While audiences continue to fall in love with the character, creator Neil Gaiman explains Death’s unique personality in The Sandman. The titular protagonist’s Endless sibling is portrayed by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, the British actor well-known for her roles in Killing Eve, Why Women Kill, Barry and The Good Place. Tom Sturridge’s Dream is visited by Death early in both The Sandman comics and Netflix series after he’s successfully recovered his totems of power, but finds himself aimless and embarks with her as she ferries various souls to the afterlife, by the end of which he overcomes his depression and finds new purpose.
Death proved to be one of the most celebrated characters in The Sandman comics following her appearance in “The Sound of Her Wings” from Preludes and Nocturnes. Despite her popularity, Gaiman purposefully kept her as a recurring character throughout the comics’ run in the hopes of drawing readers back for subsequent issues and letting them be entrenched in the other characters introduced. Despite some initial backlash to Howell-Baptiste’s casting, Death scored rave reviews in The Sandman, alongside the rest of the cast and show, and now the creative behind the project is opening up about how she was brought to life.
While breaking down fans’ mythology questions with Wired, Neil Gaiman opened up about Death’s unique personality in The Sandman. The creator explained that her difference in depiction from prior adaptations of the character stems from his thoughts on how the Grim Reaper should actually be and who he hopes to meet in the future. See what Gaiman shared below:
Death is so adorable in The Sandman because I wanted to create the kind of Death that I would like to meet when my life is over. And I thought I would like a Death who is practical, a Death who is sensible, and a Death who is, above all, kind.
Since making her debut in the Sandman comics, Gaiman has frequently subverted expectations with Death’s unique personality and appearance, appearing as an attractive goth girl in casual clothes and acting as a down-to-earth and perky figure to both humanity and Dream. Additionally, Death also visits people as they were born, with only her remembering these encounters. Unlike her Endless siblings, Death also chooses to live and die one day as a mortal every century in the hopes of understanding the value of the lives that she takes as part of her job.
Gaiman’s explanation for Death’s unique personality in The Sandman is sure to ring true with many audiences, as many are sure to also feel a desire to meet a warm personality upon their passing as Howell-Baptiste’s Death. Though the character may have been portioned out across the comics run, audiences may get the chance to see Death’s return sooner than later as she plays an important emotional role in Season of Mists, the fourth novel of the source material whose story elements have been teased by Gaiman as being part of a potential season 2, including a Lucifer and Dream rematch. In the meantime, audiences can revisit Death’s acclaimed episode with The Sandman season 1 streaming on Netflix now.
Source: Wired