He starts out as a "mystery man", but eventually develops into a more standard superhero, becoming a founder of the Justice Society of America.

The Sandman is assisted by two living nightmares named Brute and Glob, whom he releases from domed cells with the help of a magic whistle.

They are nuisances who beg for release, who are intent on hand-to-hand combat, but are implied to be relatively harmless and well-intentioned once freed.

In the final Fleischer-Kirby-created adventure (intended for The Sandman #7 but published in The Best of DC #22)[4] he even assists the legendary Santa Claus against a menacing band of Seal Men who are angry about being sent the wrong gifts during the previous Christmas.

In a retcon by Roy Thomas, appearing in Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983), the Sandman is revealed to be Dr. Garrett Sanford, a UCLA psychology professor who became trapped in the Dream Dimension while saving the life of a great man (there are hints that it is a U.S. President), who was in a coma while being terrorized by a powerful nightmare monster.

Sandman, Jed, Brute, and Glob, observed by Metron, appeared in one panel of Swamp Thing #62, Rick Veitch's first writing on the series.

Garrett Sanford has been operating in the Dreaming as Sandman for a long time while being served by Brute and Glob.

Gaiman's Dream more closely resembles the concept of the Sandman as he is portrayed in mythology than a traditional superhero genre character.

In the course of Gaiman's story arcs, it is retconned that the other DC Sandman characters were in various ways derived from Morpheus or his activities.

He refers to himself as simply "Dream of the Endless"; in The Wake he states that he has no right to the name of "Morpheus", and that the part of him which was the mortal boy Daniel Hall no longer exists.

Some time later in the pages of JSA 63–64, the chairman and heir to the Sandman legacy Sand has his soul stolen by Brute and Glob to briefly assume the role of the Dream Dimension's protector, again in the Kirby-designed costume.

Eventually, Dr Fate (Hector Hall) and his wife Lyta lead a contingent of the JSA to Sand's rescue.

Subsequently, Sand officially adopted the Sandman name and a costume patterned after Wesley Dodds in the third volume of Justice Society of America.