When we last saw John Diggle (David Ramsey), he had regained his family, and come across a mighty mysterious but also mighty familiar box with some sort of glowing green object inside (cough, Green Lantern ring, cough). We’ve known Diggle would be returning to take a tour of the CW’s other DC shows — except now there are two big twists.
Speaking with refreshing openness with TV Line, Ramsey talked a great deal about his Arrowverse return, which will include starring in and directing episodes of Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, appearing in Batwoman and The Flash, and directing an episode of Superman & Lois (he’ll also guest-star in a later episode, just not the one he’s directing). Most fans have assumed that the glowing green item was a Green Lantern ring, which was all but confirmed except no one would say the phrase “Green Lantern” — and would be explored in the least grounded of the Arroverse shows. That would be Legends, of course, which has gone extra-galactic this season after Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) accidentally freed a bunch of aliens and sent them hurtling through the timestream.
However, that’s very much not the case, according to Ramsey — he’ll be playing a character in the Wild West and sporting a truly magnificent mustache while doing so. It’s not known whether this is an ancestor of Diggle, but given this is Legends, I would be verrrrry surprised if he wasn’t. But when the modern John Diggle returns on-screen, he won’t be a Green Lantern, because it turns out he turned down the gig.
“After Crisis, he got back his wife, who was abducted by the Monitor, and he got back his daughter Sara, who was taken out of existence by ‘Flashpoint.’ So part of Diggle’s story is that the last thing he would want to do right now is receive an invitation from something otherworldly, because he finally has his family back, and he lost his best friend to some otherworldliness. So he refused the invitation of whatever was in the box, but there are consequences to that, and that story, what he will do next, is part of what we tell throughout these four episodes.”
This is an exceptionally good reason for Diggle to turn down the ring and the responsibilities that come with being a Green Lantern. Anyway, it seems to be the refusal that sends him to Gotham and Batwoman: “This is a very, very, very preliminary [look at] what happens from this refusal, and what it means to his destiny. We simply get into the preliminary physical effects of his refusal of whatever it was in that box. … Headaches. Debilitating headaches. And he’s hearing voices. He goes to Gotham to get help with this, to see a physician there, and in the meantime, his A.R.G.U.S. story continues.” There are a few other tantalising tidbits in the interview — Ramsey specifically says “there’s something that’s pulling [Diggle] — something that’s a lot more bigger, and far more cosmic — than he’s letting on,” among others — which is very much worth a read.
The Ramsey/Diggle Arrowverse Reunion Tour begins with Ramsey’s episode of Superman & Lois on May 26, while Diggle first reappears in the June 13 episode of Batwoman. And don’t forget Warner Bros. has been working on a Green Lantern series for HBO Max outside of Arrowverse continuity. That series just cast Guy Gardner but it still a ways off.