The term “awake” has suffered the slow and embarrassing death of every oversaturated term used as a weapon in the ongoing culture war. Not surprisingly, every new bit of pop culture suffers the unsavory fate of social media discourse. Some examples are more valid than others, but the discussion around the sandman seems to omit some important details.
Casting a comic book adaptation is always a fraught business, often because fans love seeing their favorite artists in the roles of their favorite characters. Of course, the casting announcements will get a little more backlash if they dare to cast a woman or person of color.
Netflix’s adaptation of the sandman caused a stir among certain very unpleasant communities because of his casting decisions. Notably, Rose Walker, Unity Kincaid and Death, all traditionally portrayed as white characters, were played by black actors. Death’s portrayal by Kirby Howell-Baptiste received special negative attention from sections of the online outraged community. Dream’s dutiful librarian Lucien was changed to Lucienne, and portrayed by a woman of color, rather than the typical white male appearance. Lucifer Morningstar, usually portrayed with a close resemblance to David Bowie, was instead portrayed by: Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie. Finally, non-binary star Mason Alexander Park joined the cast as Desire, sparking the least logically accurate outrage of the bunch. These examples of interesting casting resulted in predictable bouts of bigoted yelling by the kind of person who earns a living making people angry.
Even from the most strictly canonical perspective, very few of these issues have any value. The Endless don’t have a racial identity like humans do. Dream appears as white, black, Asian or non-human, depending on who is looking at it at the time. Fans could even get Ernest Kingsley Jr. briefly saw the role of Dream. It goes without saying that Death would do the same. This power extends to the most powerful figures in the universe of the series. Lucifer is free to change shape at will, while Lucienne’s physical appearance appears to have been handcrafted by Dream. The race and gender identity of these characters are not just incidental, they are completely malleable to the whim of the powerful figures. Meanwhile, Desire is an androgynous character by nature. They are referred to by Dream as his “sister-brother”, or more simply, his “brother”. In 2017, Gaiman stated that the correct pronouns for the character are “they/them”. Casting a character who doesn’t identify as non-binary would be a failure to properly customize the character. These issues fall flat with even a cursory glance at the source material.
From a non-canonical perspective, however, these complaints weigh even less. The type of person who whines about race-blind casting in adaptation always claims that the best person should get the part. When a white person is cast in a traditionally non-white role, the “anti-woke” crowd sees it as an egalitarian example of doing what’s right for the role. Oddly enough, the idea that an actor who isn’t as white or male as they were on the page might be the best choice never seems to cross their minds. It’s impossible to make everyone happy, but Neil Gaiman who chooses to call the poisonous elements of his fanbase brutal because he is ignorant of the source material is both wise and kind. Especially considering the themes of his magnum opus.
the sandman was in many ways progressive for its time. That time has passed, and in the decades it took for an adjustment to get off the ground, a number of things had to change to keep that trend alive. Gaiman worked extensively on the adaptation and took the opportunity to update his work for the new generation and the new medium. The original work was a haven for the eccentrics who wouldn’t find their home on the traditional DC Comic book pages. the sandman was more than happy to portray queer characters with ease. It’s about the power of stories to give a voice to those who don’t have one. In its modern version, the show has the potential to take that message to a new era.
the sandman has a pretty clear message about the nature of power. Those who have power and choose to use it for evil suffer a nightmarish fate. Those who use their gifts to hunt others are not fit to serve as monsters in a children’s story. The endless, living embodiments of the forces that rule all reality are bound and personified by their duty to serve the beings who live under their domain. Adapting one of the most beloved stories in comic book history into one of the most highly anticipated projects on TV is a position of considerable power. Those who saw how the creatives used that power to elevate people who don’t often get that chance and chose to speak in hatred have learned the lesson of the sandman to heart.
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