THE SANDMAN Concludes On A Bittersweet Note With A Surprise Casting - Check Out A First Look At [SPOILER] Here

The Sandman Season 2, Vol. 2 is now streaming on Netflix, and the series concludes on a bittersweet note with a major casting surprise. Spoilers follow...

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By MarkCassidy - Jul 25, 2025 08:07 AM EST

Filed Under: The Sandman

The final episodes of The Sandman are now streaming on Netflix, and the series concludes with a faithful adaptation of the longest (and many would say best) storyline from Neil Gaiman's seminal saga, "The Kindly Ones."

Spoilers ahead.

With his realm in danger of being destroyed by the Fates, aka the Furies, aka the Kindly Ones, Morpheus ultimately decides to give his life to save the Dreaming, with Death taking her brother's hand in a flash of light. The Sandman is dead, but another aspect of Dream must replace him: Daniel Hall, a child conceived in The Dreaming (technically Morpheus' nephew, as it's strongly implied that Desire was the one who seduced Lyta Hall).

When the infant Daniel becomes an adult in order to fulfil his role as the new Dream Lord, we learn that the character is played by Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones, Interview With the Vampire).

"Jacob’s being available was a miracle because I assumed he was busy with Interview with the Vampire," showrunner Allan Heinberg tells THR. "So once we found out he was available, that was it for me. The challenge was in trying to describe what I was offering him. (Laughs.) Luckily, when we got on that first Zoom, he knew Sandman by heart. He knew who Daniel was. He was a huge fan of season one. I didn’t have to say anything. He was like, 'I can’t wait to play this part.'” "

Heinberg adds: "Part of [what I told him] is, 'We don’t want you to do a Tom Sturridge imitation, but Tom Sturridge is in you in a certain way.' It’s an impossible role, and he made it seem easy. It made writing our version of Daniel a pleasure, because there’s nothing that Jacob can’t do. He’s such an extraordinary actor. Especially the scene with Lyta. But all the scenes he has are so challenging, because he’s an eight-month-old. He’s a toddler in a man’s body trying to understand what’s just happened to him, and he pulls it off effortlessly, and in a way that makes us root for him, love him and care about him."

You can check out some images of Anderson as Daniel/Dream below.

“I think Jacob brings joy wherever he goes.”@Netflix_Sandman showrunner Allan Heinberg chats with @TVInsider about casting Jacob Anderson in the new season!

🔗 https://t.co/YSLxantBm3 pic.twitter.com/qR2FwvmNTk
— jacob anderson daily (@dailyraleighr) July 24, 2025

It has been the great privilege of my life playing this part, and more than anything, sharing it with all of you. So thank you very much. - TS pic.twitter.com/hWcBYvHIDu
— The Sandman (@Netflix_Sandman) July 24, 2025

Season 2's synopsis reads: “After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds. To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything. Based on the beloved award-winning DC comic series, the second season of ‘The Sandman’ will tell Dream’s story arc in full to its thrilling conclusion.”

Season 2 stars Tom Sturridge, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Esmé Creed-Miles, Adrian Lester, Barry Sloane, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Coleman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Stephen Fry, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Razane Jammal, Ruairi O’Connor, Freddie Fox, Clive Russell, Laurence O’Fuarain, Ann Skelly, Douglas Booth, Jack Gleeson, Indya Moore and Steve Coogan.

THE SANDMAN Faces His Destiny In First S2, Vol. 2 Clip: I Deserve To Die For What I've Done

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THE SANDMAN: The Corinthian Returns And The Kindly Ones Exact Their Vengeance In Season 2, Vol. 2 Teaser

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16 Comments

Urubrodi - 7/25/2025, 8:53 AM

Still got to see season 2, but ending it so prematuraly because of the creator's behaviour will never sit right with me. The work and the artist are seprate things.

HashTagSwagg - 7/25/2025, 9:49 AM

@Urubrodi - Him getting exposed certainly didn't help but even before that they struggled to get a green light with season 2, before shit blew up they said they weren't even approaching it as a "season 2", just extra episodes.

EarlChai - 7/25/2025, 9:03 AM

Did they adapt the Midsummer Night’s Dream issue? That’s literally all I care about after the first episode was a disappointment.

Apophis71 - 7/25/2025, 9:31 AM

@EarlChai - Yes

ObserverIO - 7/25/2025, 4:21 PM

@EarlChai - They worked both the Midsummer's Night Dream issue and the Tempest issue into the episodes as flashbacks. The former was an extended flashback in one the earlier episodes of Season 2 and the latter was just final scene of the Tempest issue as a flashback towards the end of he final episode (which is fitting because it was the last issue of The Sandman and was included in The Wake tpb which the final episode was adapting).

Clintthahamster - 7/25/2025, 9:11 AM

Great casting! I stopped reading at the end of the main run, but I know there have been more stories with Daniel. Shame it'll likely never come to anything.

Apophis71 - 7/25/2025, 9:43 AM

@Clintthahamster - I do wonder, if we take their words as read, that yes they intended two seasons of The Sandman but with the idea they would then do a spinoff covering Daniel and/or any other stories that Morpheus doesn't feature in (or at least so little his absence wouldn't be a problem).

I KNOW there will be an aversion to do anymore, least whilst all the stories about the author are still doing the rounds and/or until any litigation is done and dusted over all that.

