Why Netflix's 'The Sandman' Failed. [34:11-39:12]

So I'm not opposed to Wanda being reimagined. The original is a tad dated. However, this version of Wanda, outside of being a trans woman, bears very little resemblance to the original, divorced from her story and its themes of identity, as well as her thigh-high leather boots, she's not the same character. Okay, there is one part of her story, which still made the cut. The part she's most famous for. Wanda's death in the show isn't exactly surprising. The character she's replaced dies too, but unlike Ruby, Wanda gets her funeral, as well as a scene with death. It's trying to make a similar point as the original, Wanda's family don't accept her. But in the show, death doesn't affirm Wanda's identity. She's already fully transitioned, and perfectly comfortable with herself. Her soul is identical to her living body. She isn't transformed in death. So this doesn't mean very much. It's hard to imagine people writing in about how much they were affected by this. I've spoken to people who watched the show without having read the comics, and unsurprisingly, they felt Wanda was a throwaway character. She's only in a couple of scenes, and is killed before they could have any real investment in her. As such, the funeral feels more kish, and rather labors the point. It's not right. Putting that name on her headstone. Speaking to Polygon, Heinberg described reading a game of view as a young gay man, and finding the representation, quote, extraordinary. Clearly, he felt Wanda was an important character who is worth keeping, even in a different form. And with all the scrutiny on this storyline, there's also the issue of optics. You can imagine the headlines. Netflix skips the trans storyline because Netflix has a trans problem. And I can completely sympathise with Heinberg's decision. It's a difficult situation to be in. And yet, I can't help wondering whether cutting Wanda entirely might actually have been the better choice. Yes, it would have been very unfortunate to lose her, but haven't we already lost her? Is a pale imitation of her story really an improvement over just not telling it? I agree that Wanda as a character matters. But if we're not also adapting why she matters, what's the point? In the show, Dream is the one who fixes Wanda's headstone, not with lipstick, but with magic. It's a poor substitute because it loses the symbolic femininity. But above all, it changes what this moment means. In the waking world, Dream is basically a space alien. He's completely baffled by the very idea of transphobia. They cut his hair and put him in a suit and everything. Why would they do that? He hasn't had the opportunity to know Wanda. His affront at her headstone is less personal to him. It's just his own guilt at feeling responsible for her death. That's nice of you. I have to do something to try and make things right. Technically, it's the same as what happens in the comic. But the context is completely different. Trying to copy the original actually makes it less faithful. It's the same with the sacrifice of Dream Turned Human Fiddler's Green. In the comic, he climbs a mountain to stand in Dream's way, knowing it will cost his humanity, hoping he can exchange his life for roses and stoically accepting his failure. In the show, Stephen Fry walks up out of nowhere, says, please, sir, can I sacrifice myself? And when he's told no, he dumps a bunch of exposition before nominally accepting his death. His last words are copied exactly from the comic. But in this context, they don't have the same emotional impact. As mentioned, the comics tell Orpheus' story gradually, out of chronological order, because that builds intrigue about him. When Dream meets him again, it feels momentous, because we already know the context. But the show tells his story all in one go, in order, after he becomes relevant. Instead of intrigue, it's just an info dump. There's Nula, of course. Again, I'm not opposed to reimagining her. But all the show does is turn her into a girl boss. Sure, she speaks her mind and fights for the dreaming, but she doesn't have any actual agency. She's still traded like a commodity. She's still forced to wear a glamour by her brother. I'd say she actually has less agency than the comic, because her most meaningful act, using Dream's boon and inadvertently bringing about his death, is taken away from her, literally, and given to Titania. In the comic, she was Dream's Achilles heel. In the show, she's just there. I mean, I guess she behaves lighter, but what did that achieve?