Constantine

[Bartmanhomer]

Have Constantine always been a jerk in the DC comics? I've seen him on cartoons such as Justice League Dark and also on DC TV shows such as Legends of Tomorrow. Also is he a hero or anti-hero?

[comicshorse]

Pretty much always a jerk
And a manipulative, lying, conman. But that's why we like him

[Traab]

Yeah he is a big proponent of good doesnt always mean nice. Also anti hero isnt a terrible description as while he does fight the bad guys, he is known for making deals with other bad guys to do it. Best example, when he was dying of lung cancer he conned three lords of hell into a deal for his soul, then when they showed up to claim it they realized if they fought each other it would give the guys above an opening. And since they couldnt back out of the deal, instead they cured his lung cancer so they wouldnt have to deal with it now.

[Ramza00]

Have Constantine always been a jerk in the DC comics? I've seen him on cartoons such as Justice League Dark and also on DC TV shows such as Legends of Tomorrow. Also is he a hero or anti-hero?

Yes he is always a jerk, but also he comes from a family / cycle of people who [censored] him over and they were bigger jerks and thus it kind of rubbed off on him. He is a person that has problems with trust and thus is always guarded.

Hero, Anti-Hero, those words mean nothing for me, John Constantine is a person of questionable morality playing with monsters, demons, gods, and bigger things than human and thus his constants are being human and questionable morality in order to survive.

[Anonymouswizard]

Have Constantine always been a jerk in the DC comics? I've seen him on cartoons such as Justice League Dark and also on DC TV shows such as Legends of Tomorrow. Also is he a hero or anti-hero?

John is not a good man, but he does do the right thing.

I believe he's been softened since the original Hellblazer was abandoned, but John Constantine is somebody who manages to go toe to toe with some of the most powerful beings in the DCU with practically no inherent power. John does not have the magical potential of somebody like Zantana despite being from a magical bloodline, he's at his level of power because he's experienced, because he knows things, and because he's willing to do what he needs to in order to come out on top.

Not that John's terribly weak, he's got access to some pretty powerful magic. But he needs rituals to pull it off, and he tends to have to rely on his wits and luck, which all ends up to having to be that bad guy in order to solve the problem.

On the other hand, John is also just a jerk. Not that he doesn't have a good heart, or that he isn't kind to a lot of people, but his abbrasiveness and jerkishness is part of his character.

On a side note I've yet to see a TV show pronounce his name right. Rhymes with turpentine.

[Brother Oni]

On a side note I've yet to see a TV show pronounce his name right. Rhymes with turpentine.

That might be a UK/American thing - Americans pronounce it 'Constanteen' while the British pronounce it 'Constantyne'.

Incidentally 'turpentine' suffers the exact same problem, so it doesn't help clarity.

[Anonymouswizard]

That might be a UK/American thing - Americans pronounce it 'Constanteen' while the British pronounce it 'Constantyne'.

Incidentally 'turpentine' suffers the exact same problem, so it doesn't help clarity.

He's a Brit, what pronunciation do you thigh he uses.

[Kitten Champion]

That might be a UK/American thing - Americans pronounce it 'Constanteen' while the British pronounce it 'Constantyne'.

Incidentally 'turpentine' suffers the exact same problem, so it doesn't help clarity.

People say Turpenteen?

Are these the same people who say tomahto?

[Brother Oni]

He's a Brit, what pronunciation do you thigh he uses.

Preaching to the choir here.

People say Turpenteen?

Are these the same people who say tomahto?

I can't say for anybody, but I say 'Turpentyne' and 'tomahto'.

Then again, I still spell sulphur with a 'ph', so I'm not the most representative of the population.

[Clertar]

Then again, I still spell sulphur with a 'ph', so I'm not the most representative of the population.

Somehow I read that you "pronounced sulphur with a ph" and I spent way too long imagining alternative ways to pronounce it.

[Iruka]

Somehow I read that you "pronounced sulphur with a ph" and I spent way too long imagining alternative ways to pronounce it.

"Sulp-hur? I hardly know her!"

[Clertar]

Exactly, a ph version of the "white as hwyte" thing haha

[GloatingSwine]

He's a Brit, what pronunciation do you thigh he uses.

Given that he's a Scouser, one that sounds like pouring the stuff in your ears.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Better to say his name rhymes with Valentine, as the pronunciation of that hasn't changed.

[Traab]

Better to say his name rhymes with Valentine, as the pronunciation of that hasn't changed.

As a name I hear it teen, as a holiday tine. Not sure why.

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm not saying that I hate Constantine because of his rude behaviour nor I think he my favourite character. To me, he's a very decent character and a bit of comedy relief.

[Brother Oni]

I'm not saying that I hate Constantine because of his rude behaviour nor I think he my favourite character. To me, he's a very decent character and a bit of comedy relief.

...

You must have really not read any of the original Hellblazer, or even seen the Constantine TV series.

Either that or they've absolutely castrated the New 52 version of him.

[Bartmanhomer]

...

You must have really not read any of the original Hellblazer, or even seen the Constantine TV series.

Either that or they've absolutely castrated the New 52 version of him.

