Johanna Constantine's Casting is the Best Thing That Happened to 'The Sandman'
We didn't get the original Hellblazer in 'The Sandman', but we got someone even better.
Jenna Coleman's Johanna Constantine managed to steal fans' hearts by merely appearing in the show's teaser for a few seconds. Her full-scale appearance in several episodes has convinced even the staunchest critics to join the fandom – let alone those who were already in love with the character.
Coleman makes her first proper appearance in episode 3, 'Dream a Little Dream of Me', where Lord Morpheus tracks her down to retrieve the sand stolen from him during his imprisonment. The episode delves into the dark history of Johanna, revealing her regrets and nightmares that haunt her after some past mistakes: mainly, the one where she did not manage to save little girl Astra from being drawn to hell.
Constantine realizes she left the sand at her ex-girlfriend's place: a decision that did no good to the latter, as she ended up over-using the sand to dream and dying because of it. Johanna feels incredibly guilty, prompting Morpheus to help alleviate her ex-girlfriend's sufferings and put her into an eternal and pleasant dream.
Later, Coleman's character appears as Lady Johanna Constantine – the exorcist's ancestor from several centuries ago. She tracks down Morpheus and his immortal human friend Hob Gadling, who meet up in the same tavern once every century. Constantine appeared to somehow find out their secret, demanding immortality from Morpheus – only to receive a blow of his sand in her eyes and end up being haunted by the ghosts of her past.
Jenna Coleman is doing a great job both as modern-times Johanna rocking a trench coat or a priest outfit, and as Lady Constantine back in the past. Her character gets to swear, exorcise demons, and even get her redemption – as well as delivering a beautiful bi-representation case. Many fans are already rallying for a spinoff series about her now that there have been plenty of screen adaptations of her more renowned descendant, John Constantine.
In her brief yet memorable gig in 'The Sandman ', Coleman has established a character that might arguably be even more charming than John Constantine. However, one has to remember that it is not actually a competition, as Johanna is a separate character in the DC universe, not a gender-swapped version of John.
'The Sandman' is currently streaming on Netflix.