Constantine's DCEU Debut Should Copy The Flash's Multiverse Plan - Screen Rant

Constantine is being rebooted for HBO Max's Justice League Dark universe and should be factored into The Flash's DCEU Multiverse strategy. J.J. Abrams is getting involved with the DC Universe as he's creating a shared TV and film franchise for the Justice League Dark characters. Abrams is currently working on an ensemble series that will feature multiple characters from the supernatural corner of DC Comics. As Justice League Dark is still being worked on, HBO Max is also working on rebooting the character of John Constantine as another DC project for the streaming platform.

While Matt Ryan has been playing the Hellblazer for years in the Arrowverse, HBO Max is prepping a Constantine series that will be produced by Abrams. Not only is the show part of the Justice League Dark universe, but Warner Bros. is eying a person of color to play him. But as Justice League Dark is being crafted as its own universe, it's happening in the midst of the DCEU beginning to lean more into the Multiverse concept. Ezra Miller's The Flash film will be a key component of those plans following the actor's cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths where he met Arrowverse's Scarlet Speedster, played by Grant Gustin. But despite Barry Allen acting as an important character for the DC Multiverse, he likely won't the only one.

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Starting with The Flash, the DCEU will further flesh out the Multiverse idea for their movie franchises as well as coming TV shows on HBO Max. But the DC speedster represents only one approach of how to travel between alternative worlds and connect other DC properties with one other. The Arrowverse, particularly The Flash TV show, has demonstrated how speedsters through the Speed Force can run between different dimensions. But Warner Bros. is going to have to rely on other characters and methods besides the speedsters. Someone that would fit perfectly into their DCEU Multiverse gameplan is Constantine as he gets to represent the magical aspect of jumping from one universe into another.

HBO Max Is Rebooting Constantine As Part of The Justice League Dark Universe

HBO Max is the latest platform to give Constantine his own series, marking the character's third live-action project. Keanu Reeves portrayed the Hellblazer in the 2005 Constantine film, and on television, Ryan originally starred in NBC's Constantine in 2014 that only ran for one season. While Ryan's iteration of John has lived on through the Arrowverse, the actor has also gone on to voice him in several animated projects. Even though Ryan's Constantine is still an active part of The CW's DC TV properties, HBO Max is in the process of developing a new series from Abrams.

But besides giving Constantine his own show again, this will be part of the Justice League Dark franchise. It's unclear whether or not Constantine will premiere before or after Justice League Dark. At this point, it wouldn't be shocking if Constantine debuts before the ensemble series with other characters getting their solo projects prior to teaming up. Warner Bros. is also developing a Zatanna movie with Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) writing the script. Just like Constantine and Justice League Dark, Zatanna is being produced by Abrams' Bad Robot production company. Whether or not HBO Max's Constantine pops up in Zatanna or vice versa remains to be seen but given their relationship in the comics, it would make sense if they meet before the team-up.

Ryan's Constantine Should Be The Gustin To Miller's Flash For HBO Max's Constantine

While HBO Max will have its own Constantine for Abrams' Justice League Dark, Ryan will still be an active member in the Arrowverse. Legends of Tomorrow's seventh season will premiere in 2022. If the HBO Max show films its first season before then, there could be a period where there are two versions of Constantine at the same time. However, because of the Multiverse, it's becoming more normal for a DC character to be played by multiple actors at the same time in different WB properties. When Miller and Gustin's Flashes met in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it paved the way for a new era for the studio's DC TV shows and films.

Even before appearing in his own The Flash movie, Miller's Barry crossing over into the Arrowverse to meet Gustin's Flash was a big moment. This forever established that Earth-Prime and the DCEU are part of the same Multiverse while still existing in their own worlds. But by letting the cinematic universe connect to the TV properties, that forever opened up a door for other TV and film characters to come together. It could be in the same fashion as Gustin and Miller's Flash moment where it's a brief encounter or perhaps something longer. Constantine could become the next character to play into the Multiverse angle due to Ryan having played the Hellblazer since 2014 and has become the actor most associated with him.

Due to Ryan still playing Constantine in other DC projects, like Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, it's clear the studio is enjoying what he brings to the role. However, HBO Max's Constantine will get to do the one thing Ryan's character hasn't yet: join Justice League Dark. As the next Hellblazer gets new life on the streaming service, seeing the two live-action Constantines have a crossover in the future would help amplify Warner Bros's Multiverse plans. Why have only one Constantine when there can be two of them that work together in a Multiverse arc? If anything, the perfect way for the new Constantine to discover the concept of alternative Earths is by meeting his doppelganger.

Multiverse Travel Via Magic Has Yet To Be Explored In The DCEU & Arrowverse

The larger reason Constantine should be part of the studio's Multiverse plans is because it would let DC's supernatural corner be included. So far throughout the Arrowverse, traveling between different Earths has mostly happened through any of the speedsters that exist. Whether it's Barry, Kid Flash, Jesse Quick, Jay Garrick, or the evil speedsters, The Flash has heavily gotten to tackle the Multiverse through the Speed Force. While Vibe was another player connected to that concept, that stopped in The Flash season 5 when Cisco Ramon gave up his powers. However, in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Constantine finally got to use his powers to travel to another universe, by going to Earth-666 to meet Lucifer Morningstar.

But that is so far the only time Constantine has used his powers for that besides traveling back and forth between hell. Constantine has also traveled into realms like the spirit world but never has he gone to another Earth until he went to Earth-666 during Crisis on Infinite Earths. That is heavily a neglected aspect of his powers and something that the new Constantine should take into account. Even if Constantine is just human, he's still one of the most powerful and gifted warlocks with a huge knowledge of magic. If Warner Bros. is going to make the Multiverse a regular thing outside of the Arrowverse, they need to make other players part of that than just The Flash.

Whoever the speedster is, the Speed Force is one of the cosmic methods of traversing the DC multiverse as they are metahumans that go from one world to another. With Constantine, however, his magical methods to travel between the Multiverse is something that neither DCEU nor the Arrowverse has gone into depth with. For the HBO Max reboot, this would be a way where the show can stand out from the canceled NBC project and Ryan's arc on The CW. It would even be a good thing to add for Justice League Dark as that universe gets created. Not only would the DCEU get another gateway for their Multiverse ideas, but it would give HBO Max's Constantine a chance to use his powers on an even larger scale than before.

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The Suicide Squad (2021)Release date: Aug 06, 2021
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Andy Behbakht (640 Articles Published)

Andy has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, mostly superheroes and comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast, Titans Podcast while running the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015.