The Corinthian

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Corinthian is AWOL from the dreamscape following Dream's escape from capture, and masquerades as a serial killer who removes his victims' eyes. Dream finds him shortly after saving Rose Walker, stating that Corinthian was created to represent the collective darkness of humanity and expressing disappointment in him for failing to fulfill his purpose. As punishment, Dream kills Corinthian, leaving behind a skull and some sand, and promises to improve upon him. Dream recreates Corinthian in The Kindly Ones storyline, wherein he helps rescue and protect Daniel Hall. This second Corinthian possesses the same memories as the predecessor, but does not act like him. In 1999, Neil Gaiman stated that the Corinthian is homosexual in The Sandman Companion, wherein the first Corinthian consumed eyes only of boys. In 2022, he identified the Corinthian as pansexual in the Netflix TV series. The second Corinthian is featured with a boyfriend as written by Caitlin R. Kiernan in The Dreaming.

In Their Own Story

In the three-issue miniseries The Corinthian: Death In Venice, the first Corinthian entered the waking world in the year 1920. He displays the ability for possessing the bodies of the living, a process which causes the possessed body's hair to turn white and their eye sockets to bleed as the eyes are replaced by Corinthian's teeth. He wants someone to teach him "how to kill" and develops a rapport with a wealthy, traveling heiress who claims to be the immortal incarnation of Pestilence. The two form a pact: she agrees to teach Corinthian how to murder, and he agrees to teach her how to "stop being you." They murder a celebrant at the Carnival of Venice, but Corinthian finds himself unable to take part, cursing himself. He eventually fulfills both promises by slitting her throat. Charles Constantine, a relative of John Constantine, encounters the two and kills Corinthian with a knife, though Corinthian is revealed to have survived and begins his murder spree. The second Corinthian returns in The Dreaming spinoff as part of the "Souvenirs" storyline. As punishment for hunting the transgender woman Echo, Corinthian is made mortal and Echo is given his position. As a mortal, Corinthian develops compassion for humans and comes to understand fear, especially after the death of his lover Sila. He is eventually deemed fit to return to the Dreaming, with Daniel Hall finding another place for Echo. In Nightmare Country, the second Corinthian continues his duties as humanity's black mirror and has developed several methods to keep his volatile impulses in check, including keeping a record of the memories of his predecessor. He encounters the "Smiling Man," a rogue dream entity, and petitions Dream to allow him to re-enter the waking world to track it down with the aid of Maddison Flynn. Their investigation leads to a demonic night club where Azazel tempts Corinthian with a fragment of the original Corinthian. Dream eventually intercedes, removes the source of the nightclub's power, and removes Corinthian's memories of the ordeal, leaving Maddison without protection as she is abducted by the Smiling Man.

Reader's Guide

The first Corinthian claims to have excellent eyesight, and is shown driving a car even while wearing sunglasses at night. He is able to consume the eyes of humans, allowing him to view their memories and see the future. Corinthian is able to possess human bodies, whereof the eyes are consumed and replaced by teeth and the hair of the victim turns white. The second Corinthian resembles the first, but is very skilled at hand-to-hand combat. He possesses the ability to detect shapeshifters, shown when deducing Loki's disguise quickly thanks to the memories of his predecessor. During his search for Daniel Hall, Corinthian kills a supernatural wolf with his bare hands and later defeats Loki in single combat. He is also a skilled tracker, able to locate targets across cities and realms with relative ease. Boyd Holbrook portrayed both Corinthians in the Netflix television series The Sandman. Corinthian also appears in The Sandman (2020), voiced by Riz Ahmed.

Did You Know?

• The Corinthian first appeared in The Sandman #10 (October 1989), part of the second story arc, The Doll's House.
• His most notable physical feature is his lack of eyes: in their place, two rows of small, jagged teeth line each eye socket.
• In 1999, Neil Gaiman stated in The Sandman Companion that the Corinthian is homosexual, and that the first Corinthian consumed eyes only of boys.
• The second Corinthian is featured with a boyfriend as written by Caitlin R. Kiernan in The Dreaming.
• Boyd Holbrook portrayed both Corinthians in the Netflix television series The Sandman.