The Netflix hit you’ve been sleeping on thunders into Marvel territory by casting Thor, Loki, and Odin

Hands up who remembered The Sandman season 2 was coming? You’d be forgiven for sleeping on what was once one of the buzziest of Netflix shows when its first season debuted back in 2022, as things had gone quiet in the Dreaming for a long while. In some good news, though, the sophomore run of the Neil Gaiman fantasy is now finally going before cameras — with an extended cast to boot!

Netflix has confirmed a bevy of new nightmares and dream creatures joining Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus for season 2. In particular, Marvel fans will be interested to hear that The Sandman — which is set in the wider DC multiverse, don’t forget — is introducing its own iterations of three Marvel Cinematic Universe staples this time around. Namely, the God of Thunder himself, Thor, his trickster brother, Loki, and almighty father, Odin.

The trio will be played by some familiar faces, too. Laurence O’Fuarain (The Witcher: Blood Origin) is portraying Thor, The Gentlemen‘s Freddie Fox is Loki, while Clive Russell (Game of Thrones) is Odin. Don’t expect these to be the same characters as the MCU versions, though. According to Netflix, The Sandman‘s Thor is described as “brusque, rude, and driven entirely by his appetites for food and drink, battle, and sex.” What would Kevin Feige say!

Who else is joining the cast of The Sandman season 2?

Other exciting additions to the cast include Ruairi O’Connor as Dream’s son, Orpheus, GOT legend Jack Gleeson as Puck (yes, the Shakespeare one), Douglas Booth and Ann Skelly as Fairy royalty Cluracan and Nuala, Pose icon Indya Moore as human character Wanda, and Oscar-nominated actor Steve Coogan as the voice of Barnabus the dog.

These stars join three previously announced newcomers to the Sandman family — literally. Adrian Lester, Esmé Creed-Miles, and Barry Sloane have already been cast as Destiny, Delirium, and the Prodigal, the other three Endless siblings that we didn’t meet in season 1. The Sandman is well and truly building up its own cinematic universe in season 2, then. Watch out, Marvel Studios!