Who is “The Prodigal” in Netflix’s The Sandman?
In The Sandman, Morpheus’ siblings, the Endless, are rulers of their own domain visited by humans. Their names are universal entities and they co-exist with each other alongside the humans in the waking world. They usually take on the form of a person depending on whoever they want to interact with. One of them is “The Prodigal.” He didn’t show up in the series but Morpheus mentions his name quite a few times. He’s the only Endless member that didn’t appear in the show. “The Prodigal” is best known in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comic as Destruction. To date, he is the only one among the members of The Endless who abandoned his duties. No one has seen Destruction in 200 years. Destruction is also known as Olethros, the fourth sibling among The Endless. His realm is unnamed and the only constant things there are change and disorder. Destruction usually interacts with Desire, Despair, and Death.
READ MORE: The Sandman: Neil Gaiman Explains Massive Change with Morpheus and Lucifer’s Showdown
Destruction didn’t dwell on hatred on humanity. Instead, he necessitates change which may be painful at times but he recognizes how important it is. He believes that the end of one leads to the birth of another. He got his moniker, “The Prodigal,” after he abandoned his duties to The Endless and left his realm. His whereabouts remain unknown to date and he left no contact to his siblings, except, maybe, Delirium, who possibly has an idea where to find their missing brother. With “The Prodigal” being teased in the series, it may be an opening for a new narrative for further seasons should The Sandman be renewed for another season. However, to date, there is still no confirmation yet whether there would be The Sandman Season 2. The Sandman is currently streaming on Netflix.
