TV - Movies
Neil Gaiman's
Thought Process
Behind Death's
Personality In
The Sandman
By CAMERON ROY HALL
In Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” seven powerful beings known as “the Endless” oversee the balanced continuance of mortal life: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. These entities are mostly characterized in ways fans might expect — except for Death, whom Gaiman designed to defy stereotypes.
Most might expect Death, played by Kirby Howell Baptiste, to be grim and cold, but when a fan asked why Gaiman’s Death is “adorable,” the writer responded, “I wanted to create the kind of Death that I would like to meet when my life is over. And I thought I would like a Death who is practical, [...] sensible, and [...] above all, kind.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Death from the Netflix show definitely shows Gaiman's desired characteristics; she provides calm, yet firm guidance to souls transitioning into the afterlife. Death's preferred attire — chains, Doc Martens, and all-black clothing — is closer to the idea of a “doom and gloom,” making her personality even more surprising.