Arrow Season 6 Breaks Diggle Physically & Emotionally

Screen Rant

Arrow star David Ramsay discusses John Diggle's arc in season 6, how the explosion on Lian Yu affects him physically and emotionally.

Fans of Arrow may see a new John Diggle in season 6 of The CW series. Though the character will survive the explosion at Lian Yu, the Diggle that comes back from the island may not be the one we know, and throughout the upcoming season the character will continue to change - and not for the best.

At San Diego Comic Con 2017, actor David Ramsey, who has played the character since Arrow began in 2012, talked about what challenges Diggle will have to endure in season 6.

As reported by CBR, Ramsey said, "We have to break Diggle. I think season 6 we’ll see Diggle get broken in a way he hasn’t been broken before." Ramsay went on to say that the explosion that occurred at the end of the season 5 finale "profoundly affects Diggle, emotionally and physically." Apparently, the impact this has on the character won't go away immediately, and may continue on for quite some time. Ramsay describes Diggle's upcoming arc as something new for the character, and one that could be even more life-changing than his brother's return from the dead, Diggle's decision to kill him, and the death of Laurel Lance.

According to Ramsay, Diggle's wife, Lyla, will be part of the problem. Ramsay made comparisons to S.H.I.E.L.D. as he talked about what it's like for Diggle to be married to the head of A.R.G.U.S., an organization tasked with hunting down metahumans. Being on Team Arrow and married to Lyla will leave Diggle feeling conflicted, especially since Dinah (a metahuman) is part of Oliver's team. Ramsay claims that the struggle with metahumans may prove to be too much for Diggle, and as a result Diggle will start keeping secrets.

Ramsay says that Diggle's problems with have a great effect on the entire team, which could have something to do with the secrets he'll be keeping. As Diggle is often portrayed as the glue that keeps the team together, it will be interesting to see the character in a different position.

Ramsay also spoke about Diggle's place in the Arrowverse, a world which includes superheroes like the Flash and Supergirl. Describing the character as a "nuts and bolts guy," Ramsay explains that Diggle's reactions to the world of superheroes is not only humorous, but something that comes from a real place. On top of Diggle's other problems, he's forced to deal with the fact that he has to defend the world "in a world where people can move faster than light."