10 Sandman Fates Worse Than Death

6. Picking The Next Ruler Of Hell

Kindly Ones The Sandman Three Witches
DC Comics

Lucifer Morningstar wanted revenge on Morpheus after the Dream King embarrassed the Lord of Hell in Sandman #4. Ever the master manipulator, Samael closed Hell after ruling it for billions of years. He sent all the demons and the damned away and gave the key to Dream to find its next ruler. The Lord of Lies told the Sandman that he didn’t know if the task would destroy him, but it certainly wouldn’t make his life any easier.

Gods from nearly every pantheon, denizens from various realms, former minor demon lords, and other interested parties traveled to the Dreaming to ask, beg or threaten Dream to get the Key to Hell. A few even wanted him to keep the realm closed permanently, but the dead returning to Earth was beginning to cause a major problem, so that was not an option.

The choice was eventually removed from Dream when The Presence assigned the angels Duma and Remiel to be the co-rulers of Hell. The former was shocked by the edict handed down from above and the new position that they must hold. Both did the best they could to distance themselves from the denizens of Hell during their stewardship.

Contributor
Contributor

John Wilson has been a comic book and pop culture fan his entire life. He has written for a number of websites on the subject over the years and is especially pleased to be at WhatCulture. John has written two comic books for Last Ember Press Studio and has recently self-published a children's book called "Blue." When not spending far too much time on the internet, John spends time with his lovely wife, Kim, their goofy dog, Tesla, and two very spoiled cats.