There are major spoilers ahead for this DC’s Dark Nights: Metal #1. And we mean “major,” especially since the book won’t be out until later this week. You’ve been warned!

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo‘s Dark Nights: Metal event has already set up the arrival of several new heroes and villains to the DC multiverse. But the first issue of the series will reunite Batman with a character who has only rarely been seen since his debut two decades ago. Via the Washington Post, DC has revealed that the Dark Knight will come face-to-face with Neil Gaiman‘s Dream of the Endless. In other words, the Sandman is back!

According to Snyder, Dream plays a critical role in the Dark Nights: Metal story, for which he reached out to Gaiman to receive his blessing for Dream’s appearance. While speaking to the Washington Post, Snyder related Gaiman’s reaction to his pitch for the character: “’I love it. Go for it.’” Synder added that Gaiman’s approval was “one of the greatest days of my professional life.”

As readers of The Sandman may recall, Dream is actually Daniel Hall, the successor to Morpheus, the original star of that series. Dream is also the son of two superheroes, Lyta and Hector Hall, which gave him a greater connection to the DC Universe. Daniel’s incarnation of Dream has previously appeared outside of the Vertigo Comics line in Grant Morrison’s Justice League run, as well as within the pages of Geoff Johns’ Justice Society, where Dream brought his parents into the Dreaming after their untimely demise.

If we were to make a guess about Dream’s appearance in Dark Nights: Metal, it seems likely that the Dark Multiverse will have some sort of connection to the Dreaming. Synder has previously hinted that the Dark Multiverse is fluid and like a nightmare given form, and he may have meant that literally.

Dark Nights: Metal #1 will be released this Wednesday, August 16.

Are you excited about the return of Dream? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: DC Comics