Editing List of The Sandman characters (section)

===Alex Burgess===
'''Alex Burgess''' is the son of Roderick Burgess, mother unknown (but probably [[#Ethel Cripps|Ethel Cripps]],{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} and therefore half-brother of [[Doctor Destiny]]). He is taught by his father, and takes part in his rituals. Upon Roderick Burgess' death, Alex inherits his estate, including his magical order. He keeps Dream imprisoned, as his father did, trying to bargain for power and immortality in exchange for Dream's release.

The Order of the Ancient Mysteries enjoys a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s, but by the 1970s it is in decline again. Alex passes ownership of the Order on to his boyfriend, Paul McGuire, and becomes obsessed with his prisoner and with his father. Finally, in 1988, Dream escapes and puts Alex into a nightmare of "eternal waking", in which he is forever dreaming he is waking up, and each waking degenerates into another horrible nightmare. This nightmare lasts for years, ending only with Dream's death in ''[[The Sandman: The Kindly Ones|The Kindly Ones]]''.

Alex is quite tall and near-sighted. He has brown hair which he wears in a variety of styles throughout his life, but by old age he is bald and has come to resemble his father very closely. His relationship with McGuire is deep and heartfelt, but his obsessions with his father and with Dream eventually come to rule his life. In ''[[The Sandman: The Wake|The Wake]]'', he appears again as the child that we see in his first appearance.

Alex is in many ways a tragic figure, perhaps the first statement of the theme that [[Desire (DC Comics)|Desire]] explores in ''[[The Sandman: The Wake|The Wake]]'': "The bonds of family bind both ways". Had Alex not been born the son of his father, inheriting the imprisoned Dream, his life might have been much happier. However, he is finally able to find some measure of fulfillment in his old age, following Dream's death.

His name almost certainly derives from [[Anthony Burgess]]'s ''[[A Clockwork Orange (novel)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', the protagonist of which is named Alex, but could also be a nod to [[Aleister Crowley]], whose original middle name was Alexander and who was mentioned in the first issue.

In the podcast, Alex Burgess is voiced by [[Blake Ritson]].

Alex appears in ''[[The Sandman (TV series)|The Sandman]]'' episode "Sleep of the Just", portrayed by [[Benjamin Evan Ainsworth]] as a young man, [[Laurie Kynaston]] as an adult, and by Benedick Blythe as an elderly man.