The most recent Arrowverse crossover, Elseworlds, includes a nod to the long-running fan theory that Arrow's John Diggle is destined to become the Green Lantern. The moment was a neat Easter egg, but when combined with the reveal of the next Arrowverse crossover - Crisis on Infinite Earths - it may hint at a way for Diggle to really become the Green Lantern.
The moment comes in Arrow's episode of Elseworlds when the heroes receive a visit from the Barry Allen of Earth-90 (John Wesley Shipp reprising his role from the 1990s The Flash TV show). He comes to warn them of a terrible threat destroying Earths throughout the multiverse, but when he first arrives, Barry spies John Diggle among the group and says: "Hello, John. You're not wearing your ring... Things must be different here."
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Immediately, fans recognized the line as a reference to the popular theory of Diggle becoming the Green Lantern and its inclusion has renewed interest in the idea. Plus, now that the next crossover has been revealed as Crisis on Infinite Earths - an event that in the comics does have reality-altering consequences - there now exists a path for Diggle to actually become the Arrowverse's Green Lantern.
- This Page: Arrowverse (Sort Of) Made John Diggle Green Lantern Already
- Next Page: How John Diggle Can Become The True Green Lantern
John Diggle Has Been Rumored To Become Green Lantern
The theory that John Diggle could one day wield a Green Lantern ring isn't anything new. In fact, it's probably one of the most popular theories to spin out of the Arrowverse. It all began with the many Green Lantern Easter eggs that crop up in both Arrow and The Flash, references to things like Ferris Air and a missing pilot. These clues, however, hint at the Hal Jordan version of Green Lantern and not the one Diggle most resembles. Still, these little winks and nods were enough to send fans looking for a way that at least one of the Green Lanterns could join the Arrowverse.
Enter John Diggle, a man who regularly demonstrates the fearlessness required to wield a ring and whose military record makes him a strong candidate to become the Arrowverse version of John Stewart - former Marine and eventual Green Lantern of Sector 2184 (aka Earth). Actor David Ramsey even threw fuel on the fire when he confirmed there had been a "serious discussion" on the topic of John Diggle being John Stewart and/or becoming a Green Lantern. Since then, however, Arrow executive producer Wendy Mericle seemingly shot down the Diggle-becomes-Green-Lantern theory when she confirmed that Green Lantern could never come to the Arrowverse. And yet, Green Lantern has joined the Arrowverse (sort of) thanks to Elseworlds.
Elseworlds Already Made John The Green Lantern (Sort Of)
The brief moment of Earth-90's Flash recognizing John Diggle as a Green Lantern is a great nod to the fans, but it also officially confirms that there is at least one Green Lantern in the multiverse - and he shares Diggle's face. So, in a way, the Arrowverse has already gone ahead and made John Diggle (or Stewart, as the case may be) a Green Lantern, confirming the fan theory on one Earth while continuing to play coy about it on another. Plus, were any of the Arrowverse shows to ever visit Earth-90, it would only stand to reason that Ramsey would portray that Earth's John Diggle/Stewart and finally get to don the Green Lantern ring and costume.
Sadly, it appears that Earth-90 is destroyed during the Elseworlds crossover, so a visit to that Earth isn't possible until it's somehow restored. In which case, Arrowverse fans might never get to see Ramsey as Earth-90's Green Lantern and will just have settle for the Elseworlds shout-out. That is, unless the next Arrowverse crossover - Crisis on Infinite Earths - holds the secret to how John Diggle can finally become a Green Lantern.
Page 2: How Diggle Can Become Green Lantern & What This Could Mean For Arrow's Future
How Crisis On Infinite Earths Can Make Diggle The True Green Lantern
The next Arrowverse crossover is Crisis on Infinite Earths, based on the 1985 DC Comics story of the same name. In the briefest of terms, Crisis on Infinite Earths is an event that sees the Anti-Monitor (an evil inversion of the Monitor) destroying the many Earths of the multiverse until a group of heroes from the remaining Earths rally together to stop him. Famously, the series features some high profile character deaths - including Barry Allen and Supergirl - and ends with the multiverse's many Earths being condensed into one Earth-Prime.
Now, if the Arrowverse version of Crisis on Infinite Earths ends in a similar fashion, then their multiverse would also be condensed into a single universe with only one Earth. This means Supergirl would exist on the same Earth as The Flash and Green Arrow, and the infinite versions of Harrison Wells would be whittled down to just one. Instead of there being a John Diggle on Earth-1 and a John Stewart on Earth-90, there would be only one John Diggle Stewart of Earth-Prime - and that man could be the Arrowverse's Green Lantern. The question that arises from this is, would the current John Diggle be replaced by another version, or will the version of Diggle that fans have come to know and love receive a Green Lantern ring of his own?
What This Could Mean For Arrow's Future
If Crisis on Infinite Earths restructures the Arrowverse just as the original Crisis did for the DC Comics universe, then this crossover event would dramatically change the status quo of the Arrowverse series. And, to be fair, it seems unlikely the CW would want to alter their shared superhero universe quite this much. After all, unlike DC Comics in the 1980s, the Arrowverse isn't so complicated that it needs to be simplified in order for new viewers to sort it all out, though it's on its way to reaching that point.
What's more likely is that the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths will include the multiverse being combined or condensed, but only for a short time, similar to how Earth-1's reality was briefly altered during Elseworlds. This way, the crossover can feature something like John Diggle as a Green Lantern without actually committing to such drastic change on Arrow full-time. Even though the Arrowverse contains numerous superheroes and supervillains, many of which have superpowers nowadays, Arrow remains one of the more grounded properties in DC TV's library.
Introducing a Green Lantern ring into the mix would fundamentally alter the show. However, if Oliver Queen can be replaced as the Green Arrow, then there could be an avenue for the show's core characters to "retire" from the forefront and allow a new generation of vigilantes to take over - but that seems to bold for the producers to do at this time. By the end of the crossover, the Arrowverse would more or less be returned to normal, but it would give fans the chance to see Diggle become a Green Lantern - even if only for a short while.