Who is DC's Madame Xanadu? Comic origin explored ahead of her potential appearance in Constantine reboot

A Constantine reboot is reportedly in development at Warner Bros., and fans are excited to see the Hellblazers story back on screen. The last we saw of the character was in the Arrowverse, where Matt Ryan portrayed the role of John Constantine.

The new Constantine series is being developed under J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot productions. With the famed director acting as a producer and bringing back the series, many fans want to see Madame Xanadu be brought alive on the screen. Xanadu, who happens to be a big character in the Hellblazer saga, is coincidentally, pretty unknown.

So, with Xanadu being an important part of the Hellblazer story, let's take a look at who exactly the character is.

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Exploring origins of Madame Xanadu amidst a potential Constantine reboot at Warner Bros

Madame Xanadu in Young Justice (Image via HBO Max)

Madame Xanadu is a sorceress who is a part of the DC Comics universe. Created by David Michelinie and Michael William Kaluta, she first appeared in Doorway to Nightmare #1 in February 1978.

According to Wikipedia, being part of the Vertigo imprint under DC, Xanadu's origins were explored in the first few arcs of her comics. Her actual name is Nimue Inwudu. She has two older sisters, Morgana and Vivienne, and she is the descendant of the Elder Folk who survived the destruction of Atlantis and turned into the Homo Magi.

Being a sorceress, Inwudu would cast a spell on her lover Merlin that would cause him to manipulate the Camelot. Merlin, however, would free her from all the magic she possesses and turn her into a mortal. Forced to take a portion throughout her life, she would gain back the power of immortality.

Throughout history, Inwudu would travel the world and be an advisor to some of history's greatest rulers. Upon arriving at Kublai Khan's court in Xanadu, she would be nicknamed Madame Xanadu.

In the comics, she would join Constantine and help him locate Swamp Thing. She has also been a part of the Justice League Dark and has helped the team on numerous occasions.

Being a master of occult magic, Xanadu is a powerful sorceress. She can also tell the future of someone and is remarkable at levitating and teleporting objects.

Madame Xanadu has already made her live-action debut in the now canceled Swamp Thing series. Portrayed by Jeryl Prescott, Xanadu appeared in the episode "Worlds Apart". She has also appeared in Young Justice and has been voiced by Cree Summers.

If the rumors of Constantine beginning development are true, then we can expect Xanadu to pop up in the series. With a Justice League Dark series being in development for a long time now, we can expect the character to pop in there as well. There are also reports of her having a standalone show, but we will have to see how that turns out.

Until then, we will just have to wait as Constantine is reported to start filming in early 2023.