While Arrow is exiting the Arrowverse, there may still be more adventures for John Diggle (David Ramsey) involving the Green Lantern universe. Crisis on Infinite Earths concluded one chapter and began another as The CW’s DC TV universe was forever changed. But as the current shows got rebooted, so did the Multiverse concept. With Greg Berlanti producing the majority of DC series in the television landscape, The CW’s new canon of alternative realities includes one of his new upcoming projects: Green Lantern on HBO Max. This marks the mega-producer's second round with the property after the 2011 movie. But with this being a fresh start for Berlanti’s take on the Emerald Knight, the producer will get to do it his way this time around.
Despite the Green Lantern mythology having been slightly teased in the Arrowverse, Diggle has been a prime focus for that possibility. While Ramsey’s character was an original creation for the Stephen Amell-led drama, Diggle’s characterization has similar traits to John Stewart, one of the many Lanterns from the comics. With fans having speculated that Diggle would one day be revealed as Stewart or at least become Green Lantern, the idea slowly began becoming a reality last season. It started with the Flash (John Wesley Shipp) of Earth-90 hinting that the Diggle on his Earth was Green Lantern during Elseworlds. Later on in Arrow season 7, Ernie Hudson guest-starred as Diggle’s stepfather Roy Stewart, tying Diggle into the Stewart family to a degree.
With the actor teasing in several interviews that talks were happening about Diggle’s potential transformation, fans have had to wait patiently. But following a recent interview, Ramsey confirmed that Arrow's series finale would have “well-deserved answers” to Diggle’s possible future as a Green Lantern. After Arrow’s end, Diggle will still pop out throughout the Arrowverse as he is one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. However, with HBO Max’s series connected to Arrowverse's Multiverse and Diggle possibly getting that iconic ring, Ramsey could be part of Berlanti’s Green Lantern series.
Since the character’s inception on Arrow, Diggle has been one of the beating hearts of the series. In Oliver Queen’s long journey, Diggle made it clear that he would never be a sidekick on this crusade. That promise lived through eight seasons of the series that created a large franchise for The CW. In many regards, Diggle was one of the few characters that lived up to the definition of being equal to the leading hero. His writing and portrayal made it clear, season after season, that there is no Arrow without him. Diggle’s popularity grew to the point where DC Comics incorporated him into the canon as part of Green Arrow comics.
But at many points in Diggle’s journey on Arrow, it was never a secret that Ramsey was more than capable of leading his own spinoff. While Oliver may have been the first Green Arrow, Diggle even took on the Green Arrow mantle, which spun into a compelling story on its own. Having mostly served as the vigilante Spartan, no matter what mask he wears, Diggle has and always will be one of the biggest heroes in the Arrowverse. Despite Arrow not returning for season 9, there’s no reason why Diggle’s story has to end.
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One of the biggest appeals with Ramsey’s character is that he didn’t originate from the comics. Diggle was always a voice of reason to not just the Arrow characters, but players across the other shows, particularly The Flash. When fan theories first began to surface that Diggle was actually Stewart, it was understandable why that approach would never work. If a revelation had come sometime after Arrow’s first four seasons, it would in many ways undo a lot of Diggle’s overall mythology. However, as the franchise kept progressing, Diggle’s role grew to a point where connecting him to Green Lantern could be possible without retconning his story.
In the scenario where Diggle was to star in HBO Max's Green Lantern show, it wouldn’t undo the 8-year long journey. With him having a slight tie to the Stewart name, Ramsey could become an amalgamation of Diggle and John Stewart. It would certainly deviate from the source material to a degree, but it would still be a way of doing justice to both characters. Whenever a live-action series or film adapts something from the comics, it’s not unusual to modify or do a new spin on an established character.
As long as the character is written in a way that still honors the core essentials, a writer is on the right track. The possibilities are endless for Diggle as he lives outside of Arrow. If he were to get a ring and take on a new adventure as a Green Lantern, it would allow one of the best Arrowverse characters to live on-screen for a couple more years. In the scenario where Ramsey would star in Green Lantern as, essentially, John Diggle-Stewart, it wouldn’t be an injustice to the comic character nor would it negate Diggle's Arrow legacy.
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One of the biggest takeaways from Crisis on Infinite Earths was the reboot that caused all the Arrowverse shows to move to one Earth, with a fresh continuity, as well as establishing a new Multiverse. The new changes on Earth-Prime may have already seeded the idea of Diggle embracing his Stewart connection. Initially, Diggle and his stepfather had a rough history before making amends on Earth-1 back in Arrow season 7. However, the events of Earth-Prime may have changed the dynamic to the point where Diggle embraces both names. If he had a strong dynamic with General Stewart from the get-go, it’s plausible that Diggle went by John Diggle-Stewart.
While it remains to be seen what the status of the Green Lantern Corps is on Earth-Prime, the crossover placed Berlanti’s upcoming series as part of the Arrowverse Multiverse. During a montage of the new Multiverse, footage from 2011’s Green Lantern was used to establish that the TV show would be part of the alternative realities across the Arrowverse. Since several of Berlanti’s DC Universe shows became part of the new canon as well, it might suggest that crossovers between The CW and the streaming services are possible.
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While Crisis on Infinite Earths never makes it definitive, The CW and HBO Max could potentially cross paths through their DC shows. Given that WarnerMedia fully owns the upcoming service as well as having 50% control of The CW, it should theoretically not be impossible to make it happen. Figuring out production schedules would be the bigger challenge as opposed to the corporate angle. While it might be a while until the Arrowverse explores Multiverse stories again, Diggle could, hypothetically, serve a unique role between The CW and HBO Max.
Having Ramsey star in HBO Max’s Green Lantern would incorporate a bit of Earth-Prime on Earth-12 to fully sell the idea of its inclusion in the Arrowverse. With the series set to feature two Lanterns on Earth, Diggle could serve that role while also setting up the idea of Green Lantern one day exploring a Multiverse story. Allowing Diggle to go on his own adventure, even if it’s on another Earth, would be an exciting idea to see for Ramsey.
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But in the long run, will Ramsey’s Diggle become one of the heroes of Green Lantern on HBO Max? Even though the series is in the Arrowverse's new Multiverse and Berlanti is the executive producer, it’s unlikely that that would be their approach to it. However, while not impossible, it’s certainly challenging to make this happen from several perspectives. With a fresh start to tackle this mythology, would Berlanti want to rely on something established on Arrow where Diggle wasn’t, initially, destined to even be remotely connected to the Green Lantern universe?
It’s a yes-and-no situation, because by setting it in the new Multiverse map, there was obviously a purpose for that as Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted the Arrowverse. Even though WarnerMedia has a role within The CW and HBO Max, it would still be a discussion for the platforms to have in terms of negotiation and execution. It’s more likely that this was done to establish the idea that despite being on separate Earths, all of Berlanti’s DC shows are part of a Multiverse. It remains to be seen if this was also done as a way to continue Diggle’s story on Green Lantern outside of Arrow.
Because the new series isn’t directly a spinoff, it would be a big task to suddenly include an established character with over eight years of character history. It'd be asking a lot from viewers tuning into Green Lantern, but who have never seen Diggle or followed the Arrowverse, to follow up with more than eight seasons worth of content. In the long run, it’s most likely that whoever the two Lanterns are, it will be new iterations of those DC characters with other actors playing them. But it wouldn’t hurt HBO Max if Green Lantern did become a home for Diggle to join as he potentially takes on the duties of a Lantern, beginning a new Arrowverse adventure after eight years of Arrow.
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