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The Sandman season 2 part 1 premiered on July 3, 2025, with six episodes that continued the quest of Dream in reviving his realm. Based on the graphic novels by Neil Gaiman, The Sandman season 2 also explored Dream's journey as he navigates his responsibilities, personal regrets, and familial entanglements.
The new season goes deeper into the universe of the Endless, a family of godlike beings that represent universal ideas. Tom Sturridge returns as Dream, Kirby Howell-Baptiste plays Death, Mason Alexander Park plays Desire, and Donna Preston plays Despair. Gwendoline Christie is back as Lucifer Morningstar as well.
The Sandman season 2 also elevates its narrative by pulling viewers into the intricate mythos of the Endless, offering brief but compelling glimpses into each sibling's realm and role. One of the most intriguing elements teased throughout the season involves their sigils.
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This season plants subtle, jaw-dropping clues about these sigils and what they might foreshadow about the Endless and their destinies.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for The Sandman season 2 part 1. Reader's discretion is advised.
What are the sigils of the Endless in The Sandman season 2?
Each of the Endless siblings in The Sandman has a unique sigil, which is a symbol of their power, identity, and purpose. When one sibling wants to get in touch with another, they go to the other's symbol in their gallery and start a magical call.
These sigils are used in the second season in a lot of different ways. They show up in dreams, strange visions, and scenarios between siblings that are filled with emotion. Their existence suggests deeper meanings, untapped stories, and big changes to come.
Dream's sigil
Tom Sturridge’s portrayal of Dream in The Sandman season 2 remains captivating—quiet yet imposing, empathetic yet distant. Dream’s sigil, a bone-crafted helm, appears multiple times throughout the season, particularly during his confrontation with Lucifer in Hell. Forged from the spine and skull of a dead god, the helm represents Dream’s ancient dominion over the realm of dreams, imagination, and stories.
The helm carries a long, troubled history. In 1916, Dream was captured by occultist Roderick Burgess, who intended to trap Death but instead imprisoned Morpheus. The helm, along with Dream’s ruby and sand pouch, was seized. Years later, his items were stolen, and the helm was traded to the demon Choronzon in exchange for a magical amulet of protection. The helm remained in Hell for many years.
After escaping his prison, Dream embarked on a journey to reclaim his tools. He descended into Hell, challenged Choronzon to a battle of wits, and emerged victorious, reclaiming his sigil. In the series, Dream chooses to represent himself in the duel overseen by Lucifer. Upon wearing the helm again, he immediately senses the location of his ruby, propelling the story forward.
Moreover, the helm symbolizes more than power. It embodies Dream’s unshakable sense of duty. While his siblings freely interpret or even abandon their responsibilities, Dream adheres rigidly to his. The helm is also ceremonial, worn during official visits to other realms or in battle.
Yet for Dream, it is also a burden. It serves as a relic of what he must be, not what he desires. Its recurring presence throughout the season reinforces that while the Dreaming may shift, Dream himself remains bound to his role.
Destiny's sigil
Destiny’s sigil, the Book of Destiny, is the most solemn and immutable of them all. Portrayed by Adrian Lester in The Sandman season 2, Destiny appears cloaked in a hooded cowl, his face hidden, his presence weighty despite brief appearances. The book, permanently chained to his wrist, symbolizes the totality of existence—all that has happened, is happening, and will happen.
As the eldest of the Endless, he is in charge of the Garden of Forking Ways, a vast and changing maze that has every potential choice and outcome. He is not only a guardian of fate; he is both destiny and freedom in human form. His domain is a reflection of how complicated life is, with branching routes that show the decisions of both mortals and immortals.
In the episode The Song of Orpheus, Destiny tells Orpheus that he does not wish. He knows. The moment is profound, revealing Destiny’s quiet restraint. Although he can foresee the tragic paths ahead, he decides against intervening. His knowledge is not a tool for control, but a weight he carries. He understands that interference often brings more harm than good.
The Book of Destiny does not grant power or favor. It offers no guidance, only truth. Its presence in The Sandman season 2 suggests that while others wrestle with change and emotion, Destiny remains the fixed point, a cosmic constant who watches all unfold, silently turning the pages of eternity.
Death's sigil
In The Sandman season 2, Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s portrayal of Death balances mystery with warmth. Her sigil, a silver ankh worn as a necklace, symbolizes life—a striking contrast for one who guides souls to their end. In Egyptian hieroglyphs, the ankh represents life itself, making it a powerful emblem of Death’s dual role: birth and death.
Throughout the season, Death performs her duty with quiet grace. She claims the lives of many, including a close friend of Destruction, Wanda, who aided Dream and Delirium, and even Orpheus, Dream’s son. Her sigil glows softly in these moments, hinting at a deeper, perhaps emotional, resonance. Despite the loss she brings, Death shows genuine compassion.
She has not always been kind. Once cold and pragmatic, she grew gentler over the ages. Death embraces her role and fulfills it with care. She gives the first breath at birth and returns for the final. At the universe’s end, she will lock the doors behind her.
