Despite his TV series getting cancelled after only one season, John Constantine is getting a second chance at television during Arrow Season 4. Matt Ryan will reprise his role in the episode “Haunted,” and fans caught a quick glimpse of him snuffing out one of his trademark cigarettes in the Season 4 trailer. Although he’s only confirmed for one episode, Constantine’s inclusion on the hit CW series shouldn’t be looked at as a mere cameo. On the contrary, executive producer March Guggenheim says it will be a major role for the chain-smoking occultist.
Guggenheim made it clear to SuperheroHype that Constantine’s Arrow appearance not only won’t feel forced, but that he’ll fit well in this DC TV universe. As Guggenheim explained:
When you see him in the show, honestly it feels like we’re doing a Constantine/Arrow crossover, and it’s so exciting… We’re just really glad we got the chance to extend Matt Ryan’s run as Constantine by at least one more hour of television. I think you’ll see he fits very neatly into our universe. It never feels forced, it feels right. Stephen’s on screen vibe with Matt is just very natural, it’s as if these guys had been working together forever.
As noted prior, John will drop by Star City in the episode “Haunted,” and he'll help Team Arrow deal with the fallout from Sara Lance being revived from the dead via the Lazarus Pit, while also furthering this season’s exploration of magic. Crossover comment aside, it’s still unclear whether the John Constantine that fans will see on Arrow is the same one we saw on the short-lived NBC series or if he’s an alternate version of the character akin to how Judi Dench played two different versions of M in the James Bond films. Regardless, it sounds like Ryan and Stephen Amell have great chemistry together, so Constantine and Oliver Queen’s interactions should be fun to watch.
Constantine’s guest spot was originally announced as a “one-time-only deal,” but given how popular the character is, it’s hard to imagine the Arrow crew not trying to get Ryan back for more episodes. Aside from the long-gestating Justice League Dark film, there aren’t any major (announced) plans for John Constantine outside of the comics, so if he’s well-received on Arrow, hopefully Guggenheim and the rest of the showrunners will try to get him back on at some point. It’s unlikely we would ever see him as a major recurring player, but he’s too big of a DC character to let go after only one episode.
Arrow Season 4 will premiere on Wednesday, October 7 at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.
