Who is The Corinthian? The Sandman villain explained
Boyd Holbrook stars as the Nightmare character in Netflix's series. **WARNING: Contains mild spoilers for The Sandman**
We have finally stepped into the world of The Dreaming. The Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's comic series The Sandman follows the Endless being known as Dream/Morpheus, played by Tom Sturridge.
After being incarcerated for much of a century, Dream escapes and must retrieve the objects which give him his power – whilst also stopping more damage being done by the likes of an individual known as The Corinthian.
So, just who is this suave character that Dream is up against?
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Who is The Corinthian in The Sandman?
The Corinthian is a Nightmare created by Dream/Morpheus who goes rogue and escapes from the realm of The Dreaming.
Dream is trying to apprehend his creation when the Endless being is captured in the first episoded.
The character of The Corinthian serves as an antagonist and serial killer who wields the abilities of clairvoyance, supernatural vision and superior contact skills.
Despite lacking eyes, The Corinthian has excellent eyesight and consumes the eyes of his male victims - which allows him view their pasts and even their futures.
What is The Corinthian like in The Sandman comics?
The Corinthian depicted in the show is very accurate to his portrayal in Gaiman's comics.
The character appears in early issues of the series as part of the second volume, The Doll's House.
In these issues, Dream describes as having created The Corinthian to be "the darkness, and the fear of darkness in every human heart. A black mirror, made to reflect everything about itself that humanity will not confront."
However, The Corinthian's acheievents as a serial killer fall short of what Dream intended, prompting The Corinthian to be "unmade".
The character later returns to aid Dream in the ninth volume of the comics, The Kindly Ones.
Who portrays The Corinthian in The Sandman on Netflix?
The Corinthian is portrayed by American actor Boyd Holbrook.
Holbrook is best known for his film roles, particularly his turns in Logan, The Predator, In the Shadow of the Moon, and Vengeance.
He has also appeared in films such as Milk, Out of the Furnace, Run All Night, A Walk Among the Tombstones, and Gone Girl. The Hollywood star has been cast in the upcoming fifth instalment of the Indiana Jones film series opposite Harrison Ford, too.
In the realm of television, Holbrook is known for portraying DEA agent Steve Murphy in the Netflix crime drama Narcos The actor also appeared in the series Hatfields & McCoys.
Holbrook was previously a runway model before moving into acting.
He was previously engaged to Elizabeth Olsen from 2014 to 2015 but is now married to Tatiana Pajkovic and they have a son together.
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The Sandman is available to stream on Netflix from Friday 5th August 2022. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
