For the longest time, fans of Arrow – myself included – have been yearning to see John Diggle put on a Green Lantern ring. Of course, this seemed like merely a pipe dream once he adopted his own superhero identity, that being Spartan, and was also integrated into DC Comics canon.
Then, we were given a glimmer of hope when the Flash of Earth-90 met Diggle during last fall’s “Elseworlds” crossover and asked him where was his ring. Obviously, this was a thinly-veiled way of saying that Diggle’s Earth-90 doppelganger is actually John Stewart, a proud member of the Green Lantern Corps. And considering how that fella featured prominently in the beloved Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series, it’s safe to say he’s the definitive lightsmith in the eyes of many.
So, while we continue pondering Easter eggs, yet another connection was made during one of Arrow season 7’s latter episodes, “Spartan.” You see, Ernie Hudson guest starred as a General Stewart who happens to be Dig’s stepfather. Aside from that, no other Green Lantern references were made, but we know what the producers were getting at.
Still, hope springs eternal, as actor David Ramsey offered the following while speaking at MCM London Comic Con:
“They continue to tease this thing… I don’t know what’s gonna happen with that. It’s fun to tease it and I would love to jump into that mythos of John Stewart and Green Lantern, that whole universe. If John Diggle does take on the moniker of Green Lantern, does he also take on the moniker of becoming a Stewart, and if he does, what happens to that relationship between him and his father that led him to do that? There’s a lot of story left for John Diggle.”
Actually, Ramsey makes some good points there, because adopting the name “Stewart” would be a huge step for his character. At first, I was less willing to believe that Dig would ever become a Green Lantern and we’d more than likely meet his Earth-90 counterpart during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, but anything’s possible.
If indeed the John Diggle we’ve come to know and love since 2012 transitions to becoming one of DC’s most recognizable superheroes, then that’ll mean season 8 will take more of a science fiction turn than we’re used to seeing from this series. The official synopsis has already hinted at a new direction to come, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Arrow returns with new episodes on Tuesday nights this fall on The CW.