Warning: Spoilers for The Sandman season 2 episode 2 ahead.

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The Sandman season 2 has dropped its first batch of new episodes - and, with them, has come a chilling parallel with Lucifer, starring Tom Ellis.

The two series, based on The Sandman comic books, are intricately connected, with Lucifer, which aired from 2016 to 2021, following the devil as he took a holiday from hell. The Sandman, meanwhile, picks up with the story of Morpheus AKA Dream (Tom Sturridge), and sees Gwendoline Christie portray Lucifer.

After a three year wait, new episodes of The Sandman have hit Netflix, following Sturridge's Dream as he's cursed with ownership of hell after Lucifer (Christie) steps down from her duties.

Lucifer decides she must cut off her wings and, in a heartbreaking scene, asks Dream to do the honours. What follows is a devastating sequence showing Lucifer weeping as Dream solemnly severs her wings from her body.

Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer in The Sandman season 2
Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer in The Sandman season 2. Netflix

The scene draws a parallel with a chilling sequence from Lucifer season 3, which again saw Lucifer's (Ellis) wings cut off, as he rebelled against his father. In one marked difference, though, it was Mazikeen (played by Lesley-Ann Brandt) who cut off the wings in Lucifer, weeping as she maimed her master and destroyed any chance of her going home.

In The Sandman season 2, Sturridge's Dream takes on the duty, with Lucifer lovingly dismissing her loyal servant Mazikeen (this time, played by Cassie Clare) as she renounces her responsibility to the realm of Hell, setting up the events portrayed in Lucifer.

But with the devil fleeing Hell, who's left to look after it? That's down to Dream to decide, as he's visited by various deities staking their claim.

Tom Sturridge as Dream in The Sandman sitting in a chair.
Tom Sturridge as Dream in The Sandman. Liam Daniel/Netflix

The Netflix fantasy show, which has now been cancelled for future seasons, follows Sturridge's Morpheus, the personification of dreams, and his Endless family.

It's based on a comic book series by well-known fantasy author Gaiman, who has been accused of sexual assault, which he has strongly denied.

A total of nine women have spoken out against the writer, with their accusations being detailed in a Vulture article published in January 2025, and in a Tortoise Media podcast released in July 2024.

Allegations included claims that Gaiman engaged them in "rough" sex and BDSM without their consent. The novelist has firmly denied any non-consensual or illegal conduct in a statement.

He said: "As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don't, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen.

"I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever."

The Sandman season 2 volume 1 premieres on Netflix on Thursday 3rd July 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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Authors

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.

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