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Marvel Comics introduced the new series G.O.D.S. at the end of 2023. Written by acclaimed comic book author Jonathan Hickman, with art from Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia, G.O.D.S. dabbles in the metaphysical realm of the Marvel Comics universe. The series revolves around human avatars of cosmic forces like The Powers That Be and The Natural Order of Things and also features other prominent Marvel deities and magic-users as they face world-ending threats and divine politics.
Any fan of Marvel or DC comics has noticed that most heroes in those worlds have equivalent counterparts in the other publisher’s works—Deadpool and Deathstroke, or The Avengers and The Justice League, for example. G.O.D.S. was advertised as Marvel’s answer to DC’s popular The Sandman series, and there are many parallels between the two titles, from the nature of the characters to the elements of their plots.
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The main characters in The Sandman and G.O.D.S. have many similarities. In The Sandman, the primary focus is on Dream, also called Morpheus, a personification of the concept of dreaming. Dream is mysterious and a bit of a brooding loner. Despite his isolation, he became romantically involved with a mortal woman. Dream feels his responsibilities acutely but doesn’t always make compassionate decisions.
The primary protagonist in G.O.D.S. is Wyn, an immortal human sorcerer who is the Avatar of The Powers That Be. Like Morpheus, Wyn is also enigmatic and prefers to keep things to himself. He married a mortal woman who didn’t know his true nature. Wyn executes his responsibilities faithfully, but he is not infallible, and his mistakes, like Dreams, have far-reaching consequences.
Both Comics Explore Cosmic-Level Powers, Beings, and Events
The most obvious similarity between G.O.D.S. and The Sandman is the nature of the characters these comic books feature. The Sandman focused on a group of metaphysical entities called The Endless, which are personifications of primal forces like Death, Dreams, or Desire. G.O.D.S. stars immortal avatars of cosmic forces like The Powers That Be and god-like personifications of concepts like Oblivion.
In both G.O.D.S. and The Sandman, stories don’t revolve solely around the cosmic entities but also the humans who get swept up in the activities of those cosmic forces, often to the humans’ detriment. Both The Sandman’s Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Hickman’s G.O.D.S. enjoy telling complex tales through their comics, and the scope of the powerful forces at work in these books allow their authors to enact multi-faceted narratives built around the entities’ nearly limitless powers.
8 G.O.D.S. and The Sandman Prominently Feature Gods
From God-Like Beings to Figures from Mythology, Both Series Focus on the Divine
Given its title, it should be no surprise that the G.O.D.S. series involves actual gods and god-like beings from Marvel Comics. The comic’s characters label the cosmic forces dubbed The Powers That Be and The Natural Order of Things as major gods. The characters also refer to other gods in the Marvel Comics universe affected by the story’s events.
The Sandman primarily features personifications of primal forces rather than literal gods. However, throughout the series, gods from various mythologies also appear and interact with those forces. Loki from Norse mythology plays a prominent role in the series. At one point, Dream consults with Bast, the Egyptian god of cats. Christian theology is also prominent in The Sandman, with Dream traveling repeatedly to Hell and interacting with Lucifer and other powerful demons.
7 The Sandman and G.O.D.S. Rely on Predictions from Oracles
Magic Users in Both Worlds Tend to Have Knowledge of Future Events
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In G.O.D.S., one important character has the powers of Cassandra, the oracle figure from Greek mythology who could see the future but was doomed never to be believed by anyone else. Cassandra plays a vital role in the story, foreseeing the end of reality and taking steps to avert the impending disaster she has predicted.
Both Oracles and elements from Greek mythology are also featured in the story of The Sandman. At one point, Dream must consult with an oracle to locate his lost brother. The oracle in question was Orpheus, another figure from Greek myths. The Fates also play a role in Dream’s story, seeing the lives of all the beings in the world as threads and cutting those strands when someone’s time in the world has run its course. Prophecy is a frequent feature of divine stories, and both comics lean on that magical tool.
6 G.O.D.S. and The Sandman Feature Magic-Users From Other Comics
Marvel’s Doctor Strange and DC’s Hellblazer Both Play Roles in the Two Stories
Stories about gods often involve magic, which is true for both G.O.D.S. and The Sandman. In addition to the mystical powers of the god-like beings in those stories, magic-users are also heavily featured in both comics. In The Sandman, for example, DC character and magic-user Hellblazer, aka John Constantine plays a role in early issues as he assists Morpheus in recovering the lord of Dreams’ stolen paraphernalia.
