Though the connections became more tenuous as the series went on, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman was very much set within the main DC Comics Universe, with appearances from the likes of Martian Manhunter, Mr. Miracle, and even Batman, who showed up at Morpheus' funeral in "The Wake."
A few vague references aside (Rose’s little brother, Jed, has DC Comics action figures, for example), the Netflix series mostly avoids any direct DC nods, but co-creator/showrunner Allan Heinberg has now revealed that a cameo from Batman was discussed.
“We talked about, ‘Does Robert Pattinson want to come to the funeral?’ Briefly, we did discuss that, but only briefly.”
Getting Pattinson on board would probably have been a mission and a half, but they could have shown the Dark Knight's unmistakable cowl from the back as the mourners are making their way inside the palace (in the comic, Batman is seen speaking to several other characters, including Clark Kent).
Speaking of Superman, the bonus episode that's currently streaming, Death: The High Cost of Living, includes several pretty blatant references to the Man of Steel, who is Sexton's favorite superhero in the comic. Was Heinberg aware that the episode would air so soon after the release of James Gunn's Superman?
“I didn’t! I don’t even know if James Gunn watches the show, but I hope so. No, it was that I tried to work in as many DC references as I can,” he said. "It was one of those things where Colin (Morgan) really wanted to show the, not arrested side of Sexton, but playful side of Sexton. That this is somebody who actually, prior to this moment, has a lot of joy and a lot of idealism and he’s trying to be out there and, as a climate emergency reporter for The Guardian, he’s trying to be a superhero. And he’s feeling like he’s failing every time he turns around. So because we meet him at such a low point, we wanted to really show the audience, this is not someone who’s usually like this, this is someone with big ideals and big dreams and who wants to be a hero. And Superman is the cleanest. And I’ve been putting DC Comics stuff into everything I’ve written for as long as I can remember. So it was a very natural thing to go to Superman.”
What did you make of the final season of The Sandman? Have you watched the bonus episode yet? Let us know in the comments section.
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.