What Gwendoline Christie’s Lucifer could mean for villainy in The Sandman season 2

The Sandman has long been a sandbox for the weird, the mythic, and the morally shady, but no part of season 1 landed with quite the same wallop as Gwendoline Christie's performance as Lucifer Morningstar.

The moment she appeared on screen—regal, genderless, and sending off waves of cold, seething anger—The Sandman's iteration of the Devil was something more fascinating than simply another bad guy. As Netflix prepares to introduce The Sandman season 2, Christie's Lucifer is ready to redefine villainy in this world and perhaps for genre television as a whole.

Let's be clear: The Sandman doesn't do bad guys in black hats. Neil Gaiman's universe is a hallucinatory tapestry of cosmic entities, all operating in their own logic, with their own traumas, and their own sense of purpose. But even in this populous pantheon, Lucifer stands out. Not only because she's the Queen of Hell, but because she's sick of the role.

Christie's acting is a revelation—a fusion of David Bowie's cool and Gustave Doré's grandeur with a pinch of existential burnout. This is not the Devil as temptor or deceiver; this is the Devil as a creature who's done it all, seen it all, and is lying low, thinking about what she's going to do next.

And if season 1's clues and the comics are any guide, The Sandman season 2 will have Lucifer's villainy become more than mere theatrical opposition, becoming much more personal, philosophical, and dangerous.

Gwendoline Christie's Lucifer in The Sandman Season 2: A new type of villain

Season 2 will make the feud between Dream and Lucifer run deeper, and that's huge for villainy in this show. In the comics, Lucifer's character isn't just about being "evil." It's about ennui, rebellion, and refusing to be bound by the parts fate or God assigns.

Christie's Lucifer, with her chilly remove and glimpses of hurt pride, is the ideal vehicle for this sort of sophisticated antagonism. Remember the “Oldest Game” in season 1? That wasn’t just a battle of wits; it was a public humiliation for Lucifer, and one she’s not likely to forget.

Gaiman himself has teased that Season 2 will feature “the rematch to end all rematches” between Lucifer and Dream. But this isn’t about revenge in the traditional sense. For Lucifer, it's not about winning so much as it is about demonstrating a point—to Dream, to the universe.

That's what makes her so perilous: her evil is ontological. She's not merely attempting to triumph; she's attempting to overthrow the very fabric of the game.

Why Christie's Lucifer is a game-changer for The Sandman

Season 2 could feature a villain who is not defined by evil, but by a kind of cosmic discontent. Christie's Lucifer is not so much a maniacal demon as a fallen angel with a chip on her shoulder the size of creation. She's beautiful, intelligent, and profoundly, profoundly weary.

That's a recipe for uncertainty. In the comics, Lucifer does step down from her throne, not because she's defeated, but because she's bored and wants to be free. If Season 2 goes that way, audiences might witness a villain who quits power, making everyone, including Dream, second-guess what makes a good authority, how to rebel, and what's meant by destiny.

That's a long way from the old mustache-twirling villains. And let’s not forget the cultural resonance. Christie’s casting is a deliberate move away from the suave, quippy Lucifer of Tom Ellis fame. This is a Devil who is regal, androgynous, and terrifyingly self-possessed.

She’s not here to seduce you; she’s here to remind you that even the most powerful beings can be trapped by their own roles. That’s a kind of villainy that feels both ancient and utterly modern.

The Sandman Season 2: Villainy gets personal

What does it mean for Season 2? Look for a Lucifer whose villainy is less external conflict and more internal struggle. Christie's performance teases out a Devil who is fighting her own limitations, her own ennui, and her own desire for escape. That makes her unpredictable, and in a universe as peculiar as The Sandman, unpredictability is the greatest weapon of all.

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The Sandman season 2 Vol. 1 arrives on July 3, 2025.

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