However I would love if they returned to doing Daniel's story once IwtV has completed it's series, I like season one of Sandman (loved some episodes, others were a bit meh) but first half of season two has been great IMO and can't wait to watch the conclusion as soon as I can without fear of interruption.

That or they could create an original series for Death, as in not just stuff from the novels but an original narrative which includes stories from The Sandman as putting aside issues many had with not looking like the comic character the actor has done a brilliantly job bringing an adaption of the character of death to life (pun intended) no matter how loose an adaption some may consider it.

DenvertheDino - 7/25/2025, 9:15 AM

I'm so glad I stopped watching this show after the 2nd episode. I have been a fan of the comics since they were first published, but this show is terrible. Maybe, if they had focused on giving us something true to the comics, it would have been watchable. This show is only about politics. That's appropriate, considering the author.

MarkCassidy - 7/25/2025, 9:20 AM

@DenvertheDino - " giving us something true to the comics."

It's probably the most faithful adaptation of any comic series there is.

Juicebox316 - 7/25/2025, 9:36 AM

@MarkCassidy - Thank you. It absolutely has its issues. But they did what they could with the abbreviated 2nd season and, I thought, did a great job seamlessly condensing so many different storylines. And man - the visuals. For a television show, we've been blown away by how beautiful they've made all of the realms.

Clintthahamster - 7/25/2025, 11:11 AM

@DenvertheDino - First couple of episodes were a slog for sure, but it all locked in for me about half-way through, and I was loving it by the end. If you like the comic, I'd recommend giving it another shot.

Mongrol - 7/25/2025, 9:29 AM

Boring, pretentious, and twee. A faithful adaptation of Gaiman.

HashTagSwagg - 7/25/2025, 9:46 AM

harryba11zack - 7/25/2025, 1:10 PM

MrJosh - 7/25/2025, 1:11 PM

Thoroughly loved the show, never read the comics. I was surprised how put off I was w/ the portrayal of the Kindly Ones. At first cool and indifferent to a job they had to do, “sorry Morpheus but the moment someone petitions us we must do what we must do” then leaning into Loki’s deception of Lyta Hall and goading her into petitioning them over Orpheus (why oh why would she give a shit about Orpheus) and then they proceed to maliciously tear apart the dreaming…

You go from, you must personally die for breaking a rule” to “we’re going to destroy the world of dreams” for no reason. And they seemed to delight in it. It took me out of the moment and I think ending would have been so much more moving if handled differently. Instead of the Kindly Ones being an unstoppable force of nature, they were just mean spirited and annoying

ObserverIO - 7/25/2025, 4:55 PM

Well then for better or for worse, that's it. It's done. They did it.

I'm not naive enough to think there will never be another adaptation of Sandman ever. It's probably one of the greatest works of literature of all time. It will last. It will be revisited time and again. It'll certainly last longer and be revisited more than any of us probably ever will. But it's the last one for some time I expect (the already completed Dirk Maggs/Amazon audible version notwithstanding).

It will most certainly do. They did well. They adapted it well.
The second is so much better than the first.

The only note I would have is that they did a couple of things that I think fudged the ending a little:

I can understand the narrative reasons behind decision to set-up Daniel's destiny at the beginning of The Kindly Ones arc, but I think it worked better as a final reveal at the end of the story and thought they should have preserved the mystery and intrigue behind Daniel. The story tells us that he's important, we don't need to know exactly why he's important until the end.

And SPOILERS

S
P
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The death scene was rewritten badly. Not all of it, just the sequencing and they did throw the baby out with the bathwater with some of the dialogue.
In the comics, The Kindly Ones are destroying the Dreaming and taunting Dream and then Death tells them to shut up (casually not dramatically as she does in the show) and then proceeds to have a deeper conversation with Dream. But in the show she just joins him on the ledge as The Kindly Ones are just stood there silently staring. THAT did not work at all. It's a small but important note.
And then the dialogue itself. A lot of it was bathwater. Good bathwater but disposable. But then there's the baby that that they threw out with it...

The revelation that Dream had been unconcsiously responsible for the machinations that led to his demise and preparing for it ever since he came back from his glass prison. That he had been making amends the whole time, committing suicide essentially. That's the key to the whole saga. That and the fact that he's changing, but also remaining true to who he is fundamentally and therefore not changing fluently, but to a limited degree. And that's why, in order to change fully he needs to change fully. And in order to do that he needs to die.

Aside from those two notes though I thought they did a perfectly satisfactory and tremendously commendable job.

I hope the show does well, cancel culture be damned.
Rape is bad. The Sandman is a profound and beautiful work of art. These two facts are unrelated.

Go watch Sandman.
(Stick with it, it does get better).

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THE SANDMAN Concludes On A Bittersweet Note With A Surprise Casting - Check Out A First Look At [SPOILER] Here

The Sandman Season 2, Vol. 2 is now streaming on Netflix, and the series concludes on a bittersweet note with a major casting surprise. Spoilers follow...

THE SANDMAN Faces His Destiny In First S2, Vol. 2 Clip: "I Deserve To Die For What I've Done"

THE SANDMAN: The Corinthian Returns And The Kindly Ones Exact Their Vengeance In Season 2, Vol. 2 Teaser

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.