Why Legends of Tomorrow fans should be happy Constantine is returning

When NBC canceled Constantine, fans were clamoring for The CW to swoop in and save the series.

Unfortunately, this proved to be a little more challenging than viewers anticipated but the network did manage the next best thing: saving the character of John Constantine. After Matt Ryan reprised the role in an episode of Arrow, a whole new set of fans envisioned a future where he could board the Wave Rider with the rest of the Legends.

Photo Credit: The CW

Making his debut on Legends of Tomorrow last week, Constantine was an immediate hit with viewers. Ryan plays the character with the perfect amount of rogue charm to make him a good foil to their leader, Sara Lance. Of course, the two already have a complicated history with Constantine actually being the man responsible for getting back the youngest Lance’s soul.

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After a revolving door of love interests, it seems like Legends of Tomorrow might have found an answer to their problems. Yes, there’s a large section of fans that want to see Sara end up with Nyssa, but since they are no longer on the same show that relationship is effectively over for the time being. Used as a champion for representation, The CW likes to take credit for Sara’s bisexuality, but up until this season seemed afraid to actually explore what that actually means. In “Daddy Darhkest,” the series finally gets the opportunity to do so with Constantine’s introduction since both characters identify as bisexual.

Of course, the news that Constantine would be sticking around on the Wave Rider is much more exciting than just thinking about a romantic possibility with Sara Lance. While it’s unclear how many episodes he’ll appear in, there is an opening on the team that he could fill. As a character who mainly deals with the mystical, there are a whole new plethora of storylines that the series could follow. Arrow wasn’t able to deal with magical foes like Damian Dahrk without it clashing with the more grounded tone of the show, but on Legends of Tomorrow, anything is game.

Photo Credit: The CW

Speaking of mystical, Constantine made a point to comment on how large of a threat Mallus poses to the team. If he is indeed this powerful of a demon, then having a magician who has spent his life vanquishing evil spirits is probably a smart decision. Yes, Wally West will be joining the team full-time as the newest super-powered addition, but Constantine would be a smarter choice to add to the roster.

A big reason Kid Flash didn’t work on The Flash was that having another speedster around made it hard to write villains who couldn’t be immediately taken down. Even on Legends of Tomorrow, the series will have a hard time working in the speedster without having him easily take down any foes. Constantine fits the mold of the series better since he isn’t immensely overpowered and would allow for a larger variety of bad guys.

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Unfortunately, it looks like the animated Constantine series on the CW Seed might limit just how much Matt Ryan appears in this season of Legends of Tomorrow. While the Arrowverse could come up with a reason to keep him in the live-action shows, this most likely wouldn’t happen until next season. However, with Matt Ryan’s success playing the character, and fans positive reaction towards his appearance on Legends, it would be a misstep for the network not to keep him around for as long as possible.

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