The Sandman is one of the most intriguing and popular characters in popular culture. The origin of Sandman can be traced back to European folklore, but it was popularized by Neil Gaiman, through his graphic novel, The Sandman.
Both DC and Marvel have a character called The Sandman, so there’s much to talk about there. From his origin, powers, and weaknesses to all about his story, we’ve got you covered.
There are various questions about The Sandman and a lot that you should know before Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s epic saga arrives. Let’s begin.
1. The Sandman: DC or Marvel?
Both DC and Marvel have a character called The Sandman, though they are two completely different characters. The Sandman in Marvel comics is a supervillain, while in DC, The Sandman refers to a hero also known as Dream.
I. The Sandman in Marvel Comics/MCU
In Marvel, The Sandman, also known as William Baker or Flint Marko, is a shapeshifter. He has the ability to turn himself into sand. Initially, he was a recurring adversary to Spider-Man, but he was redeemed over time, turning into an antihero. Sandman is one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time.
In Marvel, he is an enemy of the Fantastic Four and also a founding member of Sinister Six, a supervillain team. This is completely different from The Sandman in DC Comics or DCEU.
II. The Sandman in DC Comics/DCEU
In DC, The Sandman is a character inspired by a mythical character of the same name in European folklore. He was popularized by Neil Gaiman in his graphic novel titled The Sandman, published by DC Comics.
However, the title ‘Sandman’ did exist in the DC Universe before Gaiman’s comics. Wesley Dodds was the first DC comic character to hold the title ‘The Sandman’. He was followed by superheroes such as Garrett Sanford and Hector Hall. However, Gaiman’s Sandman remains the most popular of the lot.
The Sandman is referred to by various other names, including Dream and Morpheus, and is one of the seven Endless. The Sandman is a unique character as he is the personification of Dreams.
The comics itself is popular for Gaiman’s anthropomorphic portrayal of various metaphysical, abstract identities. The other seven of the Endless, for instance, include Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium or Delight, and Destruction.
DC’s Sandman is a living embodiment of dreams and has existed since the beginning of time, ever since the first lifeforms started dreaming. He draws his strength from dreams and also has the power to change them at his will.
The upcoming Netflix series is based on Neil Gaiman’s comic book series of the same name. Though ideally a part of the DC Universe, Sandman or Morpheus hardly ever concerns himself with matters of ordinary superheroes.
In the course of his story, he learns that even a being as ancient and powerful as him has to prepare for inevitable change or impending doom. Generally, Morpheus deals with mythological gods and supernatural beings, including Lucifer Morningstar.
Morpheus lives in a realm called The Dreaming, where his castle is located and it serves as the nexus of all dreamtime. It is also home to other characters such as Morpheus’ librarian Lucien, his pet raven Matthew, groundskeeper Merv Pumpkinhead, and brothers Cain and Abel. They live in the House of Mystery and House of Secrets respectively.
2. Why is he called The Sandman?
Morpheus from Gaiman’s comics is called the Sandman as a reference to a popular mythical character from European folklore. In European legends, the Sandman refers to a character who puts people to sleep and gives them beautiful dreams by sprinkling enchanted, magical sand on their eyes.
The title dates back to mythological stories prevalent in Europe, and Gaiman simply used the title for his hero in the comics. Tales of the mythical character can be found in various stories in European folklore, and in the world of many prolific writers, including Hans Christian Anderson in his folktale, Ole Lukøje.
As far as the Spider-Man villain from Marvel comics is concerned, he is called The Sandman because he is a shapeshifter who can change himself into sand at will. The Marvel Sandman has nothing to do with the mythical character.
3. Why does Sandman put sand in your eyes?
The idea of Sandman sprinkling sand in your eyes comes from stories featuring the character in European and Scandinavian folklore.
The Sandman sprinkles sand on the eyes of people (particularly children) to put them to sleep and encourage pleasant, beautiful dreams. The sand used by him is said to be magical, so it puts you into a comfortable sleep and gives you beautiful dreams.
4. Is The Sandman a hero or a villain?
The Sandman from Marvel comics, associated with Spider-Man is definitely a supervillain. He is also an enemy of the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Universe and a founding member of the group of supervillains called Sinister Six. DC’s Sandman is certainly no villain. However, he’s not a conventional hero, either.
If you go by conventional definitions, he can be considered a hero as he is the protagonist and also has supernatural, magical abilities. However, he is not a hero like other DC or Marvel superheroes.
What I mean is, he is not your regular Batman or Ironman who goes around saving the world and has some super powerful suit or bat mobile. Sandman is more of a metaphysical, magical entity with enormous cosmic powers.
5. Is The Sandman immortal?
Yes. The Sandman is immortal. Immortality is pretty common among superheroes. If you look at Thor or Deadpool, it does not seem to be a huge deal.
But as I explained above, Dream is not a mutated humanoid, a demigod, or a god. He is much more complicated than the metahumans we find across the multiverse.
Dream or The Sandman is one of the seven entities of The Endless. The Endless refers to a family of anthropomorphic personifications of forces of nature that have existed since the beginning of time. Thus, as long as these forces exist in the universe, the Endless will continue to exist as well.
The members of the Endless, thus, are immortal. They are neither gods nor deities, but they do have a lot of magical powers.
6. What are Sandman’s powers?
Gaiman’s The Sandman or Morpheus is a holder of phenomenal cosmic powers. He is immortal, as you already know. But he has many other magical abilities that are pretty exciting.
For starters, Dream is a master of telepathy, which means he has the ability to read minds. He draws his powers from a dream dimension. So, you can’t keep secrets from the Lord of Dreams. He can read the minds of any human, deity, or metahuman in the universe.
What is a standard power for most superheroes is highly upgraded when it comes to the Lord of Dreams. The same can be said about the power of shape-shifting. He can change his appearance at will into various aesthetics and appearances.
He can also travel from one place to another, including from one realm or dimension to another. He also has an endless supply of black sand, so he can put anyone to sleep. In fact, he can also plunge them into a world of eternal nightmares. This is a power that comes in pretty handy when dealing with enemies.
He is also one of the best practitioners of the mystical arts and has mastered various kinds of magic such as transfiguration and conjuration.
He also has the power to manipulate reality. Within his realm, he can make people dream anything he wants and outside his realm, he can create illusions to manipulate reality. All in all, he seems to be a pretty omniscient being.
7. What are Sandman’s weaknesses?
Though it is possible to subdue or hurt Dream, he is not one to go down easily. He can be weakened if his vestments are used against him. For instance, Doctor Destiny wielding the Dream Ruby.
However, most of these deeds have a way around them, and if Dream gets around it, a nightmare is definitely coming for the enemy, both literally and figuratively. So as such, there aren’t particular weaknesses that can be associated with DC’s Sandman.
8. About The Sandman
The Sandman is an American fantasy drama TV series based on the 1989–1996 comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. The series was developed for Netflix and is being produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The first season adapted the first two comics in the series, Preludes & Nocturnes and The Doll’s House. In 1916, Dream, the king of Dreams and Nightmares and one of the seven Endless, is captured and imprisoned after an occult ritual. After being held captive for 106 years, he escapes and sets out to restore order to his kingdom of The Dreaming.
The Sandman stars Tom Sturridge as Dream, with Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar in supporting roles.
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