Star of The Rookie, Nathan Fillion, has a long history with DC Comics’ characters from voicing Green Lantern in animation to playing one in live-action in 2025’s Superman. Fillion isn’t the only cast member with ties the DC multiverse. Jenna Dewan plays John Nolan’s wife and Lucy Lane in Supergirl and Superman & Lois. Lisseth Chavez is Nolan’s trainee and also played an original character in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Yet, one of the most prominent actors who appeared in The Rookie has a secret connection to the Arrowverse that even fans miss.
In 2012, Arrow debuted, offering up a relatively grounded hero in a world without supervillains or metahumans. That all changed when a second series, The Flash, spun off in 2014 and eventually expanded. At one point, The CW had six weekly DC-inspired series that shared continuity. Dubbed “the Arrowverse,” hundreds of actors brought it to life, so it’s only natural some of them would also appear on The Rookie. There are actually dozens of actors who did an episode or two in the Arrowverse, and an episode of the network police drama. However, Harold Perrineau played a prominent role in both The Rookie and a DC show on NBC fans may not realize is supposed to be part of the Arrowverse.
Harold Perrineau Played the First ‘Bad Cop’ on The Rookie
Before Almost Ruining John Nolan’s Life, He Was a Mentor
The Rookie began with John Nolan as the oldest trainee in LAPD history, but it quickly became an ensemble series. Still, he didn’t have much support from his fellow officers, especially after his biggest supporter, Captain Zoe Anderson, died on his watch. Season 2 introduced Nick Armstrong as a detective and, eventually, mentor to Nolan. Harold Perrineau made the character effortlessly charming, which is why it hurt viewers when he broke bad.
Nick Armstrong appeared in 10 total episodes of The Rookie.
He first appeared in Season 2’s “The Night General”
Armstrong was killed in the Season 3 premiere “Consequences.”
The first season of The Rookie only ever presented idealized police officers, so Armstrong was an important character. Perrineau was a recurring guest star, and with each appearance viewers grew to appreciate him more. It was only after the death of another rookie, Chris Rios, that viewers learned Armstrong was a dirty cop. Not only did he sell department secrets to mobsters, he obstructed investigations and killed another crooked cop in cold blood.
Harold Perrineau Played a Similar Role in NBC’s Constantine,
Perrineau’s Manny Was an Angel Ally Poised to Betray the Hellblazer
As fans waited for Barry Allen’s saga to begin on The CW’s The Flash, DC’s British mage John Constantine was headed to NBC. In March 2014, Harold Perrineau was cast as Manny, a kind of guardian angel to Matt Ryan’s John Constantine. While the Hellblazer didn’t need a mentor, Perrineau’s slick celestial shared some qualities with his character in The Rookie. He had an important job, but he kept showing up to help the series’ protagonists with big problems. Similarly, like Nick Armstrong, Manny had fallen from grace.
“You’re not okay, John. You damned a girl to hell and, along with her, your soul. Now, I can’t change your fate, but I can ease your suffering.” — Manny to John Constantine in “Non Est Asylum.”
Constantine aired for a single season on NBC, and the series throughline was the threat of a “Rising Darkness.” In the pilot episode, Manny said he was sent to “watch over” John Constantine, which the mage didn’t take well. Still, he stayed true to his word, helping John and his allies Chaz and Zed fight a new mystical creep each week. Later, the series introduced Jim Corrigan, the alter-ego of DC’s The Spectre. The show had a lot of promise, even on a family-friendly network.
In the series finale, popular DC character Papa Midnite showed up to collect a cosmic bounty placed on John Constantine. Though his plan was foiled, and he was arrested, Manny freed him in the final scene, implying that he was the architect of the Rising Darkness. Unfortunately, despite efforts by the actors to save Constantine, NBC canceled the series. Manny’s true nature was never revealed.
John Constantine Lost His Show, but the Character Gained a Universe
Matt Ryan Joined DC’s Legends of Tomorrow as Constantine
While Manny claimed to be part of the evil threatening the world, he only ever tried to protect Constantine and his friends. His fate is forever a mystery, but John Constantine was resurrected on Arrow a year later. Fittingly, he showed up to perform a resurrection or, at least, raise the soul of Sarah Lance from hell. In interviews at the time of this first appearance, producers said Matt Ryan’s character wasn’t a multiversal variant, but rather the same character from NBC’s Constantine.
Along with his live-action work, Matt Ryan played John Constantine in five DC animated films, an episode of Harley Quinn and Constantine: City of Demons on The CW Seed.
This seemed to imply that Constantine was retconned into the Arrowverse continuity. While the series on The CW frequently worked in small connections between the shows, the NBC series had none of that. While an entertaining 13 hours, Constantine had no bearing on the larger Arrowverse saga. Claiming that the series as part of the Arrowverse didn’t create any continuity problems, at least for the Arrow appearance. Eventually, Matt Ryan brought the mage to Legends of Tomorrow for another guest spot.
Soon afterward, John Constantine joined Legends of Tomorrow as a regular character, and it brought back Bailey Tippen as Astra Logue. This continued to imply that Constantine was part of the Arrowverse. The problem came when a different actor was cast as Jim Corrigan for Crisis on Infinite Earths. It’s possible that Jim Corrigan was from a different Earth, since Oliver became the Spectre for the entire DC multiverse. Despite all the disparate DC cameos in that crossover, Perrineau didn’t return as Manny.
There Are Plenty of Arrowverse Alums in The Rookie
The Crossover Extends From Series Regulars to Notable Guest Stars
With Manny’s connection to the Legends through Constantine, there are three prominent Arrowverse actors playing equally prominent roles in The Rookie. In fact, three others played small parts in on the show. Audrey Marie Anderson played Lyla Diggle across many Arrowverse series, including Legends. Christian Keyes guest starred on The Rookie and had a recurring role as Constantine’s former partner, Neron. Matt Letscher also appeared in a single episode of The Rookie. He’s best known as the Reverse Flash, who went up against the Legends as part of their Legion of Doom.
There are many connections to the Arrowverse in The Rookie, but Harold Perrinau’s is the one even fans probably miss. Since Manny never came back into the fold, the character was all but forgotten. While DC fans can revisit The CW’s shared universe on Netflix and Max, the Constantine series isn’t streaming anywhere currently, which is a shame, because Perrineau’s character was one of the standouts on that series.
As Nick Armstrong, Perrineau was perfectly cast because he made audiences love him before his heelturn. Manny, on the other hand, had a sinister vibe from the beginning. If Constantine had continued, it’s more than likely Manny wouldn’t be the turncoat he seemed to be. The character and the series never got its second chance. Still, fans feeling nostalgic for their favorite Arrowverse actors can just tune into The Rookie to see some familiar faces.
