John Constantine is a mess. We know this. He’s the guy who smells like cheap silk cut cigarettes and old regrets, walking the line between salvation and a very literal hell. But when Constantine: City of Demons dropped, it wasn't just another cartoon. It felt heavy. Visceral. A huge part of that comes down to the Constantine City of Demons cast, a group of voice actors who didn't just read lines—they lived in the grime of London and Los Angeles for ninety minutes.
Honestly, the chemistry here is weirdly perfect. You’ve got a Welsh actor who has basically become the definitive version of the character, a voice acting legend playing a healer with a secret, and a supporting cast that makes the occult feel terrifyingly real.
Matt Ryan: The Man Who Can't Quit John Constantine
Let’s be real. At this point, Matt Ryan is John Constantine. It’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else’s voice coming out of that trench coat. He started in the short-lived NBC live-action show, hopped over to the Arrowverse, and then landed firmly in the booth for this animated feature.
In City of Demons, Ryan brings something he couldn't always do on network TV: raw, R-rated exhaustion. This isn't the "superhero" version of the character. This is the guy who accidentally sent a girl named Astra to hell and never got over it. His voice has this specific gravelly edge that suggests he hasn't slept since 1995. When he’s talking to demons, he sounds bored but dangerous. When he’s talking to his old friend Chas, he sounds like he’s trying to hide a broken heart.
The range is wild. One minute he’s snarking at a literal god of death, and the next, he’s whispering incantations in a way that makes your skin crawl.
The Heart of the Story: Damian O'Hare as Chas Chandler
Most people forget that Constantine isn't a lone wolf. He’s got Chas. In the Constantine City of Demons cast, Damian O'Hare takes on the role of Chas Chandler, John’s oldest friend and his primary link to humanity.
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O'Hare plays Chas with a sort of weary loyalty. He’s not a magician. He’s a guy with a taxi and a daughter in a supernatural coma. The stakes in this movie are personal because of O'Hare's performance. You can hear the desperation when he’s pleading with John to save Trish. It grounds all the crazy blood-magic and demon-summoning in something we can actually understand: a father's love.
Interestingly, O’Hare isn’t new to this world. He actually voiced Constantine himself in Justice League Action, so he knows the rhythm of this universe. In City of Demons, he switches gears to play the "straight man" to John's chaotic energy, and it works beautifully.
Laura Bailey and the Supernatural Support
If you follow voice acting at all, you know Laura Bailey. She’s everywhere, from The Last of Us Part II to Critical Role. In this cast, she pulls double duty, but her main turn is as Asa the Healer.
Asa is... complicated. She’s a nurse with a side hustle in the occult. Bailey gives her this ethereal, almost clinical detachment that masks how much she actually knows. It’s a sharp contrast to the more "demon-y" voices in the film.
Speaking of demons, we have to talk about the villains. The voice work for the antagonists in City of Demons is top-tier nightmare fuel:
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- Robin Atkin Downes as Nergal: Downes is a chameleon. As Nergal, the demon responsible for the Newcastle disaster, he is pure, oily malice. Every time he speaks, it sounds like he’s savoring the words.
- Jim Meskimen as Beroul: Beroul is a demon trying to carve out a kingdom in LA, and Meskimen plays him like a corporate shark. It’s a fantastic, modern take on ancient evil.
- Rick D. Wasserman as Mictlantecuhtli: As the Aztec god of death, Wasserman brings a booming, ancient resonance that makes you realize just how out of his league John usually is.
Why the Voice Cast Matters More Than You Think
A lot of people treat animated movies like they're less "important" than live-action. That’s a mistake. Especially with City of Demons. This script, written by comic veteran J.M. DeMatteis, is dense. It’s based on the graphic novel All His Engines, and it deals with some really dark themes—addiction, loss, and the literal weight of a city’s soul.
Without this specific cast, it could have been cheesy. Instead, it feels like a noir thriller.
Take Emily O'Brien as Renee Chandler. She doesn't have nearly as many lines as Matt Ryan, but she has to sell the grief of a mother whose family is falling apart. She nails it. The cast makes the world of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) feel lived-in. It’s not just colorful characters hitting each other; it’s people—and monsters—with history.
Is This Version of the Cast Part of the Arrowverse?
This is where things get "kinda" confusing for fans. While Matt Ryan plays Constantine in the live-action Legends of Tomorrow and Arrow, the City of Demons version isn't technically the same guy.
Think of it as a parallel reality. The Constantine City of Demons cast is telling a story that fits more into the continuity of the Justice League Dark animated movies. The backstories are slightly different (especially the details of the Newcastle incident), and the tone is much darker than the CW shows.
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But honestly? It doesn't really matter. The performance is so consistent that for most fans, Matt Ryan’s voice is the connective tissue that binds all these versions together.
Quick Cast Overview
| Actor | Character | Key Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | John Constantine | Tired, snarky, magically gifted, Welsh. |
| Damian O'Hare | Chas Chandler | The loyal friend who's seen too much. |
| Laura Bailey | Asa the Healer | Calm, mysterious, and definitely hiding something. |
| Robin Atkin Downes | Nergal | The literal devil on John's shoulder. |
| Jim Meskimen | Beroul | A demon who loves the Los Angeles lifestyle. |
| Emily O'Brien | Renee Chandler | The emotional anchor of the Chandler family. |
| Kevin Michael Richardson | Mahonin | Deep, rumbling, and intimidating as hell. |
Moving Forward with the Occult
If you’ve watched City of Demons and you’re looking for where this cast goes next, you’ve got options. Matt Ryan continued his run in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War and the short film House of Mystery.
The beauty of this specific lineup is how they handled the R-rating. They didn't just use it for swear words. They used it to explore the psychological toll of dealing with the supernatural.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch Justice League Dark: If you haven't seen the 2017 film, do it. It features several members of this cast and sets the stage for the magical side of this universe.
- Read "All His Engines": This is the graphic novel the movie is based on. It’s fascinating to see how the voice actors interpreted the dialogue from the page.
- Check out the CW Seed Shorts: Before it was a movie, City of Demons was released in short segments. Seeing the pacing differences is a trip.
The Constantine City of Demons cast proved that you don't need a hundred-million-dollar budget to tell a haunting, human story. You just need the right voices in the right dark rooms.