For years, the Arrowverse teased a major storyline where John Diggle would become a Green Lantern. New details reveal that the plan was very real, but behind-the-scenes politics at Warner Bros. and DC repeatedly shut it down. According to the actor who played Diggle, that might have been for the best.
The Tease That Lasted Six Years
The Arrowverse laid the groundwork for John Diggle to become a Green Lantern over the course of six years. It started with small hints and grew to a major moment in the 2020 series finale of Arrow. After a meteorite crashed to Earth, Diggle opened a box to reveal a glowing green light, a clear nod to a Green Lantern power ring.
David Ramsey, who played Diggle, confirmed the long-running plan was intentional. “We only teased it for six years,” he told fans at a convention. He explained that writers and executives were regularly pushing to “make it possible,” but the answer from higher-ups kept changing. “There are some executives at DC and Warner Bros. said yes. Others have said no,” Ramsey stated. The final word, however, was “no.”
Behind-the-Scenes Politics That Killed the Story
The primary reason for shelving the storyline was not creative, but corporate. Internal politics and shifting priorities at Warner Bros. and DC prevented the Arrowverse from moving forward with the Green Lantern mythology.
Ramsey pointed to the larger plans for the Green Lantern property as the main hurdle. “There was a lot of politics around that property way above my head,” he said. “There was supposed to be a movie. And then there was a TV show and Greg Berlanti had Green Lantern. And then something happened with that.” With other Green Lantern projects in various stages of development, the Arrowverse’s version was not allowed to move forward.
This corporate hesitation is what Ramsey now sees as a positive turn of events. The canceled arc meant that his character, John Diggle, was not defined by a cosmic power-up. Instead, he remained a grounded hero, a loyal friend, and a family man—the core traits that made him a fan favorite.
A Story Concluded Too Quickly
With the larger plan blocked, the Arrowverse was forced to quickly conclude the storyline it had spent years building. In an episode of The Flash, Diggle was seen opening the box once more, only to decisively turn down the power inside. He stated that he was choosing his life on Earth with his family, and that the cosmic power was not for him.
For many fans, the scene felt rushed and anticlimactic, a quiet end to a story that had promised something much bigger. The glowing green box became a symbol not of transformation, but of the limitations imposed on the Arrowverse by larger corporate strategies.
A New Green Lantern Rises
The corporate strategies that halted Diggle’s transformation are now clear. The Green Lantern story is being told in a new way in the rebooted DC Universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran.
The upcoming HBO series Lanterns, scheduled for a mid-2026 release, will feature the classic Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The show is described as a terrestrial-based investigation story in the style of True Detective. Kyle Chandler will star as Hal Jordan, with Aaron Pierre playing John Stewart.
This new series represents the fresh, flagship take on the characters that DC Studios wanted to pursue, making the Arrowverse’s separate version incompatible with their broader plans.
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A Secret Upside to a Canceled Plot
While fans may always wonder what could have been, David Ramsey sees a secret upside to the story being canceled. The constant “yes and no” from executives meant that the writers had to be creative within the constraints they were given. This led to a more nuanced and human conclusion for Diggle’s journey.
Instead of becoming a cosmic superhero, Diggle’s arc ended with him making a conscious choice for a normal life. This final decision reinforced his character’s core values: his love for his family and his commitment to being a hero on his own terms. In the end, the cancellation may have preserved the very heart of the character fans loved.
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Credits: SuperheroHype, ThePopverse
