Does Dream die in The Sandman on Netflix?
It’s time to step into the Dreaming, Netflix fans, because The Sandman has officially premiered! The 10-episode series is based on the popular comic of the same name by Neil Gaiman, whose work has been adapted on the screen multiple times before, including American Gods and Good Omens, to name a couple. The Sandman adaptation has been highly-anticipated, especially because it had been in developmental hell for years. Finally, the streamer bought the rights in 2019 and the show was released on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022.
For those who aren’t familiar with the source material, jumping into The Sandman is likely a super intriguing, potentially even confusing watch. There are so many characters and storylines, you’ll never get bored with this show.
As we’re introduced in the premiere episode, the protagonist is named Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream (Tom Sturiddge), the lord of dreams. After he’s captured by mortals and caged for over 100 years, he’s finally back home and ready to get back to his duties. But as he quickly realizes, a lot has changed in the time he’d been gone.
Spoilers ahead for The Sandman on Netflix.
If you’ve read the Sandman comics then you likely had no fear about Dream’s life while watching the first season of the Netflix adaptation (although the streamer could’ve changed things), but if you’re new to the story, you probably wondered whether or not the protagonist would make it out alive. He certainly faces some life-threatening situations throughout these 10 episodes.
Is Dream killed in The Sandman on Netflix?
The good news is that Dream does not die in The Sandman on Netflix. But he does come close. While he’s captured by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance) at the start of the show, it does seem like he could be killed or simply never be freed. Fortunately, the glass cage he’s stuck in is shattered by the end of episode 1 and he’s able to escape. Once he’s free, he realizes he needs to take back his precious possessions — his ruby, helm, and sand — that had gotten away from him while captured.
Dream goes on a journey to regain his belongings, and during so he faces another life-threatening situation. He travels to Hell in episode 4 to confront Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie), learning that a demon named Choronzon has his helmet. But it’s not exactly easy to take it back. Dream has to fight Lucifer to get it back, and he’s almost defeated! In what seems to be his final moments, he decides to personify hope and wins the battle. He gets his helmet and only has one more thing left to take back.
In order to get his ruby back, Dream has to fight John Dee (David Thewlis), confronting him at the end of episode 5. Although John believes he had killed Dream, Dream ends up victorious, only becoming more powerful as the ruby was destroyed and its power went to him.
Though Dream has a whole lot more ahead of him in The Sandman on Netflix, he fortunately doesn’t experience other life-threatening moments. His next task involves stopping the Dream Vortex from destroying the waking world. No pressure at all!
We really hope The Sandman is renewed for more seasons because there are so many more storylines from Neil Gaiman’s comics that could be explored. Be sure to stream all 10 episodes of the Netflix adaptation right now, and keep your fingers crossed for more to come!