Usually comic book protagonists are the personification of heroism and a person one should look up to. However, sometimes they are just regular humans with human problems and trying to escape from daily routine. One may do that while taking a weekend trip into nature, or perhaps decide to mess with the dark forces of magic.
John Constantine (Matt Ryan) is a demon hunter and master of the occult. He struggles with his past in which he left a girl dying during a satanical ritual. He then swears to protect the innocent and fight the supernatural beings which are constantly trying to break into our world.
In his fight, he is accompanied by his long time friend Chas Chandler (Charles Halford) who possesses the ability to come back from the dead and Zed Marni (Angélica Celaya), an artist who draws has visions. The angel Manny (Harold Perrineau) is assigned to John to watch over him and his actions.
In 2014, Constantine aired on NBC, but the dark DC Comic adaptation of this anti-hero story only happened to be around for 13 episodes before it got cancelled by the network. Still, in this short period of time, the show found a solid fan base which still fights for the shows return.
Taking place in the DC universe, people thought that The CW would pick up the series and include it within the Arrowverse. Arrow, which aired in 2012, and The Flash, which aired the same year as Constantine, would have been a nice home for the series. This ramped up after The CW saved Supergirl, which got cancelled by CBS after one season in 2015, so Constantine fans started to draw attention to this show even more.
Constantine’s theme may have not been one which can be included that easily, but The CW started listening to the fans and thanks to Stephan Amell, Matt Ryan reprises his role as Constantine for one episode in Season 4 of Arrow. Back then Amell said, “The reason that I was going to guest star on Constantine, at least the idea that we were throwing around was [Constantine’s] an expert when it comes to the Lazarus Pit, which is now something that is a part of and will continue to be a part of Arrow”.
The CW saw how well the fans accepted Constantine into the Arrowverse that in 2017 they made him a regular cast member in Season 4 of Legends of Tomorrow.
Now that The CW has the right to use this character, the possibility for picking up the show or even start from the beginning is a quite realistic one. Maybe this is even their plan, to establish this character in the Arrowvese through Legends of Tomorrow and give him his own TV show afterwards.
Until then, you can learn more about John and his adventures binge watching the 13 episodes that are available, and if you need some reasons to, we’ve got you covered!
A Charming Anti-Hero
John Constantine is not everybody’s darling. He definitely is not a guy a girl will take home and introduce him as her soon-to-be-husband. Still, John can charm his way into your heart. Under the thick layers of sarcasm, he is a broken man, whose biggest wish is to change the past, especially to change that one moment everything went sideways. His drinking, smoking, and drug habits are hiding his true self, which is caring and selfless.
Magic Magic Magic
The more shows you watch which involve magic, you often hear that magic comes with a price. Of course, this is also something Constantine has to deal with, especially since there is only dark magic in this show, the price he has to pay is not a cheap one. All these Latin spells come from the darkest corner of hell and there is always the possibility that while fighting one evil, another will be unleashed upon the world.
Constantine focuses on the roots of magic so a part of this show takes place in New Orleans introducing the audience to Papa Midnite, a voodoo priest, and the Brujeria, a sinister organisation that is involved in the rising darkness John has to fight against. In fact, you see people using raw magic, reading spells, and mixing potions. Magic, which is not fun or nice to mess with.
Plenty of Potential
Taking magic out of the picture, the show has a lot of potential. During the 13 episodes the audience gets introduced to the characters, but they do not really get to know them. So for those of you who have not read the comics, it may not be easy to understand the characters fully. From John’s past in Newcastle and how Chas got his powers and what he had to give up, to Zed who clearly does not know what she really can do with hers, you can see that these complex character arcs bring something to series and even though you only see glimpse, it will make you ask for more.
Dedicated Main Actor
There are actors who simply play a role and take their paychecks and when the show is over, they just look for something new. But then there are actors who really are dedicated and feel responsible for the character they have to become and one of these actors is Matt Ryan.
I had the pleasure of meeting him two years ago on a comic con, just after his first appearance in Legends of Tomorrow and before it was announced that he will be in the main cast. Ryan said how he prepared for this role and how nice it is for him to see that the fans want to see more of him. After the show was cancelled, he reprised his role a couple of times as well as in lending his animated self his voice in “Justice League Dark” and “Constantine: City of Demons” the animated TV show and movie.
