Death (Netflix)

This article is about Death from the Netflix adaptation. You may be looking for Death from the comic series.

Death is Dream's wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister in the Endless family.

History[]

Reaping souls[]

Netflix The Sandman 106 The Sound of Her Wings 15 Dream Death — Death telling Dream to find purpose

After tracking Dream down to a local park and advising him to find a new purpose now that he'd settled his vendetta against his captors, she invited him to join her for the day as she made her rounds and reaped the living. Their first stop, an elderly man named Harry. Afterward, Dream informed Death that the men who captured him were actually after her, which she claimed to already be aware of before taking off her shoes and heading to her next appointment: a young man named Sam on honeymoon with his wife, who had just drowned in the lake. Dream wondered how Death was able to be there for all of them. She replied that she had a job to do. When the first living thing existed, she was there. And when the last living thing dies, she'll put the chairs on the table, turn out the lights, and lock the universe behind her when she leaves.

Netflix The Sandman 106 The Sound of Her Wings 08 Death Dream — Death reaping souls

Death used to think that she had the hardest job among the Endless. Humans feared her, and yet they entered Dream's realm every night willingly. Death considered giving up and walking out, but that was long ago, even before the existence of the current world. The job got to her and she got hard and brittle inside, given humanity's reaction to the Sunless Lands. But eventually, she learned that all they needed was a kind word and a friendly face. Death and Dream had made their way into the home of a mother with an infant child. Death had unfortunately come to take the baby. She used to think she had to do this by herself, but in the end, she was there with them. They were holding her hand, and she was holding theirs, applying the same logic to Dream. The only reason the Endless existed was to serve humanity. And since figuring that out, she realized that she needed them as much as they needed her. Dream thanked Death for the insight and teaching him something he had long since forgotten.

In 1389, disguised as a nun and priest, Death brought Dream to a tavern to interact with humanity on their terms. There, they overheard a man named Hob Gadling speak of seeing death and how he decided he would never die. As Dream wondered why anyone would desire an eternity of human life, Death suggested that she grant his wish of eternal life as an experiment.^[1]

Physical Appearance[]

Death appears as a young black woman with brown eyes and long, curly black hair. She tends to wear black leather and a necklace with her sigil on it.

Powers and Abilities[]

Immortality: Death is ageless and possesses the ability of immortality, which is also able to be granted to others, in the case of Hob Gadling.
Limited Omniscience: Knows information pertaining to upcoming deaths.
Transformation: Able to summon wings that usher mortals onto the afterlife.
Necromancy: Death has the power to control the souls of the dead, Roderick Burgess claimed that he could bring his son back to life if he forced her to.

Like all the Endless, ageless, able to manifest where needed, and can selectively interact with humanity.

Weakness[]

Magic: Despite being an Eternal, Death is susceptible to the effects of magic and can be summoned and imprisoned through specific spells and rituals, in fact she was the one who was originally going to be imprisoned instead of Dream.