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Wonder Woman 1984 highlights an ancient relic straight out of The Sandman’s scariest comic book history of all time.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984, now in theaters and on HBO Max.
Wonder Woman 1984 The Amazon superhero scrambles to save the world from a nefarious plot by Maxwell Lord, who uses a mythical artifact known as Dreamstone to become the world’s most powerful figure. Wonder Woman’s investigation leads to the revelation that the ancient relic was created by the god of lies, Dolos, and has been linked to the fall of civilizations throughout human history. After absorbing the Dreamstone and its abilities, Lord gains the power to change the reality around him, albeit at a twisted cost, like the paw of a living ape.
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While this might sound like an impressive story, the Dreamstone has an even more illustrious creator and was used for much more horrific things in the DC Universe comic, where it played a central role in a horrific story in the Vertigo series, The sand man.
The DC iteration of the Dreamstone was actually one of three relics owned by Morpheus of the Endless, the Lord of Dreams, to help him channel his supernatural powers. Early in the series, a cult accidentally trapped Morpheus in a magical prison after performing a ritual meant to summon his sister Death instead. While Morpheus is imprisoned for decades, a cult-linked woman stole the Dreamstone and traveled to the United States where she had a son named John Dee who would grow up to be the Doctor Destiny supervillain, with the power to manipulate dreams through his mother’s. stolen stone.
By the time Morpheus regains his freedom decades later, Destiny had been defeated by the Justice League and confined to Arkham Asylum. Escaping, Destiny retrieved the Dreamstone and stopped at a nearby restaurant to enjoy his newfound freedom and find the source of his power. This resulted in “24 hours”, a story in The sand man # 6 written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III, colored by Daniel Vozzo and lettered by Todd Klein. The issue is widely regarded as one of the most terrifying in the entire series, and a stark reminder that the story Gaiman was weaving was firmly rooted in horror and not just dark fantasy.
Over the course of 24 hours, Destiny uses the Dreamstone to gradually fold the other restaurant bosses and workers around him under his sinister will. From gruesome confessions and treating him like a king to brutal fights and their eventual gruesome deaths, Destiny’s whims have come true with bloody effect.
TV shows throughout the issue revealed that Destiny’s use of the Dreamstone spread beyond the confines of the restaurant, as the locals were driven into temporary insanity as the effects of the Dreamstone began. to penetrate for miles and miles outside. As the macabre day drew to a close, Destiny was confronted by Morpheus, who destroyed the Dream Stone and gained the powers he had stored inside the Gemstone for centuries, much like Maxwell. Lord does it in Wonder Woman 1984.
With mass hysteria gripping the world as Lord expands his reach by the end of Wonder Woman 1984, the scenes are certainly reminiscent of Destiny’s profound effects on the misuse of the Dreamstone, albeit with far less horrific consequences. And while The Dream Lord may not yet have made an appearance in the DC Extended Universe, the prominent inclusion of the Dreamstone in the film underscores the incredibly broad influence of The sand man.
Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film is currently in theaters and on HBO Max.
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