John Constantine first appeared in 1985's Swamp Thing comic book while Alan Moore wrote it. He eventually went on to lead his own comic titled Hellblazer. John Constantine is a con man and occult expert who dabbles in magic but primarily uses his metaphorical silver tongue to escape sticky situations. In 2005, Keanu Reeves brought the character to life on the silver screen. Initially, this film was divisive with fans of the source material, primarily because Reeves didn't fit the character's look, as Constantine more aptly fits the description of musician Sting.

However, the 2005 film has aged like a fine wine. With actors like Michael Keaton and George Clooney reprising their old DC roles, and the popularity of John Wick, fans asked for Reeves to return for another outing as the paranormal investigator. Not only did Reeves hear the demand, director Francis Lawrence was more than keen to take a stab at a sequel. Constantine 2 might not be in theaters for a couple of years, but there's no time like the present to catch up on the original and understand what happened at the end.

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What is Constantine About?

John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) is a paranormal investigator who tried to take his own life when he was just a child because of the horrible things he saw. In his world, there's more than what meets the eye. There are angels and demons and far worse lurking in the shadows, and John could see it all. These were things normal mortals weren't meant to witness. So, he attempted suicide because it felt like the most sane thing to do. He was dead for two minutes before paramedics revived him. This attempt on his own life damned him to Hell, putting him on a course through life to right his one wrong.

Constantine visits the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) after learning he has terminal lung cancer due to a bad smoking habit. He asks for an extension on his life because of all the demons he's exorcised over the years, but Gabriel declines, stating that performing good deeds for selfish reasons isn't the ticket out of Hell.

Throughout the film, Constantine helps Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) solve the mysterious case of her twin sister's death. Angela isn't convinced it was suicide, as she's been told, since her sister was a devout Catholic and Catholics believe they go to Hell if they kill themselves. After some convincing, Constantine agrees to help Angela.

Meanwhile, a man in Mexico discovers the Spear of Destiny --the spear a Roman soldier stabbed Jesus in the rib cage with-- wrapped in a Nazi flag and immediately begins a trek seemingly toward Los Angeles. Constantine's investigation leads him to realize that something is afoot, as full-fledged demons are beginning to walk the Earth, which shouldn't be possible due to a truce between Heaven and Hell. Only demons and angels who take a human host as a vessel are able to walk the Earth.

It's only after losing some friends and a visit to Hell that Constantine learns what's really happening. Lucifer's son, Mammon, is attempting to come to Earth to usurp his father and create Hell on Earth. To do this, he needs a psychic host to act as a doorway and divine assistance to pull him through. Angela reveals to Constantine that her sister was psychic, which leads the duo to discover that she killed herself to prevent Mammon from accomplishing his goals. Unfortunately, Angela shares the psychic gift with her sister, leading Mammon's divine ally to kidnap Angela and use her in place of Isabel.

How Constantine Ends

Constantine deduces that the divine ally Mammon needs is Gabriel. That becomes even more clear when the occult expert and his friend, Chas (Shia LaBeouf), show up to find Mammon trying to escape from Angela's abdomen. Constantine and Chas attempt to exorcise the satanic son out of Angela's body, but an unseen force kills the young Chas, which Constantine pulls from the shadows to prove it's Gabriel. She reveals to Constantine that she doesn't believe humanity has proven its worth to God, and they don't belong in his good graces.

Helping Mammon bring Hell to Earth will force humans to fight for their lives with their nobler selves shining through, proving their worth to the heavenly host. However, that's not exactly something the big guy above agreed to. But Gabriel's creator is nowhere to be seen, so she swiftly tosses Constantine from the room and prepares to cut open Angela's abdomen with the Spear of Destiny.

Constantine, being the clever know-it-all he is, finds that the only way to stop Mammon and Gabriel from achieving their plans is to kill himself. He slits his wrists and waits. Since he was already destined to Hell upon his death because of his unsuccessful suicide as a teenager, Constantine knew that Lucifer himself would appear and drag him down below himself. However, before the Devil can drag Constantine's soul to eternal damnation, John informs him what his son and Gabriel are up to in the other room.

Satan quickly barges into the room and stops Gabriel from using the Spear of Destiny on Angela. He then burns off her wings and sends his son back to Hell, as Mammon's plans would get in the way of Lucifer's plans for Earth. Once that's settled, he returns to Constantine and asks what he wants in return. John goes the selfless route and requests that Isabel be released from Hell and sent to Heaven. Lucifer obliges, but before he can depart with John in tow, the paranormal investigator is bathed in heavenly light and dragged up toward Heaven.

Constantine's selfless sacrifice to free Isabel from eternal torture earned him a nonstop ride to the spirit in the sky. However, Lucifer isn't somebody who likes to relinquish his possessions. To prevent John from getting what he wants most, he heals him by removing the tumors in his lungs, giving him a clean bill of health. This act keeps him in the land of the living with plenty of time to screw up his redemption and find his way back to Hell.

Does John Constantine Appear in other Movies?

While 2005's Constantine was the character's live-action debut, he appeared in several other cinematic adventures on the big and small screen nearly a decade later. Matt Ryan took over the role in NBC's Constantine. Unfortunately, it didn't last longer than a season. However, Ryan's popularity amongst comic book fans because of his comic-accurate portrayal of the character allowed him to reprise the role within CW's Arrowverse. He appeared in an episode of Arrow and multiple seasons of Legends of Tomorrow.

Ryan continued portraying John Constantine in several animated movies as well. His first animated adventure was Justice League Dark, and subsequently Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Constantine: City of Demons, and Constantine: The House of Mystery, giving Matt Ryan an extensive list of credits as the occult detective from Liverpool.

A Constantine Sequel with Keanu Reeves

News about the sequel to Keanu Reeves' Constantine has been slow coming, partly due to the writer's strike in 2023. However, the director, Francis Lawrence, promises the movie is on track, and they're aiming for an R-rating this time around. While the first film does have an R-rating, they went through production with the intention of making it PG-13 due to studio interference. However, the intensity of the film earned it an R. Lawrence spoke with The Wrap in November, saying:

This opens up a lot of possibilities for the upcoming sequel. Any Hellblazer adaptation deserves to be grittier, darker, and really earn that R. He might have taken some liberties with the character, straying extensively from the source material with Constantine's appearance and nationality, but if the cast and crew can be free to make the movie they want, it will make for an enjoyable film.

Either way, it will be nice to see them tie up some loose ends from the original film, such as Chas returning as an angel in the mid-credit scene. This is not something entertained in the comics, but it makes for an interesting plot point.

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