Character Spotlight: John Constantine

I grew up with a mother who was into going to church so we couldn't watch The Exorcist or anything like that, but, during the summer of 2005, I woke up one morning and saw that my parents went to Hollywood Video because anytime they go to buy movies, they usually end up on the floor, but, if they rent, they leave rented movies on top of the TV. Anyway, they bought a few movies but rented one, Constantine with Keanu Reeves, and I wanted to watch it, but I had summer school.

I saw the movie, my mom surprisingly liked it, but I knew I loved the character after the movie. I didn't know much about him, but all I knew at the time was that he's a guy who's trying to get to heaven when he dies, except that he was doomed to go to hell, and, the demons that got to earth, he sent them back so not only is he doomed to go to hell but he has to deal with the demons he put there, too. Also, I loved that there was, like, a biblical warfare going on.

I didn't do more research until I was 20, when the show with Matt Ryan as Constantine premiered on NBC, and I ended up finding out more things that I didn't even know, like he was made to look like Sting, he's a mage, he's terrible at fighting but his real superpower comes from his mind, and he has a brother but he killed him while he was in the womb. Basically, a lot of dark stuff happened.

I also didn't know that he's the leader of his own team, Justice League Dark. The team has him, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Madame Xanadu, Shade, and the Changing Man. He has a history with Zatanna because they've hooked up a lot and they've also dated, but the team handles more supernatural things that the Justice League can't handle. Batman has tagged along with their adventures before, a few times; there's even a movie for Justice League Dark, and Batman is in it.

What makes Constantine so awesome to me and one of my favorite characters is that, other than the fact that he's so badass and he faces these things from other worlds, he has the brains, and that's his best weapon. Also, another thing I didn't know was that he's British, which threw me off when I first saw the show, but I got over it; it's not like it bothered me or anything. It was one of those things you didn't expect to happen.

So the major difference between the movie version of Constantine and the TV version, other than their nationality, is their skill set like in the movie; he's Constantine, but he can make a shotgun cross, which I still think looks awesome, and he's more of a priest than a mage, plus they emphasize his chainsmoking; but TV's Constantine is more of a mage, and he uses his mind to get out of situations more. Also, you kinda see him more as a detective a little.

Lastly, I love that he's a superhero, but he doesn't need a costume or anything to help conceal his identity. He's a regular guy, but he has a lot of tricks up his sleeves, which is awesome because even when things aren't working out for him, he still manages to find a way to come out on top and, of course, he's going to have some damage done to him so he's not invincible or anything. Also, he's the only character that I'd dress up as with no problem because I wouldn't hate it since I'm not a huge fan of dressing up.