The first image is of the sandman himself, Morpheus the Dream King, Lord of the Dreaming, played by the hypnotically raspy-voiced Tom Sturridge (Sweetbitter). In this poster, Dream looks out at the viewer with his trademark shadowed brow and spiky hair. Across his face falls the shadow of a raven, a symbol of this incarnation of dreaming. The bird also reminds us of Dream’s messenger raven, Matthew, who will be voiced by Patton Oswalt in The Sandman. A favorite character of many readers of Gaiman’s The Sandman comics is Dream’s sister, Death, who despite her dangerous-sounding name is a very kind and upbeat member of the Endless, the anthropomorphic embodiments of the many natural forces of life. Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place) will be playing this close confidante of Morpheus, and the shadow of a wing falling across her face reminds fans of her often hidden angelic limbs. Death often battled with her twin siblings Desire and Despair, who were always playing dangerous games, and the gender fluid Desire is depicted in the final character poster, played by non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park, who will also be in Netflix’s recently announced Cowboy Bebop live action adaptation. Often referred to as “brother-sister” by others of the Endless, Desire is seen with the shadow of a hand, hinting at an intimate touch which is echoed by the look on the character’s face. The Sandman is listed as “coming soon” in promotional materials, and is likely to be announced for a 2022 premiere.
