16 Perfect Superhero TV Show Casting Choices That Nailed Their Characters

by Ewan Paterson

1. Matt Ryan - John Constantine (Constantine) 

Arrow John Constantine
The CW

John Constantine is one of my favourite comic book characters of all time. Not only is he revolutionary in the sense that he was one of the first LGBT* heroes to make it to the forefront of DC's lineup, he's one of if not the most intellectually mature comics properties in the medium. Point being, if you haven't read at least one volume of Hellblazer into your years-long comic book obsession, correct that mistake now.

It was always going to be a tad ambitious for any TV show to try and adapt Hellblazer. Keanu Reeves' acceptable yet wholly disingenuous take on the scouse anti-hero had already established a precarious precedent for any visual representation of the character to follow, but we got something truly surprising in 2014, as NBC adapted Constantine for the small screen.

The show itself started off slow and p*ssed off fans royally when it refused to show John puffing on a cigarette, or even to acknowledge the character's sexuality. Those issues aside, it must be said that Matt Ryan's take on the occult investigator was damn near perfect, taking everything from the character's blond hair to his northern accent to the masses in an uncompromising portrayal that aimed to stay as faithful to the comics as NBC (and David Goyer) would allow. Fans loved it, but sadly the masses didn't, with the show getting cancelled after only managing a meagre 13 episodes. Bummer.

That hasn't stopped Ryan from taking up opportunities to reprise the role however. The character famously made an appearance in Arrow's fourth season, immediately elevating the quality of the series whilst at the same time raising fan hopes for a series revival. We've yet to hear more since, sadly, but I'm certain we've not seen the last of the character's TV days.

Are there any performances that we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.