Name: John Constantine
Origin: Hailing from Liverpool, England, John was born May 10, 1953. Long ago his ancestors were known as the “Laughing Magicians” not only for their talent in magic but also deception and trickery. John’s mother died in childbirth and his twin brother was stillborn (their mother’s death was the result of an earlier faulty abortion she was made to get at the behest of John’s father which weakened her womb). John’s father blamed his son for his wife’s death and the two held a strong dislike of each other for years.
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In time John discovered his talent and interest in the arcane arts. In the 1960s, as a teenager John ran away from home (and placed a curse on his abuse drunk of a father that made him old and frail).
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As he got older, John continued practicing in sorcery, meeting other magicians and joining a punk rock band. At some point, John decided to become a heroic magician while touring with his band though his first mission ended horribly. A young girl named Astra had summoned a demon to get revenge on her abusive father (and her other tormentors) but the monster was out of control and refused to go back to Hell. Severely overestimating himself and heedless of any potential consequences, John talked his friends into aiding him in summoning a demon to fight Astra’s. Unfortunately, John forgot that in order to truly control a demon one must know the creature’s true name (John used A name, but not THE name he actually needed). As a result, the demon Nergal rebelled against and tortured John’s friends who helped summon him, destroyed Astra’s demon, then dragged the girl herself back to Hell with him. John suffered a severe breakdown over this (even being committed to a psych hospital) and the guilt haunts him still to this very day.
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After pulling himself (mostly) back together, John continued his career as a paranormal investigator. Though he has had many victories, he’s had just as many if not more failures with many longtime friends either dying or being physically/mentally scarred due to their association with him. Constantine has worked with many super heroes in his career such as Batman, Zatanna Zatara (a love interest in some stories), Swamp Thing, Deadman, Etrigan the Demon, Dr. Occult and others.
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Powers/Abilities: John Constantine is one of the most skilled practitioners of the mystic arts alive. He can harness magical forces for a variety of effects such as: casting illusions, becoming invisible, time traveling, teleporting, telekinesis, mind control, exorcising evil spirits, creating energy constructs (such as protective barriers and powerful sigils), projecting various types of energy blasts, element manipulation (fire, water, earth, air, and so forth), opening dimensional gateways, summoning or banishing demons, astral projection, manipulating time, energy/power absorption, necromancy (controlling, raising, and communicating with the dead), cause people to become sick, limited reality warping (he can control his own luck), seeing the future, and more. He also has a degree of skill in hand to hand combat and the use of weapons such as swords and firearms. Despite his prowess in magic, John prefers to outthink his opponents and is a shrewd strategist, detective, and master con man (who has outwitted both God and the Devil). John is one of the world’s best liars. Other skills he uses are escape artistry, hypnosis, and sleight of hand techniques (the subtle manipulation of objects used by common stage magicians). Constantine has a vast knowledge of the occult.
Random Trivia: One of John’s most common personality traits is an endless cynicism and perpetual snarky sense of humor. Despite this, he genuinely likes people and has shown himself willing to sacrifice himself for a noble cause. The Hellblazer series that features Constantine has inspired other paranormal investigation series such as Supernatural, Hellboy, The Originals, and The Dresden Files. Constantine was visually inspired by the rock musician Sting. He doesn’t know how to ride a bike, hates the word “moist”, and doesn’t care for the band Coldplay. He’s a frequent smoker.,
