She Was Once Very Different, So Why Did Delight Become Delirium in 'The Sandman'?

Fans of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman know that the Netflix series is already deviating from the source material a little bit. The series started out strong, giving a little bit of an explanation of the backstory for the protagonist Morpheus, King of Dreams. Morpheus's role, of course, is why the series is named the way it is.

But through the series, avid watchers get to know Morpheus's siblings: Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Prodigal. There are more questions than answers about those six, but especially surrounding one: Delirium. We know through careful visual hints and mentions that she was once Delight. So why did she become Delirium? There are some theories.

Delirium is one of the most important members of the family, as the youngest and ostensibly the most powerful. In Season 2 of The Sandman on Netflix, it becomes quickly apparent that Delirium has some secrets. Not least of which is how she transformed from Delight to Delirium.

While Neil hasn't given any definitive answers, instead suggesting that Delirium is meant to be in a state of flux (via Movieholic), there are some fan theories.

One theory suggests that she experienced some sort of trauma, with some fans believing it may have been sexual assault. However, there's not much evidence to back this theory up. And we know that she was once supposed to be married, so could loss be the driver for her change? It's hard to say.

Another theory, which aligns with the author's comments on the character, suggests that she's still transforming, and Delirium isn't her final state of being. In one scene in Season 2, Destruction mentions that he hopes Delirium's next change will be easier on her. "Next change" seems to imply that not only is she still changing, but it's expected.

However, it's evident that even the siblings aren't exactly sure why she changed. We do know that it appears her change happened a very long time ago, in prehistoric times, even. Destiny himself, who's supposed to know everything, is reminded quite curtly that even he doesn't know why she changed (via Soap Central).

The only real glimpse we get of Delirium as Delight is that one eerie portrait of her, looking quite different and far more peaceful.

So is it about transforming or perhaps evolving? The entire series seems to mimic the evolution of the universe, and several fan theories point out that the universe itself went from chaos to calm and then back to chaos again, so it could be that Delirium is mirroring the universe's changes. Her change could be symbolic, representing change, loss, trauma, balance, or even the evolution of human culture and society.

However, ultimately, Delirium's change remains a mystery. While some fans are certain they know what's happening, her evolution or transformation has always been a point of curiosity about her character, making her one of the most fascinating siblings. If they could be ranked by fascination, anyway, which would be exceedingly hard to do.