Constantine: Easter Eggs and DC Comics References In "Angels and Ministers of Grace"

This week's episode of Constantine mostly featured little winks and nods more than overt Easter [...]

By Russ Burlingame

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This week's episode of Constantine mostly featured little winks and nods more than overt Easter eggs and DC Comics references -- with one glaring, obvious exception that, ahem, eclipsed the rest.

That said, there were a lot of little moments that seem worth mentioning.

So...what did we catch? What did we miss? Read on, and comment!

Dionysus

There's an early name-drop to the Greek god of the grape harvest, wine, festivity and wine making in the episode...which later turns out to revolve a fair amount around addiction issues. That seems...relevant.

St. Catherine's

While we can't find any St. Catherine's in the Constantine/Hellblazer canon that we can recall, it's worth noting that in keeping with the whole Heaven and Hell theme of the character, he visits a large number of hospitals named for saints. While those are common in the real world, they're almost exclusively what we can remember Constantine visiting.

constantine-smoking

"I know, I know, I can't smoke here."

Perhaps that's a nice little wink-and-a-nod to early reports that NBC wouldn't allow Matt Ryan to smoke onscreen as Constantine -- something that has happened more and more as the season has gone on.

Eclipso cover

(Heart of) Black Diamond

This, of course, is the big one. In the DC Comics canon, the Black Diamond came into the possession of Eclipso, who uses it to corrupt souls around him and enlist them into his service. Later, after the death of the first Eclipso, Jean Loring (the ex-wife of The Atom) briefly took on the villainous identity until the New 52 reboot wiped that and much of Ray and Jean's history out.

The Fastest Man Alive

This Easter egg also comes from Dave Blass...the science magazine Morris was reading while he waited for the doctor? Yeah -- that's a different issue but the same title that Barry Allen used to protect his head from the rain in the pilot for The Flash.

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Morris

It's possible -- but we think very unlikely -- that the character of Morris, who was a misdirect as our villain tonight, may have been a reference to Samuel "The Family Man" Morris, a serial killer who faced off against Constantine in the comics.

"Shrapnel, half-inch from my heart, too close to cut out."

So, Dr. Thomas Galen is Iron Man?

Bonus, as pointed out by contributing writer Michael Brown: Seeing as he's Dr. Iron Man, is it a coincidence that his name is Galen is pretty much Galactus' pre-Galactus name Galan?

EDIT:

Bruce Gordon

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