Editor's note: The below article contains some spoilers for Netflix's The Sandman.Netflix's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman sticks close to the original comic books to the point where some scenes seem to have been taken straight from the pages. However, the series takes many liberties with some characters, such as Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), a gender-bent version of DC’s iconic exorcist, John Constantine. But why did the series decide to change the character? And how does the TV show compare to the original comic book's character? Now that The Sandman is finally available on Netflix, let’s discuss the series’ use of Johanna Constantine.
There are two main reasons the series decided to gender-bend John into Johanna for the show. The first, more obvious reason is related to the rights of the character. When Gaiman started writing The Sandman series, his comic book story was intertwined with the bigger DC universe, so it was easy to bring many heroes and villains from different comic book series into the pages of The Sandman, such as John Constantine, Mr. Miracle, and even the Martian Manhunter. The same couldn't happen in Netflix’s series because they didn't have the right to use other DC characters. And even if they did, it would be confusing to put classic DC heroes in the middle of the series – there’s a reason why even The Sandman comics became increasingly disconnected from the bigger DC universe.
The second reason for the change is that Johanna Constantine is actually two different people in The Sandman universe. In the comic books, Dream meets Johanna three centuries before crossing paths with her descendent John. So, for the series, The Sandman’s creative team thought it would be more interesting to have the same actress playing both parts. As Gaiman himself said on Twitter, “it seemed tidier” to feature two versions of Johanna in different moments of history by keeping the same actress.
Netflix’s Johanna Constantine is pretty much the same character as John. They both are English exorcists who usually help rich people get rid of demons and other supernatural menaces for a price. Netflix’s series even has an extended introduction of Johanna to help showcase her abilities, traumas, and motivations. That’s a wonderful addition that allows the series to stand apart from the DC universe – in the comic books, it was not necessary to introduce John Constantine, but the show must explain everything it needs the audience to understand.
In the series, Dream’s (Tom Sturridge) fateful encounter with Johanna Constantine also follows the general story of Preludes and Nocturnes, the first volume of Gaiman’s Endless saga. After escaping the prison where he spent more than a century, Dream must look for his tools of power to rebuild the Dreaming and capture escaped Nightmares. One of these tools, the Pouch of Dream Sand, was last seen in possession of Johanna Constantine. So, Dream enlists the help of the exorcist to track down his powerful tool.
As it turns out, the Pouch is in possession of Constantine's former lover, Rachel (Eleanor Fanyinka). Unfortunately, Constantine left the Pouch behind when leaving in the middle of the night, and six months later, Rachel has been completely drained by dreams. Unaware of the Pouch’s powers, Rachel got stuck in a bed, incapable of moving, dreaming non-stop about her lost love. Finally, after months under the spell of the Pouch, Rachel could only remain alive while holding the tool. So, once Dream and Constantine recover the object, Rachel passes away.
Contrary to the comic books, Rachel is not portrayed as a drug addict who stole the Pouch, making her TV show story even more tragic. That’s because Rachel's demise is entirely Constantine's fault. After helping Dream retrieve his Pouch, Johanna finally gets rid of a recurring nightmare in which she has to witness the loss of life caused by her failures. Sadly for her, she earns another bad memory in the process.
The Sandman is available right now on Netflix. Check out the series trailer below: