Daniel Hall is a character in the Sandman comic book series written by Neil Gaiman. Originally the mortal son of Hector and Lyta Hall, Daniel was bequeathed the powers of Dream of the Endless and was transformed into the current incarnation of the dream lord.
History[]
An infant for the majority of the Sandman series, Daniel's origins date back to Morpheus's imprisonment by Roderick Burgess. The dream creatures known as Brute and Glob escaped from the Dreaming and set up the spirit of a deceased superhero, Hector Hall, as The Sandman in their own pocket of the Dreaming. Hector drew his pregnant wife, Lyta, into the Dreaming as well, where for years her unborn child was in virtual stasis.
When Morpheus eventually escaped from captivity and returned to the Dreaming, he learned of Brute and Glob's disappearance. Morpheus recaptured them and sentenced them to the darkness. He then sent Hector to the realm of the dead and returned Lyta to the world of the living. Before leaving her, he informed her that he would one day come to claim her unborn son, and advised her to take good care of him till then.
Shortly after Lyta's son was born, Morpheus went to see the boy in the waking world. Here he once again confronted Lyta. He told her that her son's name was Daniel.[1]
About a year later, Daniel made his first real contact with the denizens of the Dreaming as he visited the House of Secrets in his dreams and met Cain, Abel, Matthew, Eve, Gregory, and Goldie.[2]
When Loki and Puck later kidnapped Daniel, they set in motion events that would have far-reaching consequences for the Lord of Dreams. The night after Lyta had found her son missing, she encountered the Furies in a dream. The Furies told her some details of Daniel's disappearance, and in the following days, Lyta descended into a nervous breakdown. She came to the conclusion that Morpheus had taken her son. Lyta began a journey into the Dreaming, where she encountered the Furies again. She then asked them to destroy the Dream Lord for taking her son. Lyta then made a deal to kill Morpheus for the murder of his own son, and was possessed by the power of the Kindly Ones. Using these powers, Lyta went on a rampage of destruction through the Dreaming.
Meanwhile, Morpheus sent out Matthew and the newly re-created Corinthian to locate the boy, and they brought him to Dream's palace. Soon afterward, Lyta arrived, intent on killing Morpheus. But when she found Daniel still alive, she had second thoughts, and went back to the Furies to call the deal off. The Furies, however, said that once they had been asked to revenge a blood debt, there was no turning back.
Knowing the confrontation would result in his destruction, Dream spoke to the young Daniel before he went to confront the Kindly Ones and bequeathed the infant the emerald dreamstone once he left.
Incarnation[]
Upon the destruction of Dream by the Kindle Ones, Morpheus' essence then was drawn to Daniel, who was then transformed into the new Lord of Dreams. Daniel chose to forgive Lyta her role in these events, rightly noting how she was manipulated. Much later, Daniel rescued the souls of his mortal parents, Hector and Lyta, from a painful death brought about by the Spectre's destruction of magic during the 'Infinite Crisis'.
Appearance[]
When he was mortal, Daniel appeared as a human infant with fair blond hair. He wore a pink shirt with green overalls. After his ascendance into the new Dream Lord, he was almost identical to Morpheus, but his hair was stark white. It has also been noted that Daniel as Dream looks more youthful than the previous incarnation of himself, appearing to be in his late teens, rather than early thirties. He wears white garments and the emerald dreamstone around his neck.
Personality[]
As a human child, Daniel was very curious and whimsical. However, even as a toddler he appeared to possess some resistance to fear, seen in his excitement at meeting Goldie, and his lack of concern at being placed in a fire by the demonic Puck.
As an aspect of Dream, although Daniel is the same entity as Morpheus, Daniel is a different "point of view" of the entity than his previous incarnation. Where his predecessor may have been cold, distant, and slow to accept fault and embrace new ideas, the current Dream is much more kind and considerate of the feelings and affections of those he encounters. His polite nature shows him to be open to suggestion and correction in the face of things he does not know, a trait that his former iteration failed to master even up to the moment of his rebirth. He is also now far more comfortable with change than his former self, positing that he would have to one day destroy his emerald for the good of the Dreaming.
The difference has been noted by the denizens of the Dreaming; he is noticeably kinder and gentler, and even petting the Hippogriff, something that Morpheus never did. In addition, he has been gentle and respectful of Matthew's boundaries, as Matthew had felt somewhat aggravated with serving a new aspect of Dream.
Relationships[]
Lyta Hall[]
TBA
Rose Walker[]
Being neighbor with him and his mother Lyta, Rose used to babysat him when Daniel was a toddler.
Ivy Walker[]
TBA
Powers and Abilities[]
As the new Dream, Daniel has all the powers of his past incarnation, such as nigh omniscience, omnipresence, and control over dreams.
Gallery[]
