| “ | My name is John Constantine. I'm the one who steps from the shadows, all trench coat and arrogance. I'll drive your demons away, kick 'em in the bollocks, and spit on 'em when they're down. Leaving only a nod and a wink and a wisecrack. I walk my path alone because, let's be honest... who would be crazy enough to walk it with me? | „ |
| ~ John Constantine |
John Constantine, also known as the Laughing Magician, or the Hellblazer, is a working-class mage, occult detective and a golden-tongued con man.
Overview[]
Fascinated by the occult from a young age, John threw himself into learning magic to escape his unhappy family life. Around this time John began following occult circles around London, and eventually became the magic using, demon tricking con artist he is today. Constantine is also referred to as "The Constant One" because of his whole family tree being somewhat connected to the occult. Many of his ancestors are sorcerers from different eras of history, and have taken part in many known historical events.
Although John very much enjoys his privacy, he is very well known among those who are tasked with hunting and defeating supernatural forces, especially the Hellsing Organization, the Devil May Cry agency, and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He is well-known for his scathing wit, endless cynicism, ruthless cunning and constant chain smoking. A roguish counterculture anti-hero, Constantine is also a strident humanist driven by a heartfelt desire to defend mankind from the forces of evil.
His reputation even goes beyond that to where many supernatural and mythological beings like demons, angels, gods, or Eldritch entities are also aware of him making him rather infamous and on par with someone like Dante and Hellboy. His skill and reputation has even garnered the attention of the Global Occult Coalition and the Federal Bureau of Control who both desired to recruit him into their ranks to battle against the forces of the paranatural and supernatural.
Appearance[]
He is usually portrayed with blond short hair (sometimes lighter or longer) and blue eyes. He sometimes has facial hair while on other days has a clean shave. While Constantine has worn many clothes over the years he was originally portrayed as often wearing a blue pinstripe suit, tan trench coat and occasionally gloves. During the passage of time, his trademark attire became a grungier, more rumpled trench coat, white shirt and black tie.
Personality[]
Constantine is a known for his scathing wit, cynicism, and golden tongue. He is someone with a wide and international circle of contacts and allies, and is adept at making friends. At the same time, his close friends inevitably suffer or are outright killed simply by being in his life; this has left a severe mark on him. So much so that John typically avoids emotional intimacy, preferring to engage with women only as sexual partners. However, he has had a few long-term relationships over the years, with Kiden Nixon and Kit Ryan.
He dislikes showing his emotions to monsters, and when facing beings like demons or even high-tier ones like Azazel he acts threatening and determined. When facing the angels, even knowing what they could do to him, John is sarcastic, rude, and insulting, often referring to them as "wankers". The only being he was openly afraid of was Death; on the rare occasions that they met, John was nervous and cautious, and when John was angry or frustrated enough to talk back, he became visibly scared and backed off the moment Death appeared annoyed. He also showed fear towards the likes of Lucifer and Satan but overtime began to grow more bold and insulting towards the latter.
Despite these traits, John can be very laid-back and well-disposed when not investigating supernatural occurrences, and he values the safety of his friends and innocent civilians above all else, even his own life. He occasionally showed affection to his teammates to where he encouraged Ben Daimio to embrace his identity of the Tēcuani as a blessing rather than a curse, and trusted him to make good use of the Tēcuani's powers. This also stems from John's self-deprecating comments about himself in that he is so consumed by his own flaws and curses that he hopes that others who bear a power they perceive as a curse John encourages them to accept them as gifts as they could be used to do more good than harm. Though on occasion he can be somewhat impulsive as well as arrogant, John is both extremely intelligent and competent. He is more likely to exhibit irrational behavior when his loved ones are threatened. He is an alcoholic and chain-smoker, smoking several cigarettes a day, and is like this mainly to drown out his depression and stress that comes with the job.
Although a compassionate humanist who struggles to overcome the influence of both Heaven and Hell over humanity, and despite his occasional forays into heroism, Constantine is a foul-mouthed, disillusioned, British cynic who pursues a life of sorcery and danger. John was, for most of his life, met with misfortune that could easily have turned John into a self-loathing and self-deprecating man. He had few friends he could share secrets with, and for the most part John lived a rather lonesome life filled with nightmares come to life. Compared to most of his teammates and allies, John was very forward-thinking, always seeing a "big picture," willing to take risks, compromise his morals and dabble in shades of gray to achieve results. Constantine was willing to endure extreme hardships in the present to build a better future for others at the cost of losing all those he cares for. His motivation has been attributed to an adrenaline addiction that only the strange and mysterious can sate. He also seems to be something of a "Weirdness Magnet", a term which many individuals have used, even ones like Dante himself who is a renowned devil hunter in both the mortal and demon world.
Powers and Abilities[]
Constantine also has a reputation as being one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world. Despite this, Constantine rarely uses magic, instead choosing to use his wits to trick his opponents. Constantine faces most of his challenges relying primarily on his cunning, his vast knowledge of the occult, manipulation of opponents and allies, and an extensive list of contacts. When he does use magic, his magical prowess centers around the Entropy sphere of magic that allows him to wield and even manipulate the forces of order, chaos, luck, and destiny. While it varies from time to time, he would at times be perceived as mildly impressive to engaging against powerful sorcerers that would outclass him.
Constantine could separate his soul from his body. And is capable of summoning demons to fight for him, although that seems to be bit flawed since he once summoned his target's demon servant instead of one suited for combat. Constantine is knowledgeable about a wide variety of curses and could cast some of the more deadly and dangerous ones. He once cast a curse on a host for vengeance, placed a curse to a gang that rendered them into catatonic insanity, or can use a spell that traps someone between the gaps of time. Constantine's curses are strong enough to affect even demons, and has a spell to kill a demon with one glance. John also has a defensive curse that allows him to transfer any body damage and pain to his enemy.
Constantine is very adept and skilled in exorcisms, with perhaps one of his more greatest feats is him having bound, immobilized, and sealed the Hindu goddess Kali. Constantine managed to summon and bind the demon Rath by making it physical thus rendering it powerless and vulnerable, before Dante shoots it with a shotgun. John also claims that he has the right kind of spell that can destroy gods. Constantine can also bound, seal, and control powerful elementals such as Norfulthing, and high-ranking angels such as Archangel Gabriel, and Uriel, Guardian of Eden.
His wards are quite powerful, he placed a magical sigil on Elaine Belloc's soul that prevented the forces of Heaven and Hell from tracking her, as well as using sigils to hide himself from Satan. He cast several protective wards and charms on his allies that would protect them from the influence of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for a period of time. He also placed various sigils on an abandoned caravan that he housed himself in to hide himself from Nergal. Constantine can also write sigils on his body that protects him from magical attacks and possessions, and to prevent any demons from physically touching him. John uses Magic Circles for defense against both supernatural and physical attacks. His magical circles and sigils are strong enough to even block himself from godlike creatures such as The First.
