'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 5 Episode 14 just gave Constantine the redemption he never got in the comics
Spoilers for 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' Season 5 Episode 14 'The One Where We're Trapped On TV'
John Constantine (Matt Ryan) is a piece of work no matter which medium he appears in. Admittedly, the version of the character on 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' is a lot nicer than the one in the comics but Season 5 Episode 14 just made a major change to the character that we really didn't see coming.
Both in the comics and on the show, Constantine's origins are intricately tied to Astra Logue (Olivia Swann). It was his botched exorcism of Astra that sent him down the path to becoming the cynical grouch he is today, so it's sort of understandable why none of the writers, who handled his story in the comics, have really tried to change that in any permanent way.
However, in Episode 14 'The One Where We're Trapped On TV', Constantine makes a decision that shows just how much he's grown since joining the show. After realizing that they're all stuck on TV shows thanks to the machinations of Clotho/Charlie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), all the Legends attempt to find ways to escape their respective shows but Constantine is surprisingly the one who makes the opposite choice.
To him, being on 'Highcastle Abbey' (an obvious parody of 'Downton Abbey') is his chance to atone for his sins and let Astra have the life he always wanted for her. Granted, the decision doesn't stick and Astra herself gets him to take them off the show but the fact that he honestly chose to sacrifice his happiness for hers shows a lot of growth for the character.
The Constantine we knew would have tricked Astra into leaving, making the choice for her and justifying it, claiming that it was for her own good, even though deep down he would know that he was just being selfish. But this, an actual selfless act born of love and repentance? That's a new John Constantine and we're really digging him, though it's not as if we weren't fans already.
'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' Season 5 airs on Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on The CW.
