Desire (New Earth)

Desire
Mainstream Universe‎, 1986‎-2011‎
Gallery
Real Name	Desire
Main Alias	Desire
Other Aliases	Sister-Brother, Epithumia
Relatives	Time (father), Night (mother), Destiny (brother), Death (sister), Dream (brother · deceased), Destruction (brother), Despair (twin sister), Delirium (sister), Dusk (half-sister), Sandman (Daniel Hall, brother), Orpheus (nephew · deceased), Miranda Walker (daughter), Rose Walker (granddaughter), Jed Walker (grandson), unnamed great-grandchild
Affiliation	The Endless
Base Of Operations	Gallery of Desire, The Threshold, The Dreaming
Status
Alignment	Neutral
Identity	Secret Identity
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Personification of desire and fulfillment
Characteristics
Gender	Genderless
Eyes	Yellow
Origin
Universe	New Earth
Creators	Neil Gaiman · Mike Dringenberg
First Appearance	Sandman Vol 2 #10 (November, 1989)

Desire is the third youngest of the Endless and the twin of Despair.

History

It is a strikingly beautiful figure whose gender is mutable, becoming male, female, both, or neither as the situation warrants. It is often referred to as "sibling" by its brethren , particularly Dream. Desire blends in effortlessly with whatever environment it finds itself in. It lives in the heart of a massive flesh-and-blood statue of itself, known as the Threshold. Indeed, further strengthening the connection to hearts, Desire's sigil in the galleries of the other Endless is a heart of cut glass.

Desire is described as being of medium height, smelling faintly of summer peaches. Desire casts two shadows, one black and sharp, the other translucent and wavering. Desire's smiles are brief and sharp. Its skin is "pale as smoke," and its eyes are "tawny and sharp as yellow wine."

Desire is easily the cruelest of the Endless. It seems obsessed with interfering with the affairs of its elder siblings, particularly Dream. The motivation behind this is not clear, but seems to be simply a variation on childish teasing. Desire is not exactly unaware of the consequences of its actions, but considers those consequences ultimately unimportant, a position which angers Morpheus and Death in particular. Desire sometimes acts in concert with Despair and Delirium; the relationship is not clear, however, and Desire is much more distant from its siblings than Despair or Delirium.

A more forgiving interpretation is that Desire reflects, simply, desire, and is as fickle and self-centered as the emotion. As desire is easily the most inflaming of emotions, Desire takes special delight in needling those who think they are beyond emotions altogether. It is, besides Death (who, even then, must be goaded), the only one of the Endless that will point out the faults of Dream, some of which, such as the condemnation of Nada, are legitimate. Even Destruction noted that while Desire can be malicious, it is often right.

A story in Endless Nights, set long before any other Sandman story, explains the origins of the Desire/Dream enmity, and reveals that before this Desire was Dream's favorite sibling. Dream had fallen in love with a mortal, Killalla of the Glow, and had taken her to a gathering of stars (literally the embodiments of various suns). While there, Killalla met and fell in love with the star of her own home world, abandoning Dream. Desire's role in this is never made clear. After introducing his lover to Desire when they first arrive, and leaving the two alone, Killalla asked what Desire had done for Dream to make him so affectionate, but Desire indicated that it hadn't done anything at all. Later, however, when Dream angrily blames Desire for the whole affair, Desire offers no defense, only asking Destruction after Morpheus storms off, "Doesn't he have a sense of humor?" This story, set billions of years before the story-arc of The Sandman, tends to portray the characters in a very different light, showing that even the Endless are not unchanging, with Desire's attitude towards Dream being playful rather than malicious during this early encounter.

The enmity between Dream and Desire continued through the millennia, eventually culminating in Desire raping and fathering a child on Unity Kinkaid, then attempting to have Dream kill Rose Walker, Unity's grandchild, which would have caused the ruthless and relentless Furies to hound Dream until he died for the crime of shedding family blood. When Dream discovered this at the end of The Doll's House, he openly threatened Desire with what would happen should Desire interfere in Dream's life again, and there was an uneasy truce between the two afterwards.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Personification of Desire: One of the seven Endless, inconceivably powerful beings, Desire is both lord and personification of all desire and fulfillment, It had god-like powers and absolute power over its realm. It has power over craving of the unattainable. The force of physical appetite or emotional need. Strong envious desire. In contrast it is also lord over satisfaction, extending to the attainment of ones desire.
  • Omnipresence: Being Desire, it is everywhere on Earth at any moment, but not in a form visible to humans, usually.
  • Shapeshifting: Desire could change its appearance and clothing.
  • Teleportation: It can travel instantly anywhere in the mortal realm that people die and live, and, so long as it shows proper respect, it can easily enter and transit most magical realms too.
  • Immortality: Desire was ageless and virtually immortal.
  • Sorcery: Nigh-Omnipotent mastery of magic.

Weaknesses

• Ancient Rules: Despite its great powers, Desire, like the rest of the Endless, was bound to a complex set of rules and customs.
  • One which requires it not to spill the blood of family or it is no longer protected as the personification of Desire from other Personifications
  • Another is that it cannot fall in love with a mortal or the mortals downfall is assured.
  • Desire cannot transgress an oath sworn by the First Circle, which we only hear it pronounce partially before being stopped by its brother Dream: "I swear by the first circle, and the other side of the sky, and the sword, and the -". The last power attested is likely the Presence, the only power in this universe that exceeds even the Endless' power.

Related

• 36 Appearances of Desire (New Earth)
• 20 Images featuring Desire (New Earth)
• 2 Quotations by or about Desire (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Desire (New Earth)

Footnotes

Vertigo Character
This character exists under the Vertigo Imprint which is intended for Mature Readers.Their continuity takes place within the context of Vertigo titles although they may cross over into regular DC continuity.