While the DC Universe has always been home to a plethora of dark and demonic entities, the heroes who have been tasked with defeating these monstrosities tend to look the part. That couldn’t be farther from the truth when it comes to DC’s premiere supernatural antihero, however, as John Constantine would be the most unassuming figure if he hadn’t made his own look so iconic. That said, even the Hellblazer himself has had his fair share of competition over the years, including a couple of fellow mages who were tailor-made specifically to replace him.Although John Constantine has been a DC Comics icon since his debut in 1985’s Swamp Thing #37 (by Alan Moore and Rick Veitch), he hasn’t always been a part of the DC Universe proper. In his initial outings, Constantine was the one providing Swamp Thing with ominous clues as to various threats emerging across the world. Eventually, it was revealed that all of this was part of Constantine’s attempt to prepare his fellow heroes for the events of the then-impending Crisis on Infinite Earths. Following the Multiverse-altering crossover, Constantine left the pages of DC Comics proper and made the move to the publisher’s edgier Vertigo imprint. As a result of this development, among other reasons, the Hellblazer was simply unavailable to DC Comics writers of the era when they needed a trenchcoat-wearing English mage for their stories, forcing them to come up with their own to fill that void.The first of these Constantine stand-ins was Willoughby Kipling, whose original incarnation was introduced in 1990’s Doom Patrol #31 (by Grant Morrison and Richard Case). In the case of Willoughby, his creation was a direct result of DC editorial’s fear that allowing John Constantine to appear in the pages of Doom Patrol would ruin the generally grounded tone of the character. That less-than-stellar start didn’t hold Willoughby back, however, as the former member of the Knights Templar and experienced mage managed to hold his own against some truly astonishing foes. Alongside the Doom Patrol, Willoughby saved the world on multiple occasions and has even been recently reintroduced into the modern DC Universe through the same title.RELATED: Ten Years Ago, DC’s Villains Took Over for a MonthRELATED: How DC’s Golden Age Movie Serial Flying Ace Pilot Briefly Became a Superhero
While the DC Universe has always been home to a plethora of dark and demonic entities, the heroes who have been tasked with defeating these monstrosities tend to look the part. That couldn’t be farther from the truth when it comes to DC’s premiere supernatural antihero, however, as John Constantine would be the most unassuming figure if he hadn’t made his own look so iconic. That said, even the Hellblazer himself has had his fair share of competition over the years, including a couple of fellow mages who were tailor-made specifically to replace him.
Although John Constantine has been a DC Comics icon since his debut in 1985’s Swamp Thing #37 (by Alan Moore and Rick Veitch), he hasn’t always been a part of the DC Universe proper. In his initial outings, Constantine was the one providing Swamp Thing with ominous clues as to various threats emerging across the world. Eventually, it was revealed that all of this was part of Constantine’s attempt to prepare his fellow heroes for the events of the then-impending Crisis on Infinite Earths. Following the Multiverse-altering crossover, Constantine left the pages of DC Comics proper and made the move to the publisher’s edgier Vertigo imprint. As a result of this development, among other reasons, the Hellblazer was simply unavailable to DC Comics writers of the era when they needed a trenchcoat-wearing English mage for their stories, forcing them to come up with their own to fill that void.
The first of these Constantine stand-ins was Willoughby Kipling, whose original incarnation was introduced in 1990’s Doom Patrol #31 (by Grant Morrison and Richard Case). In the case of Willoughby, his creation was a direct result of DC editorial’s fear that allowing John Constantine to appear in the pages of Doom Patrol would ruin the generally grounded tone of the character. That less-than-stellar start didn’t hold Willoughby back, however, as the former member of the Knights Templar and experienced mage managed to hold his own against some truly astonishing foes. Alongside the Doom Patrol, Willoughby saved the world on multiple occasions and has even been recently reintroduced into the modern DC Universe through the same title.
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