Fans Fight Over Sandman’s Johanna Constantine, Unfairly Call Her Gender-Swapped

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It seemed like a lifetime ago since Netflix revealed its ambitions to adapt Neil Gaiman’s classic comic Sandman into a live-action drama in 2019. Geeked Week 2022, a free five-day virtual event honoring Netflix’s genre shows, films, and games, helped to alleviate some of this anticipation. More details about Netflix’s eagerly awaited series The Sandman was one of the greatest revelations so far in this Geeked Week. On August 5th, 2022, the program will premiere on Netflix. Johanna Constantine, played by Jenna Coleman, looks to have become a fan favorite ahead of the long-awaited movie. Here are some more specifics:

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Everything that happened in the teaser of The Sandman:

A still from the teaser-trailer for The Sandman.
A still from the teaser-trailer for The Sandman.

Sandman’s first teaser implies that the tale will be quite similar to the original comics. The teaser is just 1:27 long, but it provides us a glimpse of some of the main characters and settings. We get our first look at Mad Hettie, who is trying to persuade Johanna Constantine that Dream is still out there. Dream returns to The Dreaming, where he is met by Lucienne, in another scene. He discovers that his empire has collapsed while he was gone. We also get a glimpse of some of the Endless. Death, who is possibly the comic book’s standout character, is shown for a very brief moment. A few more non-Endless personalities, such as John Dee and The Corinthian, also appear in the teaser. While this teaser showed us some fresh visuals from the show, it was simply a preview for the date reveal. We can expect a much lengthier trailer before the series airs.

Related: The Sandman: Why Neil Gaiman Chose Gwendoline Christie Over Tom Ellis For Lucifer?

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All we know about Johanna Constantine:

Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine in The Sandman.
Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine.

A character poster for Johanna Constantine, played by Jenna Coleman, was among the other treats we received with The Sandman’s teaser trailer. However, the character Coleman portrays is essentially that of John Constantine, as comic fans will recognize. Johanna is John’s ancestor in the comics. Johanna Constantine, on the other hand, plays the very same role as John Constantine in the series. This is understood when  Dream wants Johanna’s assistance in regaining one of his three lost totems of power, his sand pouch.

Related: How Does The Sandman Holds Advantage Over Game of Thrones? HERE’S WHY! – Animated Times

Fan reactions to Jenna Coleman’s Johanna Constantine:

Johanna Constantine in The Sandman comics.
Johanna Constantine in the comics.

Fans and reviewers everywhere have applauded Coleman’s selection for Johanna Constantine on social media since the trailer and character posters were released.  @qLxke_ on Twitter revealed that always imagined Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine. He also claimed that from the little that we saw of her in the trailer, she is already his favorite part of the show. Another user Chris the Hat said, “OMG!!! Jenna Coleman will kick paranormal buttocks as Johanna Constantine both in the past and the present. I love her!!!”. Twitter user @is_cb_ announced to everyone that now, Johanna Constantine was his favorite thing to ever exist and another user Juliana said, “Everything is Johanna Constantine and nothing hurts”.

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Now, while some viewers have unfairly chastised what they see as a “gender-swapped” replica of DC’s John Constantine, many acquainted with the original material have pushed back, reminding that Johanna Constantine is a well-established figure in the comics, who has been a member of the Sandman lore for ages.

Related: Netflix’s Sandman Live-Action Series Reveals Release Date With Ominous New Trailer

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Written by Alfeeya Pathan

Articles Published: 342

Alfeeya Pathan is an entertainment news writer at FandomWire. With over 4 years of experience in writing and a Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication, Alfeeya has honed her skills in writing compelling news for reader's.