Among the Endless, she acts as the elder sister—advising Dream, scolding Desire and Despair for their interference, and often grounding their chaotic family. In The Sandman season 2, the ankh is more than a tool. It is a symbol of mercy, balance, and the quiet power of an Endless who deeply understands the value of life.
Destruction's sigil
Destruction, often referred to as “The Prodigal,” is the only member of the Endless to abandon his post. Although he is mostly absent in The Sandman season 2, the impact of Destruction's presence is felt throughout. His realm remains deserted. His sigil no longer appears in the galleries of his siblings, leaving a noticeable void.
In the final episode of The Sandman season 2 part 1, Dream and Delirium finally track down Destruction. He is not hostile or wrathful but thoughtful and affectionate. Despite being the personification of destruction, he chose love over duty. He left his realm and siblings behind because he could not bear to bring ruin to the things and people he cared for.
This time, he departs again, choosing to roam the stars where, as he says, he can “pretend things have no end.”
His sigil, the sword, reflects the power he walked away from. A blade meant to cut paths, sever futures, and initiate change now rests only in memory. Though gone, Destruction may not be finished. The crumbling of Desire’s heart, the unrest in Destiny’s garden, and Despair’s unraveling mirrors all point toward an impending convergence. And when that moment arrives, it may be Destruction’s truth and his sword that bring clarity, not chaos.
Desire's sigil
Mason Alexander Park delivers a seductive and tempting performance as Desire in The Sandman season 2. Their sigil, a heart of cut glass, is as striking and fragile as the Endless they represent. It symbolizes not just lust and longing but the vulnerability hidden beneath Desire’s polished confidence.
Desire is the third youngest of the Endless and the twin of Despair. They reside in the Threshold, a giant sculpture fashioned in their image, and rule over all forms of craving—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Desire embodies both wanting and satisfaction. Their power extends beyond mortals; even their siblings are not immune to their influence.
In The Sandman season 2, the heart of glass becomes more than a metaphor. When their house of worship is destroyed and Ishtar and Wanda lie dead, Desire appears shaken. In a rare moment of honesty, they declare they are finished meddling in Dream’s affairs.
While Desire remains powerful, The Sandman season 2 hints at change. The once unbreakable heart may not shatter yet. But it’s beginning to strain under the weight of consequences.
Despair's sigil
Despair, portrayed by Donna Preston, takes on greater complexity in The Sandman season 2. No longer confined to the shadows, she emerges as a quiet but pervasive force. Her sigil, a hooked ring worn on her left hand, appears throughout the season, not just as an instrument of self-inflicted pain but as a mark of deepening sorrow that spreads far beyond her realm.
As the younger twin of Desire, Despair embodies emotional collapse, hopelessness, and internal suffering. She resides in the Gray Realm, a murky dimension filled with endless mirrors. Through these, she watches mortals at their lowest points, often reflecting on their anguish as her own.
Later, Destiny visits Despair, urging her to join the gathering of the Endless. As they speak, she peers into a mirror, watching a man consumed by guilt and paranoia. She remarks with chilling calm that the man’s despair, the way it devours him as he contemplates ending his life, is beautiful. The moment underscores Despair’s disturbing nature: she doesn’t cause agony, she reveres it.
Delirium's sigil
Delirium, the youngest of the Endless, continues to bewilder and enchant in The Sandman season 2. Once known as Delight, she changed for reasons known only to herself—reasons even Destiny cannot explain. Her sigil, a swirl of shifting colors, appears in dreamscapes, puddles, graffiti, and reflections. When her emotions shift to pain or grief, the swirl fades to black.
Portrayed by Esmé Creed-Miles, her realm mirrors her fractured nature. It is filled with floating objects, phrases, colors, and sounds, all drifting with no clear direction. At its center lies a broken sundial inscribed with “Tempus Frangit” (“Time Breaks”), a fractured echo of the Latin phrase Tempus Fugit (“Time Flies”).
She is childlike and unpredictable, with mismatched eyes, one emerald green, the other blue with silver flecks, and hair that changes constantly. Yet in the final episode of The Sandman season 2 part 1, she shares a moment of quiet care with Dream. Her eyes briefly align in color, and her swirling sigil steadies. She tries to be calm for him even if it hurts.
Although Delirium represents madness, she possesses deep feelings. She misses her siblings. That longing drives her to accompany Dream in the search for Destruction. Her sigil was once a flower when she was Delight. Now, it swirls, unpredictable, unstable, and perhaps more powerful than any of the Endless care to admit.
The Endless siblings' sigils are more than magical calling cards. They symbolize power, legacy, change, and the emotional core of each sibling. The evolving use of sigils, their reactions, states, and absences, offers viewers a rich field of interpretation.
Each sigil reflects the state of its bearer. Dream’s helm grows heavier. Death’s ankh pulses with suppressed wrath. Desire’s heart fractures. Despair’s hook spreads. Destiny’s book glows with urgency. Delirium’s swirl expands across dimensions. And Destruction’s sword waits to be claimed.
Together, these hints suggest that The Sandman season 2 is building toward a convergence. It is a moment when the Endless must reckon with their nature and their future. The sigils are warning signs and promises.
The Sandman season 2 part 1 is now available for online streaming on Netflix. Part 2 will arrive on July 24, 2025.
