Those familiar with Neil Gaiman's comic books and universe of the Sandman know that there's a lot more to the character than meets the eye.

Now that Netflix has finally brought Neil Gaiman's The Sandman to life, fans are oogling and oggling over the Endless, the Nightmares, and all the bells and whistles pulled straight from the comics. Of course, the most notable feature is the Prince of Stories, the King of the Dreaming, the Dream Lord himself, Morpheus.

For the most part, the version presented in the series is a fine representation of the comic book protagonist, yet there are many things from The Sandman series that Netflix leaves out. Those familiar with Neil Gaiman's comic books and universe of the Sandman know that there's a lot more to the character than meets the eye.

In the series, the Sandman's forms are more or less consistent. Usually, Morpheus can be seen in his tall, pale, Gothic form wearing a black flowing garment. However, Morpheus is a shapeshifter, and this is a fact made very plain even in the first issues of the comic series. Although fans do see him change his fashion styles and appearances briefly, his appearance is very fluid in the original storylines.

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While he appears to his lover, Nada, as an African prince when he encounters her in Hell, he reverts to his standard form quite regularly. Dream, of the Endless needs a form that matches that title, and that can range from a dark-haired magical being to a horrific Martian god.

Dream is one of the few immortal beings that aren't just known across one realm, but other dimensions and even planets as well. Mortals on earth might know him as the Sandman, but other creatures like Lucifer, Auberon, and even Martian Manhunter might know him in essence but by a different name and form.

Comic books are no strangers to immortals, even characters like Superman have been recognized across planets, but since everything has to sleep at some point, everyone enters the dreaming and therefore encounters Morpheus. That's an entirely different flavor of notoriety.

One thing most fans should pick up on while watching the show or while reading the comics is that each of the Endless has something about their person that acts as their seal, their symbol, or their schedule. However, many first-timers make the mistake of believing that Dream's ruby holds all his power, but he actually draws it from someplace else.

The helmet later kept by the demon Chorozon is much more than the Sandman's symbol of office or identifying piece of clothing. It's an artifact of the Dream Lord's ethereal powers and can be absolutely dangerous if found in the wrong hands.

A minor detail that might go under the radar of many fans both of the show and the comics is the origins of the Sandman's sigil and sign of office. The helmet isn't just a gas-mask-inspired article of costumery thrown in by a talented artist, it's a helm carved and repurposed from the severed skull of a deceased elder god.

Consider the implications of that factor along with the characters of Endless. The Endless are a race of beings that have been and will always be since the dawn of time. They are so far outside the realms of gods, mortals, and monsters that they have seen deities die. That's truly a cosmic horror factor in Morpheus's favor.

The Netflix series showed audiences that Dream is capable of loving someone with Nada, but the comics go even further than that notion by giving him a son as well. Those familiar with their Greek mythology know of the muse Calliope, but they might not know that Morpheus fathered her son, Orpheus, rather than Apollo. At least he does in The Sandman universe.

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In theory, this does make a lot more sense. Seeing how Orpheus's music so charmed the world with its dreamlike quality, it stands to reason that Dream would be the more appropriate father. That being said, the famous musician does meet the same tragic fate as his mythological counterpart.

It's hinted at in the show that Dream has some sort of arrangement with a young William Shakespeare, but the comics expand on it even further in Sandman: Dream Country. In the second half of the third volume, Shakespeare and his acting troupe are traveling along the countryside of Wilmington, the bard gets the audience of a lifetime when he performs A Midsummer Night's Dream in front of the fairy court.

Morpheus orchestrates all this, naturally, but it's not the last time he encounters Shakespeare, his work, or adaptations either. Towards the end of the writer's career, he creates and performs The Tempest as commissioned by the Dream Lord. Being the Prince of Stories that he is, it's only natural that he would help give the world some of its best.

As seen with the comic issue "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Morpheus not only mingles with interdimensional and extraterrestrial characters but the fae as well. And not just any fae. He gets to rub shoulders with Shakespeare's famous faeries, Auberon, Titania, and Puck.

Gaiman's faeries are decidedly not the type seen flying with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell to Neverland. In fact, they're a very strange and sometimes dangerous race that comes in various sizes, shapes, and variations. Hopefully, fans can expect an encounter with Auberon and his children in season two.

It's hinted at with Matthew the Raven mentioning dying in his sleep and becoming a bird in the series, but he's certainly not the only resident of The Dreaming that wasn't created or imagined by Morpheus. Where beings like The Corinthian and Fiddler's Green might be brought into being by Dream's realm, characters like Matthew, Cain, and Abel are clearly ones with ties to the mortal world.

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There are many ways a mortal can become a member of The Dreaming, such as being a Vortex in the case of Unity Kincaid, but becoming one with the Sandman's realm is truly a special case. As the bridge between the Waking World and the realms of the Endless, the realm is open to multiple types of beings.

Although Constantine was seen multiple times in the series and in the comics, both John and Johanna weren't the only iconic DC heroes that mixed and mingled with Dream of the Endless. In the comics, he encounters members of the JLA and even other members of Justice League Dark.

Heroes absent from the show include Martian Manhunter, Mr. Miracle, and Etrigan just to name a few. Although he's not normally a character typically associated with the teams, Sandman has connections with some pretty famous crime fighters.

Those fans who have taken a deep dive into The Sandman mythos already know that Morpheus isn't the first to bear the title of "Sandman." However, neither is the red-caped Jed nor the superhero he is trying to imitate. In fact, the character of the Sandman himself goes back before Gaiman ever put pen to paper.

Originally, the Sandman was an identity assumed by a vigilante detective by the name of Wesley Dodds in 1939. Bearing a cape, a purple suit, and a World War I gas mask, the Sandman took down criminals with a sleeping gas gun and an appetite for justice. The character also had the ability to have prophetic dreams and to gaze into the future, but was nearly forgotten with the rise of characters like Batman and Robin. Leave it to the great Gaiman to resurrect such a compelling character.

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Zach Gass is a writer from East Tennessee with a love for all things Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel. When not writing for Screen Rant, Zach is an active member of his community theatre, enjoys a variety of authors including Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkein, and is a proud and active retro-gamer.