Let’s Talk About John Constantine

Though many have seen the Constantine series on Amazon Prime (or NBC in America, I believe), the first and only season will begin in the UK on the 18th of September at 9PM on Fox. So if you haven’t yet seen it, now’s your chance.  The series was brilliant and I was sad to see it end, however, John Constantine has turned up in DC’s other superhero shows like Arrow and The Legends of Tomorrow, never quite leaving our screens entirely.  

Constantine

John Constantine

John Constantine is an exorcist, demonologist, and petty dabbler in the dark arts from Liverpool, UK, with a foul mouth, and anti-social nature. Doing whatever it takes to get the job done, from finding dangerous magical artefacts to going in locked and loaded with an arsenal of weapons. John Constantine is capable of performing spells, rituals, and summoning demons should the situation require it. He also has the bizarre ability to be in exactly the right place at the right time. But he’s also a con-man, using these skills to get what he wants and needs from people before falling back on his other skills. Hoping for redemtion of his soul.

To stand against the dark forces you must be willing to sacrifice everything and everyone.

The series begins with John in an asylum in the hope that the demons tormenting him will go away, but they seem to be able to find him anywhere. And come baring a message which sends him on a mission to find a girl and save her from what is coming, which would be a little easier if that blasted angel would just get to the point of the stalking. 

With blond hair and blue eyes, the series Constantine is a very different portrayal than Keanu Reeve’s movie version. 

Constantine | Keanu Reeves

Constantine

In the movie John Constantine is an exorcist living in Los Angeles and is able to see angels and demons. An ability that caused him to attempt suicide aged 15. Before he could be revived he spent some time in hell and knows that’s where his final resting place will be. Having recently learnt that he has cancer, that time may be sooner than he would like. The half-breed angel Gabriel won’t help him. His exorcisms won’t save his soul from going to hell. And hell is waiting for him. Agreeing reluctantly to help a detective find out what really happened to her twin sister he is drawn further into what turns out to be an attempt to bring hell to earth. 

Like many others, I discovered John Constantine on the screen and not in the pages of his graphic novel adventures. My comic of choice was Overkill as a teen, and only for a short while since the newsagent near us stopped selling it after about 15 editions.

Returning to Our Screens

So, whether you’ve read the comics, watched the movie, or seen the cartoons, if you haven’t yet seen the series give it a chance. Because John is gonna be on our screens a whole lot more in the Legends of Tomorrow as a series regular. Series 4 of Legends of Tomorrow begins in October on Sky One.