Diggle’s Green Lantern “Cosmic Destiny” and a Potential Superman Connection

After eight seasons of playing normal human, sometimes vigilante John Diggle on Arrow, David Ramsey is ready to take the next step in his hero’s journey.

When we last saw Diggle in the series finale of Arrow, he found a box containing an object that emitted a glowing green light. Despite being the end of the show, this teased his potential recruitment by the Guardians of the Universe, opening up the possibility for Diggle’s transformation into the Green Lantern of the Arrowverse. Since then, the character has appeared on Batwoman—still normal—and will soon be making his way to Metropolis, Smallville, and Central City.

“Yeah, John Diggle does pop around,” David Ramsey tells Den of Geek. “He goes to Superman & Lois and he does go to Flash, he goes to Supergirl. But, again, John Diggle, he goes there and fits within their storyline but he’s holding a burden in his back pocket that we see that he’s dealing with.”

As co-head of A.R.G.U.S., Diggle has an obvious entry point into the latest superhero shenanigans, even though his own vigilante days are behind him. We’ll get to spend more time with him in upcoming episodes, and follow the next leg of his journey. “First, he started off as a security guard for Oliver Queen. Then he became his best friend. He became a vigilante himself. He became a father and a husband. Now, he’s walking into his cosmic destiny,” Ramsey teases.

Diggle, it seems, wasn’t quite ready to answer the call at the end of Arrow. In his Batwoman appearance, Diggle is in Gotham to get treatment for debilitating headaches. It may be a consequence of rejecting what was in that box, a choice we’ll soon learn more about. “He’s always been suspicious of that other world. Now, he’s been presented with an opportunity to join that fraternity, and he’s denied it. So we’re just beginning to tell that story of what it means to him to deny that cosmic destiny that he ultimately has.”

If we had to guess, that destiny comes with a green suit and powers that rival even Earth’s mightiest heroes. And Ramsey is excited to explore what that means in a universe where Superman exists. “Superman & Lois has its own place it’s going, and it’s a very interesting place. So I would love to see, as John Diggle evolves into whoever he—and whatever he—evolves into, how that relates to this alien who’s the most powerful person on the planet.”

A Green Lantern would certainly be one of the more powerful characters we’ve seen in the CW DC universe. And though those powers come from somewhere else, Diggle is very much a human, and protective of humanity. “I would love to see ultimately when John Diggle comes into his own, into his next evolution, his relationship with Superman.”

It’s a destiny nearly a decade in the making, and one Ramsey is excited to play. “I think that’s how I feel about John Diggle. His destiny is worth watching the journey.”

John Diggle will next appear on The Flash season 7 episode 16, which airs on July 6 on The CW.