“I think the comic book version is absolutely legit,” Heinberg said. “That is a version of Dream, but it’s a version of Dream that is very hard to understand by modern standards, and certainly to continue to root for him and love him. I was determined to write him in a way that I could understand the choices he was making at the time, where his pride was wounded, and [Nada] feels guilt for what she has done to her people by succumbing to her feelings for him. She [feels she] needs to pay the price.”

In The Sandman season 2, Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) explains that Hell is a place for humans to receive the punishment that they feel they deserve. This version of Nada condemns herself to Hell, and Dream sends her there because he’s angry she wouldn’t stay with him. Dream is pushed to make amends by his sister Death (Kirby), who points out he was the one who put Nada in an impossible situation.

“He’s still being a brat and he’s still being terrible, but [Nada is] sort of dictating the punishment,” Heinberg said. “He realizes with 10,000 years experience, and I hope some empathy, that he behaved abominably. I’m not sure that it’s any less terrible in our version. I just wanted the audience to follow why he was doing what he does.”