Arrow’s David Ramsey Explained Why It Was The ‘Right Decision’ That Diggle Never Became A Green Lantern, And I’m With Him

The TV show Arrow ended in early 2020 with a cliffhanger: David Ramsey’s character, John Diggle, discovered a glowing green object that fell to Earth. This storyline continued in shows like Supergirl, Batwoman, and The Flash, leading many fans to believe Diggle would become the Green Lantern. However, the story concluded in The Flash Season 8 without Diggle receiving the iconic emerald ring. Ramsey recently explained why he believes this was the best outcome for his character, and I share his perspective.

During a panel at Motor City Comic Con with his “Arrow” co-star Stephen Amell, the actor talked about why his character, Diggle, never became a Green Lantern. The panel, moderated by Joe Deckelmeier from ScreenRant, also featured Amell expressing interest in returning as Green Arrow. The actor explained that internal issues and decisions – what he called “politics” – prevented him and producer Marc Guggenheim from making Diggle a Green Lantern for six seasons. Despite this, he ultimately feels satisfied with how things played out.

Looking back, there was a lot happening then, and I believe things are now with the people who can best handle them. Given the political climate and the situation with the property, I’m not sure how it would have turned out otherwise.

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Danielle Panabaker, who played Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost on ‘The Flash,’ has spoken about the challenges of appearing in ‘Arrowverse’ crossover events, noting they were often unpaid or offered very low pay. She also described instances of problematic behavior on set that, rather than being addressed, seemed to be overlooked or even encouraged.

Okay, let me tell you, as someone who’s followed Katie Cassidy’s journey on Arrow for years, her recent comments really resonated with me. She’s been talking about the decision to kill off her character, Laurel Lance, and honestly, it sounds like she felt blindsided. She admits she always felt like the show favored other characters, and getting written off felt like the ultimate example of that. But what’s fascinating is how it didn’t end there. They brought her back, in a way, as the villainous Black Siren. Cassidy says embracing that darker side was creatively freeing, and she’s grateful for the chance to explore a completely different facet of the character, even if it came about through a somewhat frustrating initial experience. It’s a really honest look at the realities of acting on a long-running show and how actors navigate unexpected turns in their character’s arcs.

The Arrowverse heavily hinted at John Diggle eventually becoming a Green Lantern. As David Ramsey pointed out, there was a significant moment during the “Elseworlds” crossover where another version of The Flash noticed Diggle wasn’t wearing a Green Lantern ring. Plus, the casting of Ernie Hudson as Diggle’s stepfather, Colonel Roy Stewart, cleverly suggested Diggle could be connected to the popular Green Lantern character, John Stewart.

In the episode “The Man in the Yellow Tie,” John Diggle discovered from Eobard Thawne (Reverse-Flash) that the mysterious power wasn’t a Green Lantern ring, but something far more cosmic. Thawne offered to unlock this power for Diggle, but warned it would mean leaving his family. Diggle, known as the vigilante Spartan, turned down the offer, and the source of the power vanished. This felt like the most natural path for the character, as it would have been out of character for him to abandon his wife and children, a decision that David Ramsey also supported.

I think the reason why Diggle didn’t become the Lantern was on point for his character.

When David Ramsey says Green Lantern is “in the right hands now,” he’s talking about how the Green Lantern story is being woven into the larger DC Universe. We’ve already seen Guy Gardner appear in Superman earlier this year, and a new Lanterns TV series, starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, is planned for 2026. Although the main Arrowverse shows never featured Green Lantern, the series Stargirl, set on Earth-2 after the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event, did introduce Jennie-Lynn Haden, who took over the Green Lantern ring from her father, Alan Scott—the original Green Lantern from the Golden Age.

If you enjoy David Ramsey’s portrayal of John Diggle, you can currently watch the show Arrow on Netflix. However, it will be removed from the platform on December 18th. As for the upcoming series Lanterns, it’s now scheduled to debut on HBO around the middle of 2026, and episodes will later be available to stream on HBO Max.

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2025-11-25 15:12