Joanna Constantine is undoubtedly one of the coolest characters we met in The Sandman. However, she is more than just the female version of John Constantine. Neil Gaiman has shut down comparisons to the DC Universe's resident exorcist, explaining that Jenna Coleman's character is not a gender-bent version of John Constantine.
In The Sandman, Joanna Constantine plays a major role in the third episode, helping Morpheus retrieve his pouch of sand. Jenna Coleman later plays Constantine's ancestor Lady Joanna in Episode 6.
The new version of Constantine is certainly interesting as she is but people are still comparing the character to John Constantine. Some people have reached out to Neil Gaiman about their thoughts on Joanna, wondering why she looks a lot cleaner than her male counterpart. Interestingly, the American Gods author finally pointed out that there is a huge difference.
"She's not a gender-swapped John, she's her own person, the Constantine of the Sandman world. Her Newcastle Incident wasn't a copy of John's. (1789 Lady Joanna wasn't grubby or unkempt unless she was in disguise, and she moved in high society. This one takes after her.)," Gaiman wrote.
This is a great way to explain that The Sandman exists in its own universe and is completely separate from the other DC Universes. Likewise, this should perfectly explain why Lucifer is played by former Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie instead of Tom Ellis.
But are we going to see more of Joanna Constantine in the future? Fans have been asking for a spin-off show focusing on Constantine since the premiere of The Sandman and Neil Gaiman himself has supported the idea. Needless to say, we're keeping our fingers crossed on more of the character soon.
All 10 episodes of The Sandman are now streaming on Netflix.
Related: Neil Gaiman Explains Why The Sandman Is NOT Part of the DC Universe