The Sandman – Every Cast Member & Their Comic Book Characters

The live-action series adaptation of The Sandman comic book series is finally coming to Netflix this year. The Netflix series will have many iconic DC Comics heroes and villains in key roles. The comic book series ran from 1989 to 1996 with great responses from critics and readers alike. The Sandman comic book series was created and written by Neil Gaiman, who is also serving as an executive producer on the Netflix series. A trailer for the upcoming series was revealed during Netflix’s global fan event TUDUM with an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the viewers and fans of the comics.

We have made a list of every DC character that is supposed to appear in the Netflix series and their comic book counterparts:

Tom Sturridge as Dream

Gaiman’s comic book series The Sandman is based around the concept of Endless, which refers to the family of seven supernatural beings who were alive since the beginning of time, every family member is named after the roles which they play in this universe. The protagonist of the story is Dream aka Morpheus, as the name suggests the character of Dream is the lord of all dreams and he has complete power over sleep. Tom Sturridge has been cast to play the role of Dream in the Netflix series. In the comics, Dream was imprisoned for 75 years, after which he is able to regain his freedom and take revenge on the people behind his imprisonment before going back to restore his lost kingdom “The Dreaming.”

Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer

The Netflix series will have Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, the ruler of Hell. Lucifer in the comics is the same character on which the Netflix original series Lucifer is based, but in The Sandman series, the character will be a bit different than the character that Tom Ellis plays in his solo series. Gaiman’s Lucifer is not like the Lucifer that the people think, in his creation, Lucifer is a fallen angel and a misunderstood soul.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death

Kirby Howell-Baptiste will be taking on the role of arguably the strongest member of the Endless, Death. Despite her name, Death is a very kind and upbeat person and in the family, she is the one closest to Dream, and always gives him the right advice and when needed she also reminds him of his faults.

Mason Alexander Park as Desire

Mason Alexander Park has been chosen to play the role of the third youngest sibling of the Endless Desire, who is easily the cruelest one in the family. Desire has been known to completely blend itself in whatever environment it finds itself in. Desire is also known to have hostility for Dream, and Desire always tries to do no good for him, unlike its other sibling Death.

Donna Preston is Despair

The role of the second youngest sibling of the Endless meaning Despair will be played by Donna Preston. Despair is exactly like what her name implies, but she is also quite cold and possesses great intelligence. Despair mostly works with her older sibling Desire and both of them plot together against their elder siblings, in particular Dream. She is also quite fond of her brother, Destruction.

Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian

Boyd Holbrook will be taking on the role of a nightmare created by Dream called The Corinthian. In the comics, Corinthian breaks loose in the human world and kills several people, and becomes a serial killer. He can be heard in the trailer for the series saying “You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine

Jenna Coleman will be taking on the role of Lady Johanna Constantine, who plays a key role in The Sandman comics. She is also an ancestor of the fan-favorite character John Constantine. Johanna was heavily involved in the supernatural side of things in the comics, she had an encounter with Dream in the late 18th century and it has been confirmed that in the Netflix series she will be seen both in the 1770s and in the modern world, both versions of the character will be played by Coleman.

Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess

Charles Dance will be taking on the role of the antagonist Roderick Burgess in the Netflix series. In the comics, Roderick Burgess is the leader of a cult, who calls themselves the Order. The Order was the cult behind Dream’s imprisonment who made a mistake and captured Dream instead of Death, but Burgess kept Dream locked up in order to exploit his prisoner and gain immortality and ultimate power.

David Thewlis as John Dee aka Doctor Destiny

David Thewlis will be taking on the role of another villain in the series John Dee also known as Doctor Destiny. The character of Doctor Destiny previously appeared in Arrowverse’s Elseworlds crossover event in which he was played by Jeremy Davies. The character in the Netflix series will probably be more like the character from The Sandman comics in which he is a mad scientist who used Dream’s stolen Dreamstone to change the reality to what he wanted it to be making him a big threat to the universe.

Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain & Asim Chaudhry as Abel

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudhry will be playing the role of Cain and Abel the biblical sons of Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel play a big role in The Sandman comics and it might also happen in the Netflix series. Both Cain and Abel have been trapped in a never-ending cycle of lies and murder since Cain became the first murderer in the world and killed his brother. Both brothers live in the Dreaming.

Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne

Vivienne Acheampong is taking on the role of the head librarian in the Dreaming, Lucienne. Just like Lucifer, Lucien’s gender has also been changed in the Netflix series as in the comics Lucien was a male, who lived in the Dreaming inside Dream’s Castle and oversaw Dream’s massive library. Lucien is a loyal servant to Dream and he always sticks by him.

Joely Richardson and Niamh Walsh as Ethel Cripps

Joely Richardson will be taking on the role of Ethel Cripps and Niamh Walsh will be playing the role of young Ethel Cripps. Cripps was a member of the Order and a mistress to Roderick Burgess, but in 1930 she abandons him and runs away Ruthven Sykes, the second in command in the Order and while running away she also steals valuable treasures from the Order. She is also the mother of John Dee aka Doctor Destiny.

Kyo Ra as Rose Walker

Rose Walker is being described as the target for the Corinthian in the Netflix series and she will be played by Kyo Ra. In the comics, Rose Walker has a trait called Dream Vortex, which she got from her grandmother Unity Kinkaid.

Other characters that will be seen in the Netflix series are Lyta Hall (Razane Jammal) who will be playing a widow, dealing with the loss of her husband. Matthew (Voiced by Patton Oswalt), a supernatural Raven and an ally to Dream.