The Sandman changed a major character from the comics in Season 2, but why? Explained in depth

Netflix’s The Sandman kicked off its second and final season with a familiar storyline — “Season of Mists” — but made a bold change to one of its most mythic characters: Nada. Originally portrayed in the comics as the queen of an ancient savannah-based African civilization, Nada now rules over a frosty, Afro-steampunk city that feels pulled from the dreams of a sci-fi painter.

So why the drastic shift?

According to executive producer David Goyer, it was all about honoring the intention of the comics rather than sticking rigidly to the visuals.

“There are depictions that we thought we could accurately render or bring to life in a way that felt true to the comic book,” Goyer said. “And there were other places where we felt, let’s just do something different and beautiful and more poetic.”

In other words, the team didn’t change Nada just to make her look cooler — they gave her a kingdom worthy of the emotional weight she carries in Dream’s story in The Sandman.

Nada’s new world wasn’t in the comics — but it was in the DNA

In Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comics, Nada’s story is tragic and short. She falls in love with Dream, realizes their union would be catastrophic, and defies him. As punishment, he condemns her to Hell for ten thousand years. Her home is depicted only sparingly — a hazy, desert-flanked city with loose ties to ancient African myth.

But Netflix’s version builds her world out in vivid detail: a sprawling, snow-covered metropolis with intricate architecture, steam-powered machines, and a distinct cultural identity. It’s a less ancient myth and more Afro-futurist fairytale.

This decision wasn’t random, Goyer explained.

“We wanted to make it a visual standout, and we wanted it to defy expectations. I don’t think the way they were depicted in the book is necessarily a visual standout.”

In short: the comics gave Nada a powerful narrative, but a minimal setting. The show fills in that blank space with bold worldbuilding — not to overwrite her origin, but to deepen it.

Aesthetic change, narrative constant: The intention behind the shift in The Sandman

Though Nada’s aesthetic has evolved, her core character remains untouched. She’s still a queen. Still Dream’s first love. Still, the person who told him “no” — and paid dearly for it. But now, that choice carries even more gravity. She isn’t just a figure from a parable. She’s a ruler of a thriving, technologically rich society — someone whose rejection of Dream feels both political and personal.

The series’ creators were fully aware of what this change meant.

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“We had to make some choices — it’s a different medium — in how we’re going to depict these characters,” Goyer said. “But I agreed with that creative choice, and Netflix has been great.”

The choice to reimagine Nada’s world ultimately reinforces her agency. It doesn’t make her story more digestible — it makes it more poignant. This isn’t just a visual update; it’s a narrative upgrade. Nada isn’t just Dream’s lost love. She’s a queen who chose her people over a god.

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