John Constantine

## Johnathan Cole Constantine

> I know myself. I'm a ripe mix of guilt and torment."
>
> —John Constantine

**Johnathan Cole "John" Constantine** (May 10, 1982 - 1925; resurrected 1925), nicknamed **El Diablo** by the gangsters of Mexico City, is an exorcist, demonologist, and warlock, self-styled as "master of the dark arts". John is the son of the late Tommy Constantine and the late Mary Anne, the brother of Cross Constantine and Cheryl Constantine, a descendant of Konstentyn, and the uncle of Wesley Gibson and Johanna Constantine. He is also the ex-lover/good friend of Anne Marie Flynn, Sara Lance, and Gary Green, as well as the ex-boyfriend of Desmond, the late Natalie Logue, and Zari Tarazi. Having been raised by an abusive father since John's mother died in childbirth, he grew up highly cynical and cunning, soon developing an interest in the dark arts.

When John was 15 years old, he was introduced into the occult world by Anne Marie. He learned various spells and became an exorcist with the hopes of one day using his powers to resurrect his mother. John became a figure of respect among the dabblers of magic and began leading the Newcastle Crew.

One night, John attempted an exorcism on a young girl named Astra Logue by summoning the demon Nergal, only for the demon to kill Astra and drag her soul to Hell, damning her for eternity, an action which damned John's soul for Hell upon death. Overwhelmed with guilt, he initially retired but after hearing of the Rising Darkness from the angel Manny, John returned to face this threat, with Manny giving him hope that, should he succeed, John's soul may be spared eternal damnation. While hunting a hunger demon, which he suspected may be connected to the Rising Darkness, John briefly operated under the alias **Lee Drygas**.

After the Legends allowed Mallus to escape his prison in order to destroy the demon, it opened a door to other evils. Joined by Gary of the Time Bureau, John confronted the Legends about their latest screw-up. Five months later, he would assist the Legends in capturing the escaped magical "fugitives", sending them to Hell. He initially refused to join the team, but after being pursued by a demon named Neron in 2018, John agreed to move into the *Waverider*, though still insisted that he's "not a bloody Legend".

While helping the Legends return the Encores to Hell, John nearly had his life cut short by a grown-up Astra, who sped up the 10 years of lung cancer he would accumulate. However, he got his life back by promising her to find the Loom of Fate and make Charlie alter the Logue family's fates. When the Legends had to destroy the Loom to end Loomworld, John was unable to cure his future cancer, though Astra came to accept her mother's passing and returned his soul token. He also started a relationship with fellow Legend Zari.

Following an encounter with Aleister Crowley, John lost his powers and became reliant on the Scarlet Lady. Eventually, wanting to reclaim his original magic, he betrayed the Legends and teamed up with Bishop to find the Fountain of Imperium, but was killed in the process. In an attempt to return to the land of the living, John used his token to sell his soul to a demon, becoming damned again. John then chose to end his relationship with Zari and leave the Legends to walk his own path alone once more, using a time stone to return to 2021.