The CW’s Arrow has arguably produced some of the best comic book based costumes ever put on TV. Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) original Arrow suit — as well as his upcoming Green Arrow outfit — honor the green garbed superhero, and Manu Bennet’s Deathstroke outfit proved both faithful and practical when it debuted in Season 2. However, not all costumes produced by the show have been a home run; last week, an image of John Diggle’s (David Ramsey) season four outfit hit the internet, and the reaction was mixed to say the least.
Many feel Diggle’s helmet (see above) bears too much similarity to X-Men‘s Magneto, while other merely feel it looks ridiculous when compared to the charcaters typically grounded garments. Diggle and his costume can be glimpsed in action in the newly-released Arrow season four trailer, and we now have additional images that offer a better still look at the character and his crime-fighting gear.
The new pictures (via DC Comics) offer a better sense of what Diggle’s Arrow season four look is about. As a whole, Diggle’s costume seems to take his typical attire and weapons from previous seasons — jackets, ski masks, handguns — and militarizes it. He now has a utility belt and tactical vest that likely allows him to carry much more equipment and ammunition in the field, and an urban camouflage color scheme that will allow him to be much more stealthy than in prior outings.
See for yourselves, below:
This clearer view certainly instills more confidence than the first glimpse we got of Diggle’s latest outfit. All of the promotional material we have seen for Season 4 of Arrow seems to indicate that war has come to the newly named Star City. As such, to face off against this new threat, the heroes, and even the police — see also Rutina Wesley’s Lady Cop — have had to step up their arsenals. Diggle’s helmet also makes a great deal of sense when we remember the absolute beating that the character received at the hands of Brick in Oliver’s season three absence — it offers considerably more protection than his traditional balaclava.
Considering the generally lukewarm response that Diggle’s outfit originally received, these new photos likely come as an attempt from DC to mitigate controversy surrounding the outfit. They seem to have been successful, as the special forces soldier turned driver turned superhero looks decidedly more imposing than when we first saw his new digs — pun completely intended.
NEXT: Arrow Season 4 Trailer
Season 2 of The Flash premieres Tuesday, October 6 at 8pm/7 central; Season 4 of Arrow debuts Wednesday October 7 at 8pm/7 central; Legends of Tomorrow begins in 2016.
