The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow is preparing to feature a well-known Constantine story from the comics. The Arrowverse series debuted in 2016 and has featured castoffs from Arrow and The Flash, as well as original characters of its own. Though the first season had some rough patches, Legends of Tomorrow has grown into a standout of the Arrowverse. The show further endeared itself to fans and critics by introducing Matt Ryan as John Constantine in season 3. Prior to that, Ryan starred in Constantine on NBC, which lasted one season, and also guest-starred on Arrow as the same character.
Constantine has fit in well with the Legends, so well, in fact, that this season’s plot has centered around him. Both Constantine and Legends of Tomorrow have explored Constantine’s relationship with hell and the magic he uses to control it. In season 5, which just began airing last month, the Legends have faced “encores”: classic villains from throughout history who have come back from the dead. Because of this, Constantine’s powers have become even more important to the team. This season has also focused on Constantine’s battle with Astra, who’s now determined to kill him once and for all.
In an interview with TVLine following last night’s “A Head of Her Time” episode, Legends of Tomorrow executive producer Grainne Godfree discussed what the show has in store for Constantine. He said, “We wanted to give him one of the iconic storylines from the comics, where he gets lung cancer.” However, Godfree also reassured fans that Constantine is “going to try to do everything he can, in the most John Constantine type way, to get out of it.” However, as is usually the case for the Arrowverse, viewers shouldn’t expect a carbon copy of the story in the comics. Executive producer Phil Klemmer called the comics a “great launching point,” but said that the show “want[s] to break new ground as well.”
Though it seems unlikely that Constantine will die for good, Legends of Tomorrow isn’t afraid of saying goodbye to characters. Throughout its run, many have boarded the Waverider for a time and eventually left. Later this season, the team will say goodbye to Ray Palmer/The Atom (Brandon Routh), who’s been a Legend since season 1. He’ll depart the show with Nora Darhk (Courtney Ford), the former villain and daughter of Arrow’s notorious Damien Darhk. The two characters have been a couple since last season, setting up their departure together.
Fans of Constantine’s story in the comics are probably pleased to hear the show will be featuring such an important event in the character’s life. With last month’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, the Arrowverse proved itself adept at adapting key comics stories. Like with Crisis, it’s nice to hear that Legends of Tomorrow will be putting its own spin on Constantine’s cancer story. However, fans will have to wait for next week’s episode to see how it all shakes out.
More: Constantine Should Get A Season 2 After Legends of Tomorrow
Source: TVLine
