What We Could See In The Sandman Season 2 According To Showrunner Allan Heinberg

Technically, Netflix's "The Sandman" hasn't been renewed for a second season yet, but that isn't stopping showrunner Allan Heinberg from plotting out its future. The writer-producer tells Entertainment Weekly that he's currently working on scripts for season 2, and has a writers' room at the ready. The goal? Adapting the next installments of Neil Gaiman's much-loved comic series, starting with "Season of Mists."

"'Season of Mists' is something I'm really looking forward to," Heinberg told the outlet, before explaining his vision for the show's second season premiere. "The end of episode one, if we move forward," according to Heinberg, "is Dream saying to Matthew, 'I'm going to Hell and I may not come back." The comics follow a similar arc, with Dream (Tom Sturridge in the show) journeying to Hell specifically to retrieve his former lover Nada (Deborah Oyelade).

Viewers saw Nada in the show, briefly: the African mythical figure was trapped in hell, seemingly thanks to a relationship with Dream that went wrong. In the comics, the two have definite history (spoilers ahead): Dream, using the name Kai'ckul, broke precedent centuries ago and took Nada as a lover, but her city was destroyed as punishment, and she died by suicide. In the death realm, Dream gave Nada an ultimatum: stay with him, or be punished in hell. It's definitely not Dream at his best, but it is a particularly godly move. Among the many interesting elements of "The Sandman" is the idea that the Endless, like classic mythological figures, are far from perfect despite their power.

Speaking of classic mythological figures, a few of them are due to show up any time now. Heinberg says that "Season of Mists" is "where Dream's trouble really begins," and reveals that the show's already large ensemble will be growing. "We've got Norse gods to cast and Egyptian gods to cast," Heinberg shares. "We've got new demons and we've got some returning demons, so it's a party. It's a very ambitious season."

Without giving too much away for those who haven't caught up on the comics yet, "Season of Mists" will feature several competing interests trying to determine the future of hell, as hinted at by a final conversation between Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) and a new character called Lord Azazel. In the cliffhanger, Azazel told his master that the armies of hell have assembled, inspiring her to declare that she's going to do something that's never been done before, that will "bring Morpheus to his knees."

While Heinberg is mum about exactly what Lucifer's plans entail, he does reveal to Entertainment Weekly that the second episode of season 2 will start off with a "juicy" rematch between the lord of dreams and Lucifer Morningstar. He may not be able to tell us what's going to happen, but he's willing to divulge one thing: Lucifer will look really cool. "I'm so looking forward to doing something entirely different with Gwendoline's look," he shared.

While the team behind "The Sandman" seems pretty confident that the show's on track for a second season, it sounds like "Game of You," the fourth volume of the series, hasn't been plotted out in quite as much episode-by-episode detail yet. Still, it's on Heinberg's mind: "If we're able to do Game of You, we've got a lot of characters who aren't even human, who are talking animals, who I'm looking forward to meeting," Heinberg says. Comic book fans can also expect to see Barbie's (Lily Travers) friends Wanda, Hazel, and Foxglove come to life, while folks who haven't read the books have time to catch up, as season 2 sounds like it's still in early stages as it awaits the official green light.