NBC Producer Gets Defensive Over Constantine Bisexual Question

When the creators of NBC's upcoming adaptation of Hellblazer were asked about the lead character's sexuality during Comic-Con, things got awkward fast.

Executive producers Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer joined journalists and fans for a roundtable discussion of the show, Constantine, which is slotted to premiere this fall and has been under scrutiny by fans worried the bisexual character will be straight washed. Fans have taken to Twitter airing their grievances using hashtag #BiBlazer. Journalist Lindsey Cepak, of Whennerdsattack.com, asked about the character's sexuality.

The question began, "In the comics, Constantine is bisexual--"

"My question for you is when in the comic books was he introduced as bisexual?" Goyer interrupts.

"It was back in Image. Back before it was owned by DC," Cepak responds.

"Yes but my point," Goyer answers, "it was about 12 years into the character's history. It's not like he was introduced... it happened 12 years later."

During the conversation, Goyer said the show "never said Constantine wasn't bisexual. He just isn't getting out of bed with a man in the pilot." The producer's seemingly contradictory statements on Constantine's sexuality left many, incuding Cepak, wanting a solid answer.

"I will admit, I did get flustered," Cepak said. "I know some of my facts were wrong, but I was not expecting to be accused of being a fake geek girl, and condescended to."

"It also infinitely frustrated me to hear him act like the '12 years' should somehow negate the fact that Constantine is a bisexual," said Cepak. "Rictor and Shatterstar were not initially homosexual/pansexual/bisexual either, but that has not stopped them from becoming positive representation within Marvel comics."

"I doubt it would have mattered if I named the issue where he was first shown to be bisexual," Cepak said. "Goyer has made up his mind, and there was little I was going to be able to do to get him to change his point of view."

"I think he's being super ambiguous," Cepak said of the vague answers about whether Constantine will be bisexual in the NBC show. "The actress we interviewed, who will be playing Zed, spoke on the tension that she will have with Constantine, implying it was unresolved sexual tension. So I think we can say that Constantine will eventually have a romantic/sexual relationship with Zed. As I said in the interview, I don't think anyone was expecting to see Constantine getting out of bed with a man in the pilot. I just think it's a cop out. I just don't see why he can't say openly, if he is going to have Constantine be bisexual or not. These half answers and ways of talking around the topic are frustrating, and I think are really disrespectful to the fans of the comics, and for the bisexual community."

Watch the full exchange in the video below: