There’s no doubt that Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is a legendary piece of literature as 75 issues of graphic novels. Unsurprisingly, its on-screen adaptation was no child’s play. In fact, the source material went through the wringer for over 30 years with no end in sight. There were multiple factors that contributed to the failed attempts, but there was one major issue.

Despite the main story being rooted in classical mythology, literature, and world history, the DC Comics lore heavily influenced the original comics. Finally, now we have a close-to-perfect live-action rendition of The Sandman streaming on Netflix. While the adaptation closely follows the source material, some characters proved extremely challenging, particularly Hector and Lyta Hall.

The DC origin story of Lyta and Hector Hall

According to the comics Crisis on Infinite Earths, the characters of Lyta and Hector Hall were second-generation superheroes belonging to an Earth that did not exist. Way before The Sandman, they were members of the Earth-Two superhero team Infinity, Inc., founded by the next-gen Justice Society of America. Lyta (Hippolyta), who fought as Fury, was the daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. Hector, the child of Hawkman and Hawk Girl, went by Silver Scarab. These alter egos also went through a lot of changes owing to the end of the Crisis on Infinite Earth and a spinoff of Infinity, Inc. 

In Infinity, Inc. #50, two rogue nightmares, Brute and Glob, draft Hector’s ghost to embody The Sandman, who is a superhero. Hector even brings his pregnant wife into this dream world. Neil Gaiman included this version of Lyta and Hector Hall into The Dreaming realm, ruled by Morpheus, Dream of The Endless. In The Sandman: The Doll’s House narrative, the Halls were crime-fighting superheroes, part of a detached miniature Dreaming inside Jed Walker’s head. No wonder these characters were a nightmare to recreate for the screen.

Lyta and Hector in Netflix’s The Sandman

Avoiding the entire convoluted backstory, Lyta Hall is human (for now) in Netflix’s version of The Sandman. First seen in episode 7, titled The Doll’s House, she is the neighbor, close friend, and confidante to Rose walker. Unlike the comics, it is Rose’s ability as a Dream Vortex that inadvertently brings Hector’s ghost into Lyta’s dreams. Hector builds for her the house of her dreams and invites Lyta to live the rest of her life with him in this shared dream. She even gets pregnant.

The Sandman series also paid a well-deserved tribute to creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The two were responsible for the comic book version of Hector as The Sandman orchestrated by the nightmares Brute and Glob. In the show, it is Jed Walker who portrays the superhero version of The Sandman as a coping mechanism with the help of a run-away nightmare, Gault. Gault, who aspires to be a dream rather than a nightmare, empathizes with Jed’s abusive reality and attempts to help him.

The adaptation might’ve rewritten the characters of Lyta and Hector Hall, but their essence from the DC comics remains intact. It even ties into the overriding core of The Sandman, which is essentially redemption through change. Watch Netflix’s The Sandman and let us know your thoughts about the show and the transformation of Lyta and Hector’s roles.