Prodigal, in a future season of The Sandman.
However, just as crucial is the introduction of Calliope in one of the tales depicted in Dream Country, which would likely be the first episode of The Sandman season 2. Calliope is one of the Ancient Greek muses who was Dream's lover thousands of years ago, and she is the mother of their son, Orpheus. Callope survived into the present day and is plunged into a tragic predicament so that Morpheus comes to her rescue, and this is vital for setting up important elements of characters that will impact The Sandman season 3 and beyond.
The Sandman Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.