After the fifth season’s zeroth episode closed out The CW’s insanely ambitious five-part “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover epic, Legends of Tomorrow returned this week with its official season premiere. The outing follows the crew of the Waverider in the aftermath of their very public adventure in Heyworld at the conclusion of season 4, with filmmaker Kevin Harris producing a documentary about them titled “Meet the Legends.”
Interviewing each of them in turn, Harris learns that self-styled “fully-forgiven” former villain Gary Green was made the apprentice of occult detective John Constantine, which was his “heart’s deepest desire,” by his fairy godmother, Nora. When the impatient Liverpudlian beckons him, Gary scurries off after hastily handing the cameraman an austere business card reading simply “JOHN CONSTANTINE & more” with the phone number (646) 396-8703.
As it turns out, the card includes a working phone number, as curious Legends viewers discovered when they called it and heard a customized recording from actor Adam Tsekhman as Gary, which said the following:
“You’ve reached John Constantine’s Demon Defeaters and More! If this is a true demonic emergency and you’re in immediate mortal peril, you’ve called the right number. Unfortunately, we’ve stepped away from the phone, so you’ll have to leave a message. And remember, our merch shop is now open! So get your official John Constantine’s Demon Defeaters T-shirts, with original artwork by Gary Green. Also, to whoever’s been prank-calling us and muttering infernal curses, it’s scary, and it’s making me wet my bed, and it has to stop.”
Constantine himself then stumbles into the background of the audio, demanding to know: “Why do we have all of these boxes of t-shirts? Did you take my credit card again?” Gary then quickly ends the recording with a rushed “Gotta go! Leave a message!” before Constantine bellows his name one last time.
This isn’t the first time that a prop associated with the supernatural journeyman has had real-world implications. When the pilot episode of Constantine, “Non Est Asylum,” first aired on NBC in October of 2014, John carried a different business card, one with just his name and the job titles of “Exorcist, Demonologist, and Master of the Dark Arts,” as well as the phone number (404) 248-7182.
Then, and still today, calling that number leads to a shorter recording by Welsh actor Matt Ryan: “Oy, this is John Constantine. If you feel you’ve reached this message in error, then sod off, ya lucky bastard. The rest of you, don’t leave a number. And lock the door. Cheers.” That message then disconnects and cuts to a busy signal.
Legends of Tomorrow returns on Tuesday, February 4th with the episode “Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me.”
