Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series arrived on Netflix on August 5. Once considered unfilmable, the show has received an outstanding response from critics worldwide. They have praised the makers for being faithful to the source material. Apart from the show’s spectacular production design and visuals, critics have also showered praises for the cast’s performances.
However, The Sandman is not a part of the DC Universe. Fans of the source material have pointed out that makers have removed several comic book characters from the Netflix series. Even the DC logo does not pop up at the episodes’ beginning. Did Gaiman and his team do all these things on purpose? Considering the ongoing cancellation era in Warner Bros Discovery?
This is how Gaiman addressed the situation, “The Sandman itself started out in the DC Universe, the comic, and then it just sort of wound up wandering off into its own place,” he told Variety. “Its world joined up more and more with our world and became less and less a world in which costumed crime fighters fly around and so on, which meant that by the time The Sandman finished, it had its own aesthetic which really wasn’t the DC Universe anymore.”
It is true that several members of the Justice League were a part of the earlier issues of The Sandman comics. However, the comic series became a thing of its own instead of filling itself with numerous superhero appearances in the latter issues.
Gaiman added, “We didn’t want a TV show where you felt that you had to have read a whole bunch of comics published in 1988 and 1989 to understand what was going on”.
It is for the best that Netflix’s WBD superhero series is not a part of the shattered DCEU. The studio received a huge backlash from the fans after burying Batgirl for good. It was quite a shocking move from the studio considering the film was almost complete.
Also, fans are not ecstatic about the studio focusing strictly on the upcoming theatrical projects like Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Flash.
A large portion of the fans is not liking the way Dwayne Johnson is promoting Black Adam these days. They have started thinking that the actor is trying to make the DCEU all about his antihero character. And people are not too hyped about the upcoming Shazam sequel. Plus, we all know everything that has happened with Amber Heard and Ezra Miller in the last few months.
With all the above-mentioned things considered, it is safe to say that The Sandman series does not even need to establish its connection with the DCEU. It treasures all the elements to thrive on its own. Gaiman and his team have done a hell of a job at making the Netflix series a unique and breathtaking watching experience. Stay tuned for more updates.
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