The Enigmatic Transformation of Gwendoline Christie's Sandman Character: A Comprehensive Breakdown

Summary

Gwendoline Christie impressively plays the villainous Lucifer Morningstar in Netflix's The Sandman, drawing inspiration from David Bowie for the character's portrayal.

Christie's portrayal of Lucifer Morningstar in Lucifer starkly differs from Tom Ellis' version and faithfully captures the essence of the comic book character. Incorporating Neil Gaiman's vision from The Sandman, Christie's performance closely aligns with the authentic depiction of Lucifer Morningstar, earning praise for its faithfulness to the original comic book.

Gwendoline Christie, renowned for her role as the honorable Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, showcased her versatility by portraying a villain in season 1 of Netflix's The Sandman. The Sandman, a Netflix series released in 2022, is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's famous comic book series of the same title. The narrative revolves around Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), an embodiment of dreams and nightmares, as he escapes his century-long captivity in an occult ritual during 1916 and endeavors to restore harmony within The Dreaming, his realm.

Receiving praise for its exceptional production design, mind-bending special effects, and stellar performances from the cast, The Sandman season 1 emerged as one of the finest adaptations of Neil Gaiman's oeuvre. While Tom Sturridge and David Thewlis garnered much acclaim for their respective roles, with Thewlis portraying the villainous John Dee, Christie delivered a compelling performance of her own. Despite the temporary shutdown of The Sandman season 2 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Christie is anticipated to reprise her role when production resumes.

Gwendoline Christie Played Lucifer Morningstar In The Sandman

Gwendoline Christie portrays Lucifer Morningstar, a fallen angel and the ruler of Hell, who serves as a secondary antagonist in The Sandman cast. In episode 4 of The Sandman season 1, titled "A Hope in Hell," Morpheus is compelled to engage in a battle of wits with Lucifer in order to reclaim his helm, one of his powerful artifacts. Ultimately, Morpheus emerges victorious, accomplishing his objective and prompting Lucifer to vow his eventual revenge against Morpheus.

During the creation of the character Lucifer Morningstar, Christie drew inspiration from various sources. One of the earliest influences was a series of paintings by 19th-century French artist Gustave Doré, while another significant source of inspiration was David Bowie. Christie shared, "...this concept of portraying Lucifer as a junkie, that was directly influenced by David Bowie" (via Netflix Tudum). Additionally, Christie's real-life partner, Giles Deacon, who is a fashion designer, played a role in designing Lucifer's costumes for The Sandman. The combined result was an amalgamation of regal presence and androgyny (via Tudum).

Christie's Lucifer Is Different From Tom Ellis' (And That's A Good Thing)

Christie is not the first actor to portray Neil Gaiman's Lucifer Morningstar. The character was previously played by Tom Ellis in the 2016 TV series, Lucifer. However, despite sharing the same name, the two portrayals of Lucifer are quite different. Tom Ellis's version portrays a playful and sarcastic lord of Hell, while Christie's portrayal is more faithful to the original comic book character, displaying a threatening presence.

There had been speculation that Ellis might return as Lucifer in Netflix's The Sandman, but Gaiman dismissed these rumors. Gaiman stated that he loves the Lucifer TV series, appreciating the fabulous and delightful work done by the creators. However, their plans for The Sandman differ from the TV series, aiming for something that closely aligns with the original comics, but on a slightly grander scale.

Gwendoline Christie's casting as Lucifer Morningstar was met with great success and was a perfect choice, according to Gaiman's vision.