>Johanna Constantine for instance starts off rude and dismissive towards Dream, since this is the sort of behavior writers use to telegraph strong female character nowadays -- which ended up making the main character feel weaker when he's not taken seriously.[..]

This. Exactly! Jenna Coleman plays Joanna Constantine in Netflix’s Sandman. I really disliked her in Dr.Who because it became the Clara Oswald Show…

I couldn’t bear to watch her repeat the same shtick in Sandman too.