The Flash teases answers to John Diggle’s Green Lantern hints in season 7’s episode 16. Diggle has returned to the Arrowverse this year following the end of his eight-season stint on the now completed Arrow. While David Ramsey’s guest spot on Legends of Tomorrow saw him playing another character from the past, Diggle’s appearance on Batwoman was the first to tease his potential Green Lantern story. With a seemingly larger role to play in The Flash, the episode will likely answer some long-overdue questions about what was in the box he picked up at the end of Arrow.
In the series finale of Arrow, Diggle and Lyla decided to leave Star City behind and move their family to Metropolis on a work transfer. On the drive over, however, Diggle stopped when a meteor crash landed near them. What he found when he walked over was a mysterious box, one that initially knocked him back from its power. When Diggle opened it, a bright green light shone on his face, which teased that the box held none other than the Green Lantern ring and that Diggle was likely chosen to take up the mantle. It’s been relatively quiet on the Green Lantern front for some time now, and Diggle’s arrival in Central City may finally yield some answers.
In the promo for The Flash season 7’s episode 16, called “P.O.W.”, Diggle is shown arriving in S.T.A.R. Labs. In between scenes of getting down to business regarding how to defeat Godspeed, the latest Flash villain, there is a glimpse of Diggle with the green light shining on his face. It’s no coincidence that the scene was edited into the promo — namely, to remind fans that Diggle’s storyline remains unresolved and that he likely didn’t come to Central City just to help with Barry’s latest predicament. It’s a teaser that has been a long time coming. Ramsey hinted in several interviews that what happened after he opened the box will be explored and that there are consequences to avoiding what was in it. In his appearance on Batwoman, Diggle confirmed that he was in Gotham to see a neurologist. Perhaps the results didn’t satisfy him there, so he’s visiting Team Flash to seek help with his unique problem.
It’s hard to gauge what has been happening with Diggle in the immediate aftermath of Arrow’s series finale, but it’s about time fans got some answers instead of random hints about what’s going on. It’s possible Diggle realized he had been chosen to wear the Green Lantern ring and rejected it because he didn’t want to shoulder the responsibility or to leave his family behind. Whatever the case, it’s clear that Diggle has yet to put on the ring. Batwoman was only the beginning of this arc for him, but it makes sense that his storyline regarding the content of the mysterious box would be explored in further detail on The Flash. Diggle has been closer to Barry and his team for years now, having worked with them the longest. Knowing them better will likely get him to open up about what’s been going on with him; it’s something he couldn’t do with Luke Fox considering they’d only just met.
Diggle has been teased as the next Green Lantern in the Arrowverse for a long time. The clues have been wracking up, but the Arrow series finale was the most blatant indication that this was his destiny. The Flash season 7 has the opportunity to finally deliver on that front, hopefully to a satisfying degree. The good news is that Diggle is still scheduled to appear on Supergirl and Superman & Lois, so if there are any unanswered questions leftover from his time on The Flash, more information about his potential role as Green Lantern can still be developed elsewhere. For now, however, The Flash is fans’ best bet for more information about the glowing green box.
