10 Amazing Facts about Constantine – The Most Underrated Comic Book Movie Ever

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The movie Constantine was not the biggest of blockbusters when it was released. It has still managed to rake in a huge fan following, achieving a near cult-like status. Here are some facts about the most underrated comic book movie to have been ever made in human history.

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Also Read: 10 Underrated Keanu Reeves Movies You Should Watch

Keanu Reeves was originally supposed to look like Sting

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Just think about it – the trench coat, the red tie, the blond hair, the cigarettes and the eerie grim, who do you think inspired Alan Moore to create John Constantine?

Keanu Reeves was originally supposed to have blonde hair and earrings just like Sting does!

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Moore has gone on record to state that the character took heavy inspiration from the appearance of Sting.

Chas’ Symbolic Death

Out of all the friends John Constantine has had over the years, Chas is the one guy that has stuck around the longest. Whether it is luck or sheer magic, Chas has survived John’s friendship which is no easy feat for a mortal.

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Chas and Constantine team up with Papa Midnite to stop Mammon from coming to Earth. Papa Midnite offers to pray for them. John Constantine refuses. Midnite does it anyway. The Prayer instead has the opposite effect on Chas.

His run of good luck ends with a bad one when Chas is the only one who ends up getting killed in the ensuing fight. In other words, Papa Midnite’s Prayers colossally backfired.

It is not pronounced Constan-TEEN but Constan-TINE

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We do not blame the movie for this one. John Constantine’s name was butchered because of comic book readers. The actual pronunciation of Constantine’s name ends with TINE not TEEN contrary to popular belief.

Given the subtle difference, the movie may not have managed to rectify that error but if you have Keanu Reeves’ number, you are welcome to tell him that we have all been pronouncing the Hell-Blazer’s name wrong.

Also Read: 10 Directors We Wish To Join The DCEU

The 13 Cigarettes

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You can count if you want to. The total amount of cigarettes John Constantine smokes in total is 13. John Constantine has lung cancer because of his chain smoking habits. His addiction is Chinese Cigarettes.

Constantine may have been brought back from hell but he is not immune to death. He can still be killed. In several cultures, 13 can be a lucky or unlucky number. When Constantine smoked those 13 cigarettes, the message that the movie was giving that John Constantine is a double edged sword. His actions can harm you as much as they can save you from harm.

God’s Number

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We know that the Devil’s Number 666 is shown in great detail in the movie. The Bowling Alley where Beeman is has an elaborate 666 design on a faraway wall of the alley. The number shows up multiple times in the movie. But did you know that the movie also shows the number 333 as well. Angela’s bag as well as Chas’ Taxi sports the divine 333 number.

Haunted by his Dead Friends

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There is a reason why John Constantine is shown as a rampart alcoholic in the movie. In the comic books, John Constantine, for all his – “I do not care about the universe” attitude has a heart of gold. He believes that one day the world will realize the error of its ways and have its Happily Ever After.

When John watches his friends and allies die in front of his eyes every now and then, he runs away from his own ideology little by little. The fact that he is not bale to believe in his own ideals weighs heavily on his shoulders. The Ghosts and Demons of his past haunt him daily and that is why he drowns himself in whiskey and scotch.

The Painting of Jesus Christ

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The Corinthians 17 is the Bible of Hell. It came into John Constantine and Angela’s possession. They went to Beeman for help in reading it. After Beeman read the bible, Constantine makes a rather astonishing discovery. The Corinthians 17 depicts that tale of Mammon, who with the help of powerful human psychics and the ‘Help of God’, crosses over to the realm of Earth.

Constantine later discovers that the aforementioned ‘Help of God’ is actually the Spear of Destiny. Mammon needs the power within the Spear of Destiny to cross over to Earth. When Gabriel and Constantine meet for the first time, the scene shows a portrait of Jesus Christ being stabbed by the Holy Lance, the tip of which is the Spear of Destiny.

The Upside Down Crosses

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In Christian Mythology, the Cross symbolizes God and his Divine presence. The Reverse Cross is for the Devil and everything evil. After Gabriel is abandoned by God for her actions, her wings are taken away and Lucifer returns God’s son back to hell. When this scene is being played, something very intriguing appears.

Three Reverse Crosses with the middle one placed higher than the rest of the two are seen right under Lucifer’s feet. The scene plays out on the water’s reflection. The way the Reverse Crosses were placed is a clear indication to the time when Jesus and his disciples underwent crucifixion.

Water’s Importance in the movie

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John Constantine has stressed multiple times why water is important to perform magic. It acts as a conduit to other planes of existence and is a portal to heaven and hell. Constantine uses water as a medium to travel to the realm of Hell and come back.

Water is very important in biblical mythology. It is after submerging his followers in water that Jesus made them Followers of God. Manuel and Angela also have a similar face off. Water is very important in the movie and the reasons are quite obvious.

Nazi Spear of Destiny

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The Spear of Destiny is the part of the Holy Lance that pierced the side of Jesus Christ. The real one resides in the Imperial Treasury of the Hofsburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. It has been said that the Spear of Destiny had exchanged hands multiple times throughout history.

Hitler, who had an interest in the occult, was said to have the artifact in his possession. In the beginning of the movie, Manuel first grabs the Spear of Destiny after unwrapping it from a Nazi Flag. That is a small but bustle detail of history that most of us missed in the movie.

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Written by Bibhu Prasad Panda

Articles Published: 1230

With a Bachelor's in Engineering and a Master's in Marketing and Operations, Bibhu found a love for writing, working for many different websites. He joined FandomWire in July 2020 and worked his way to his current position of Content Strategist. Bibhu has been involved in operating and managing FandomWire's team of writers, diversifying into varied, exotic fields of pop culture.