In G.O.D.S., the characters are likewise assisted by prominent magic users from the Marvel Comics universe. Doctor Strange, his wife Cleo, Sorcerer Supreme Wong, and other magic-wielding figures have made several appearances in the series. Although these characters in both series are extremely powerful, their abilities pale compared to the cosmic forces at work in the background.
5 The Sandman and G.O.D.S.’ Heroes Track Down Rogue Magic
Morpheus and Wyn Both Protect Humans from Metaphysical Threats
The Sandman comics begin with Morpheus escaping imprisonment and rebuilding his realm, The Dreaming. While he was trapped, individual dreams from his realm escaped and infiltrated the real world, often causing pain and destruction. Morpheus felt obligated to hunt and capture these rogue dreams and return them to his realm before they could cause more harm.
Although G.O.D.S. is still early in its story, the characters have already tracked down and captured several rogue magic-users who threaten the world. Wyn and his counterparts monitor illicit uses of magic and step in when those events are poised to become larger disasters. In both stories, the characters are responsible for ensuring that the people wielding the powers they represent don’t use them to destroy the rest of the world.
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Love is generally considered a human emotion. Despite the divine beings in both G.O.D.S. and The Sandman, love stories play a major role in both series. In The Sandman, Dream imprisons a former lover in Hell for centuries after she rejects him. After being imprisoned for decades, he realizes the error and cruelty of his actions and attempts to make amends, with catastrophic consequences.
G.O.D.S. also involves star-crossed lovers. Ten years before the comics’ events, Wyn, the Avatar of The Powers That Be, was married to Aiko, who became a representative of The Natural Order of Things. Servants of rival gods, the pair were forced to separate violently. However, despite their history and conflicting loyalties, the pair still has strong feelings for each other that seem likely to cause further turmoil.
3 The Sandman and G.O.D.S. Operate Parallel to the Real World
These Magical Series Occupy Spaces Inaccessible to Most Ordinary People
The forces at work in The Sandman and G.O.D.S. are monumental and shape the very nature of reality and the fate of all who live there. However, thanks to the power of magic and divine beings, most ordinary people are completely unaware of the colossal events occurring beyond their perception. Ordinary humans go about their lives, oblivious to the potentially reality-ending threats that exist within their world.
In The Sandman, events that affected Dream and his realm sometimes manifested as nightmares experienced by ordinary people worldwide. Rogue dreams could affect or even kill unsuspecting mortals. In G.O.D.S., the characters fight to save reality through sorcerous battles. Still, most people living alongside them have no idea that these epic struggles are even occurring.
2 G.O.D.S. and The Sandman Are Set in Fantastical Locations
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Both The Sandman and G.O.D.S. are urban fantasy stories centered around gods and magic. The settings portrayed in these comics reflect the fantasy genre, with many fantastical settings for the characters to explore. These settings exist within or parallel to the world most humans perceive, and because of their magical nature, they are often immense in scope and as strange as their creators can imagine.
In G.O.D.S., the characters gather in locations like the Library of Worlds, which is only accessible to those with the mystical knowledge of how to enter. Physics breaks down, and spaces are often far bigger on the inside, with features that could not exist in the normal physical plane. In The Sandman, The Endless dwells in their realms parallel to reality, the form of which is completely under their control.
1 The Sandman and G.O.D.S. Include Cameos from Other Marvel and DC Characters
Even Batman and Clark Kent Have Appeared in these Mystical Stories
Most comic book titles from Marvel and DC focus on superheroes. Comic books about gods and magic are far more likely to be indie titles, free from the constraints of pre-existing universes. Both G.O.D.S. and The Sandman feel like indie comics due to their subject matter, but they exist within their respective publishers’ larger comic book universes. Because of this, other characters from those universes occasionally make appearances.
The Sandman rarely used characters from the main DC comics universe. Still, there were cameo appearances by a number of both major and minor DC characters like Hellblazer and even Batman. G.O.D.S. primarily focuses on new characters, but existing Marvel characters like Doctor Strange and The In-Betweener play significant roles in the story, tying it into the larger world within the Marvel comics universe.
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