Delirium, a rainbow haired girl in an oversized gray coat.
(DC Vertigo)

All Us Tori Amos Fans Finally Have Our Delirium

Today, Netflix released a big treat for Sandman fans: a teaser showing off all the members of the Endless, including three new characters. One of those characters is the fan-favorite—and highly anticipated—youngest Endless sibling, Delirium.

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And now, after months of rumors and speculation, we finally know for certain who’s playing her!

Delirium is the most eccentric member of the Endless, as her name implies. According to Sandman lore, Delirium used to be Delight, but she gradually changed over the eons. Now, with mismatched eyes and a whole wardrobe of shabby punk clothing, Delirium is the embodiment of confusion and its counterpart, rationality.

From the start, it’s been clear that Delirium will be a tricky character to play. In the comics, she’s portrayed as rambling and often nonsensical, constantly spinning off into tangents and fantasies. Her psyche is so unmoored from reality that her speech bubbles have rainbow backgrounds, with the text rendered in a messy scrawl.

A girl in a leather jacket and rainbow hair sits at a table and holds out two chocolate people. A multicolored speech bubble reads, "Look, these two are making lo-ove ... K.I.S.S.I.N.G."
(DC Vertigo)

However, Delirium has also had a devoted fanbase for decades. Legend has it that her appearance is loosely based on the singer Tori Amos, with whom Neil Gaiman is close friends. Delirium was a kindred spirit to teen girls in the ’90s who loved the fantastical tone of Gaiman’s work.

So who’s the lucky actor who gets to bring Delirium to life?

Esmé Creed-Miles is our Delirium

In Netflix’s announcement, the streamer confirmed months of rumors and announced that British actor Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna, The Legend of Vox Machina) is playing Delirium. In the teaser, we see Creed-Miles in Delirium’s signature torn fishnets.

Creed-Miles posted her own announcement on Instagram, consisting of a few panels from the Sandman comics.

How will Creed-Miles approach the role of Delirium? How will she balance staying true to the comics and bringing her own perspective to the role? A whole generation of former ’90s teen girls is waiting to find out.

The next batch of Sandman episodes is coming soon.


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Julia Glassman
Julia Glassman (she/her) holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and has been covering feminism and media since 2007. As a staff writer for The Mary Sue, Julia covers Marvel movies, folk horror, sci fi and fantasy, film and TV, comics, and all things witchy. Under the pen name Asa West, she's the author of the popular zine 'Five Principles of Green Witchcraft' (Gods & Radicals Press). You can check out more of her writing at <a href="https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/">https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/.</a>
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