Major New Sandman Season 2 Character Is Set Up In Spinoff Show With 91% On Rotten Tomatoes

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dead Boy Detectives and the Sandman comic The Song Of Orpheus.

Summary A potential new character in The Sandman season 2 mentioned in Dead Boy Detectives hints at exciting cross-series connections.

The Orpheus reference in Dead Boy Detectives alludes to a tragic love story that appears in the Sandman comic special The Song Of Orpheus.

Allan Heinberg confirms his interest in bringing Orpheus to The Sandman season 2, with clues from set photos and plot hints increasing the likelihood.

Netflix’s The Sandman season 2 could include a major new character set up in Dead Boy Detectives season 1. Adapted from the eponymous DC comics written by Neil Gaiman, the Netflix original show The Sandman has performed exceptionally well among critics and audiences alike, even gaining a 2024 Saturn Award nomination for Best Superhero Television Series. The Sandman was renewed for season 2, three months after the show's release. Then, the Sandman Universe on Netflix expanded on April 25, 2024, with the release of the series Dead Boy Detectives.

The newer show has gone over just as well as the first, garnering a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score. With the return of Death in Dead Boy Detectives and a cameo by Despair, The Sandman will likely include connections between the two series going forward. One of the biggest connections could be a new character who plays a major role in the comics that Dead Boy Detectives sets up with a short and quippy line.

Related The Sandman Season 2 Changes Have Us Even More Excited For New Episodes Writer Neil Gaiman and showrunner Allan Heinberg have promised changes for The Sandman season 2, making fans more excited for the upcoming episodes.

Dead Boy Detectives' Orpheus Reference Sets Up Possible Sandman Season 2 Appearance

Charles References Orpheus While Escaping Hell In Dead Boy Detectives

Dead Boy Detectives Cast George Rexstrew , Jayden Revri , Kassius Nelson , Briana Cuoco , Ruth Connell , Yuyu Kitamura , Jenn Lyon Release Date April 1, 2024 Streaming Service(s) Netflix Franchise(s) DC Universe

One of the biggest Easter eggs in Dead Boy Detectives is a line referencing Orpheus, teasing the character who appears in both Greek mythology and the Sandman comics. In Dead Boy Detectives season 1, episode 7, “The Case of the Very Long Staircase,” Edwin confesses his love for Charles, who is ahead of him, as they’re escaping Hell by running up the staircase. Charles responds with, “Oh, I get it. This is like one of those Orpheus and Eurydice moments, yeah?” The line could be referencing Charles’ concern that Edwin will get stuck in Hell.

After all, in the Ancient Greek myth, Orpheus is allowed to take his love, Eurydice, back to the land of the living under the condition that he doesn’t turn around to look at her. This makes Charles and Edwin’s storyline a twist on the story. However, on top of referencing one of the most tragic love stories of all time, this quote perfectly sets up the DC character, Orpheus, who could appear in Netflix’s The Sandman season 2.

The two make it almost all the way, but Orpheus turns around at the last minute thinking that Hades is tricking him, the moment referenced in Dead Boy Detectives.

The character joining the cast of The Sandman 2 would work perfectly. The Sandman, season 1, episode 11, “Dream of a Thousand Cats/Calliope,” confirms that the mystical bard, Orpheus, is the son of Dream and Calliope in DC Comics. Additionally, when describing the character, Fate Crone confirmed that the story of Orpheus and Eurydice exists in the Sandman Universe as well. The myth’s mention in Dead Boy Detectives could be a clever hint that the character has a future in the Sandman Universe.

Related Every Deity & God In Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 Netflix's supernatural series Dead Boy Detectives includes cameos from two of the Endless and introduces many more deities that help shape the series.

How Orpheus Can Appear In Sandman Season 2 After Dead Boy Detectives

The Sandman Season 2 Could Use The Song Of Orpheus Comic

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After the Dead Boy Detectives quote, Sandman season 2 can include Orpheus by using the The Song of Orpheus one-off comic by Neil Gaimon, published in 1991. In this story, the Endless gather for the wedding of Dream’s son, Orpheus, to his love, Eurydice. Like in the Ancient Greek myth, a poisonous snake bites Eurydice, killing her instantly. Dream refuses to help Orpheus get his wife back from the Underworld, so he turns to his aunt, Death, who tells him of a door to Hades’ Underworld. However, Dream warns Orpheus that mortals can’t return to the land of the living.

Because he returned from the Underworld, Orpheus becomes immortal, leading to a tragic ending that’s better left unspoiled.

In the Underworld, Hades agrees that he can take Eurydice back to the world; however, Orpheus must walk back to the land of the living silently with Eurydice behind him. He cannot turn around to look at her. The two make it almost all the way, but Orpheus turns around at the last minute thinking that Hades is tricking him, the moment referenced in Dead Boy Detectives. Sadly, she returns to the Underworld, and he returns to the land of the living. Because he returned from the Underworld, Orpheus becomes immortal, leading to a tragic ending that’s better left unspoiled.

Related How Hell Works In Dead Boy Detectives (& How Edwin Escaped) Since Hell is a significant location in Dead Boy Detectives, major questions need to be answered including how the realm works and Edwin's escape.

This storyline would fit right into the established tone of Netflix’s The Sandman. It would also develop Dream further as a character, showing him in a different relationship dynamic – father and son. Additionally, while he isn’t the warmest or kindest father, he does show a slightly softer side when interacting with Orpheus, an unexplored side of his personality.

Dead Boy Detectives Tease Fuels Evidence Of Orpheus' Sandman Season 2 Role

Dead Boy Detectives Isn't The Only Evidence Of Orpheus Appearing In The Upcoming Season Of The Sandman

The Dead Boy Detectives quote is just the most recent piece of fuel about Orpheus’ role in the plot of The Sandman season 2. Shortly after episode 11 of The Sandman released, Allan Heinberg confirmed to Variety that he wanted to include Orpheus in the show. He stated:

We’ve talked about someone that we feel very strongly about [playing Orpheus]. And we have had those conversations and if we get a second season, we would love to be able to cast that person.

Additionally, the first set photos from The Sandman Season 2 show Dream with a man in a white cloak. The actor in white is heavily speculated to be Ruairi O’Connor, though that is officially unconfirmed as of the time of writing. Other photos published in the Daily Mail show the man in white holding a lyre, the instrument that Orpheus plays as a bard. Lastly, The Sandman season 2 locations include Ancient Greece, the location of the Orpheus storyline. Combining all of these factors together, Orpheus's appearance in The Sandman season 2 seems more probable than ever.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Variety, and Daily Mail