No I haven't but like I said before he's a very decent character.

[Eldan]

Decent as in interesting maybe, but man is it weird to hear him called comic relief. He's a paranoid, depressive, backstabbing, lying, raging alcoholic. Hellblazer is incredibly dark sometimes.

[Bartmanhomer]

Decent as in interesting maybe, but man is it weird to hear him called comic relief. He's a paranoid, depressive, backstabbing, lying, raging alcoholic. Hellblazer is incredibly dark sometimes.

Maybe not the comic book because I never read the comic boom. But he's a comic relief in cartoons and TV shows. He's had his humorous moments in the media.

[Anonymouswizard]

Maybe not the comic book because I never read the comic boom. But he's a comic relief in cartoons and TV shows. He's had his humorous moments in the media.

Well that sounds weird to me, considering my only experience with him TV-wise is the Constanteen TV show. Where despite Hellblazer plots being toned down and Constantine being a nicer person he's still nowhere near comic relief (that's more Chas, our good old London Cabbie). Constantine can be funny (remember, no zip ties without a safe word*), but he's a target serious and very dark character.

* Or, for a comic example, trolling a journalist with conspiracy theories.

[Bartmanhomer]

Well that sounds weird to me, considering my only experience with him TV-wise is the Constanteen TV show. Where despite Hellblazer plots being toned down and Constantine being a nicer person he's still nowhere near comic relief (that's more Chas, our good old London Cabbie). Constantine can be funny (remember, no zip ties without a safe word*), but he's a target serious and very dark character.

* Or, for a comic example, trolling a journalist with conspiracy theories.

I seen him a bit differently but that just my opinion.

[sktarq]

Constantine (ahem with a -tyne) should only be considered comic relief (he always had wit) if he is being compared to Judd Dredd (who just let the world be snarky for him imo) and only slightly less dark than JtHM

but that's just my opinion.


actually take Judge Dredd, Reynard the Fox, Crow, LA Noir/Raymond Chadler leads, and JtHM - place in blender and pour....garnish with a cigarette

[Bartmanhomer]

Constantine (ahem with a -tyne) should only be considered comic relief (he always had wit) if he is being compared to Judd Dredd (who just let the world be snarky for him imo) and only slightly less dark than JtHM

but that's just my opinion.


actually take Judge Dredd, Reynard the Fox, Crow, LA Noir/Raymond Chadler leads, and JtHM - place in blender and pour....garnish with a cigarette

Whatever you say.

[Magic_Hat]

Pretty much always a jerk
And a manipulative, lying, conman. But that's why we like him

What kind of mental patient commits suicide? That's just crazy. Keanu Reeve's best performance.

[weckar]

The best thing is that of course Matt Ryan is Welsh. Not English. He lets the Constanteen thing go, why won't you?

[DodgerZero]

Dark, cynical, self interested, sarcastic and rude. Love him

[Wraith]

John Constantine in the New 52 is a bit more like his appearance in the DC animated universe. He's arrogant to a fault and a smart-ass, spending his time split equally between making sarcastic quips at the expense of other heroes and pulling out a magic widgit/scroll/book with a little-known spell that might just save the day. It's not that he's now more "kid friendly", but he's much more like a typical anti-hero.

That's how he's different to the other magic users - they are all careful and respectful of the fundamental cosmic power that they were born with, whereas he has comparatively little and instead trades on stuff that he has had to learn the hard way.... But even so, he compares with some of the greatest living mages, because he's learned a lot.

Hellblazer, the original comics in which he featured, were a much darker and less heroic kind of beast.

New 52 is about Constantine using magic to save the world.
Hellblazer is about Constantine ****ing up his life repeatedly by being young and stupid enough to get involved with magic and demons, losing most of his friends and loved ones along the way, and living with the experiences and trauma long enough to make all sorts of new mistakes and sometimes get one over on the bad guys in return.

It's not kid friendly. There's explicit drug use, sex, gory violence and some pretty disturbing biblical themes. He is a smart-ass and sarcastic, but it's not just from arrogance but as a coping mechanism for the horrors that he has been subjected to since he was a teenager. There's definitely scenes of Black comedy to be had, but John himself is meant to be tragic - all of his problems are of his own causing, and further exacerbated by his attempts to outrun and then eventually face them.

"Jerk" doesn't begin to cover some of the stuff he's done. There are times when he's waded hip-deep into evil, and he doesn't often get away with that just because the ones he was fighting against, are worse.

He's pretty great. Definitely the sort of character that won't be seen again , sadly, and one of my favourites second only to Lucifer Morningstar, for very similar reasons.

[Lapak]

The defining characteristic of people who befriend or rely on Hellblazer Constantine is 'they are lucky if they ONLY ended up dead,' so yeah he is not in any way a nice person in his comic of origin.

[comicshorse]

The defining characteristic of people who befriend or rely on Hellblazer Constantine is 'they are lucky if they ONLY ended up dead,' so yeah he is not in any way a nice person in his comic of origin.

Apart from Chas who miraculously has lived through being John's best friend for years
I suspect he's actually a amazingly powerful Mage its just he never does magic because all his power is taken up with being John's friend and not dying