It Expands Upon the Candyman Legend
The original Candyman from 1992 shares the story of Daniel Robitaille, who was murdered after falling in love with the white daughter of a wealthy landowner, and establishes him as the one and only Candyman. As part of the 2021 version, we learn that this is no longer true. Instead, as Domingo's William Burke shares, "Candyman ain't a 'he,' Candyman is the whole damn hive."
After Daniel's murder in the 1890s, there is the lynching of William Bell in the 1920s. This version of Candyman is followed by Samuel Evans, who died during the riots of the 1950s. Finally, there is Sherman Fields, a friendly man with a hook for a hand who gave out candy to the kids of Cabrini-Green who is eventually beaten to death by the police for a crime he didn't commit in 1977. It's this final Candyman that brings William Burke into the story, as he is the one who alerts the police to Sherman's location and continues the cycle of violence for Abdul-Mateen II's Anthony. By expanding upon the legend and lore, it gives a place for the story to go without having to completely retread what's already been done.