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Constantine On ‘Arrow’: Five Reasons Constantine Shouldn’t Merely Be An ‘Arrow’ Cameo

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 10:29 PST, Nov 4, 2015

Tonight is the night! John Constantine makes his much-anticipated debut on the popular CW series Arrow. As fans of the character know, this isn’t his first time on TV. Heck, it’s not even actor Matt Ryan’s first time playing Constantine. However, as a response to fan disappointment at NBC opting to cancel the DC show, DC Entertainment decided to perform a nod to Constantine fans by bringing him to the CW to solve a “magical” problem on Arrow.

While that’s great, I feel that a supposedly “one-time cameo” on Arrow isn’t good enough for Constantine. The character has potential to grow in popularity on the network if given the chance.

That’s why I’ve compiled this list of five reasons I feel that Constantine should be more than a one-time deal.

First, CW needs to come to terms with the fact that it is the DC Comics fandom that’s largely keeping the network afloat. It’s not America’s Next Top Model (which was canceled), it’s not Vampire Diaries or The Originals (Twilight-esque shows and movies are out of fashion…), and as much as I adore Gina Rodriguez, it’s not Jane The Virgin either.

The CW is WAY behind the major players on network TV; however, being allowed to construct a TV version of the Marvel Universe — far more efficiently than DC has on the big screen I might add — is beginning to bring the network the sort of attention we ALL know it wouldn’t otherwise have. I feel that a Constantine show would provide a bit of diversity to the DC television universe, allowing for the introduction of full-on magical characters rather than just having humans and metahumans. Through Constantine, there could be the introduction of Zatanna or a version of Justine League Dark.

Second, I feel like there’s a chance that John Constantine would be given the opportunity to be a bit “truer” to the comic book version. Fear of homophobic outrage kept Constantine represented as fully straight when comic book fans know he’s actually bisexual (and a smoker). Since the CW have demonstrated a willingness to allow shows with LGBT characters, a recurring Constantine appearing on Arrow, The Flash, or other spin-off shows (his own?) could be given considerable leeway to better define his sexuality in a non-heteronormative manner.

Third, fans of the John Constantine series will likely have a better chance of closure concerning his journey if he weren’t limited to a special appearance on Arrow. Allow him to make references to his past. Get him to do multiple crossovers, during which OTHER characters associated with Constantine are introduced and certain events explained.

It sucks that when shows are canceled without resolving events or introducing key connections. There’s this “and then what happened?” question that’s left indefinitely up in the air. By breathing new life into John Constantine on TV, we can find out what happened to him, to other show characters, etc.

Fourth, he might help make Supernatural something other than a parody of itself. If John Constantine can be brought in to restore someone’s soul, there could be cross-over potential that helps put Supernatural on the right track. If not…perhaps having to compete with Constantine as a show will light a fire under the rears of Supernatural writers that vanished several seasons ago. Or, a successful Constantine spin-off would give CW the courage to put that series and its fans out of their collective misery.

Fifth and finally, bringing back Constantine, especially where interest in the character is reignited, would teach NBC a lesson about rushing to cancel everything that isn’t The Voice or The Black List. They wanted in on the “Marvel/DC superhero craze”, so they snagged Constantine…but then they limited the titular character. When their watered-down Constantine failed to get a response, they cast him away.

I really hope that this appearance on Arrow is only the beginning of a “look what a mistake you made” moment for NBC. We’re still waiting to see if Heroes Reborn performs well. Should it flop while Constantine receives proper due elsewhere…it might feel a bit like sweet revenge.

For what reasons do you want Constantine to stick around beyond his Arrow cameo? Share your thoughts below! Also, be sure to share what you thought of the crossover when the episode ends!

[Image Via DC Entertainment/YouTube]

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