Swamp Thing: Matt Ryan Wants Constantine to Appear on DC Universe Series

Swamp Thing: Matt Ryan Wants Constantine to Appear on DC Universe Series

29 Mar, 2019

Matt Ryan reveals that he wants to play John Constantine in the upcoming DC Universe series Swamp Thing. Constantine first appeared in The Saga of Swamp Thing #37 in 1985. Created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, and John Totleben, Constantine is an anti-hero appearing in DC Comics who often goes up against supernatural forces. Keanu Reeves played the character in a 2005 film, but Ryan is the current actor taking on the role.

Ryan stepped into the role of Constantine in 2014 when NBC came out with their live-action version of the character. Unfortunately for fans, Constantine was canceled in 2015 after only one season. However, Ryan did return to the role for a crossover episode on Arrow in season 4, and is now a recurring character on Legends of Tomorrow. Ryan has also voiced Constantine in the animated movies Justice League Dark and Constantine: City of Demons The Movie, as well as the animated series Constantine: City of Demons. Now, it looks like Ryan wants to once again play the character, but in a different TV show.

Ryan commented about his potential appearance in Swamp Thing during a recent panel at Wizard World Cleveland (hat tip ComicBook). Ryan certainly didn't confirm that Constantine would be included in Swamp Thing, but he mentioned, "John Constantine was born in Swamp Thing. Eventually, he has to be on Swamp Thing, and I just hope it’s me". Ryan didn't have much else to say about Swamp Thing, but did joke, "I'm still playing this role four years after Constantine was actually cancelled, so I must be doing something right".

As mentioned before, Swamp Thing will be one of the new shows that will stream exclusively on DC Universe. Swamp Thing is said to be premiering in May, with Andy Bean and Derek Mears playing the two halves of Swamp Thing. The show will be based on Alan Moore's comic run of Swamp Thing and have a very dark, scary and mature tone. Swamp Thing will be one of the many original superhero shows coming to DC Universe this year, following Doom Patrol which was released earlier this year.

Even though many fans would love to see Ryan return once again to the role of Constantine in a new show, the odds of that happening seem to be fairly slim. While most of the superhero shows on The CW are under the umbrella of the Arrowverse, the original shows on DC Universe don't connect to The CW's shows. Additionally, Doom Patrol and Titans take place in the same universe, but it has already been revealed that Swamp Thing will be in a separate universe from the other DC Universe titles. While Ryan probably won't get a chance to play Constantine in Swamp Thing, there is always the possibility that the character could be introduced at some point with a different actor.