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The Arrowverse always gave the impression it wanted to go further than it was allowed to. Full of crossovers, quiet endings, and scenes that hinted at something bigger, it kept building toward stories that didn’t always land. Some were left half-finished. Some never even got the chance. One of the most talked-about was John Diggle’s journey toward becoming a Green Lantern.
It started subtly. No announcements, no flashy scenes. Just small details, the kind that slowly gains weight. When Arrow came to an end and that green glow appeared, it looked like the beginning of something important. A box crashes near him, glowing green. No one says what’s inside, but everyone watching understood. That was the setup.
A character standing at the edge of something more
John Diggle wasn’t just a sidekick. He had weight. He grounded the chaos around him, and balanced the darker moments of the series. Over time, his arc became one of the most solid in the entire Arrowverse. So when signs started pointing to a deeper role, something cosmic, it felt earned.
David Ramsey confirmed what many already suspected. The Green Lantern storyline was planned. The box, the references, even the name Diggle Stewart. None of that was accidental. According to him, the intention to make him a Green Lantern was real, and they were ready to move forward. But things stalled.
A storyline left hanging
There was no technical issue. No problem with performance or narrative logic. What came up was studio interference. Ramsey mentioned that internal politics got in the way. The rights, the branding, all of it became too complicated. So the idea had to be shelved.
In an episode of The Flash, the story was quietly closed. Diggle opens the box again and turns it down. Says he’s choosing his life on Earth. Says the power inside wasn’t for him. It’s quick. Too quick, given all the time spent setting it up.
At the recent FAN EXPO Denver, Ramsey was asked by a fan what happened to the Green Lantern plot and how the story came about before it got canceled. According to Screenrant, he mentions,
Fan: I'm really curious about how the Green Lantern thing came up at the end of the Arrow, if that was going to happen, or if that was added in because of fan speculation?
David Ramsey: Yeah, we only teased it for six years. There was a lot of things going on at Warner Bros. and DC, there were president changes and regime changes. So Marc Guggenheim and I and some other executives were regularly like, 'Hey, we really want to push this Green Lantern thing to make it possible.' So there are some executives in DC, and Warner Bros. said yes. Others have said no.
What happened with Green Lantern: 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. So there was a lot of politics around that property way above my head. And so then Mr. James Gunn came, and obviously there's a whole lot happening there, so I'm actually looking forward to that version. I can't wait to see, but the answer [to] your question is yes, that was a real thing. But there were a lot of politics going on that were way above my head. There were Yeses and Nos and Yeses and Nos. And every time there was a yes reflected in writing, and every time it was a no, it reflected the writing.
The scene that says everything without saying much
That moment wasn’t about Diggle. It was about the limits of the universe he was part of. The box had become a symbol. Not of transformation, but of things that were never allowed to happen. The scene felt like a way of stepping away from something bigger. Not because the character wouldn’t go there, but because the story wasn’t allowed to follow through.
This wasn’t just another idea that didn’t work out. The buildup was there. Season after season, they hinted, teased, and layered little clues. When it finally got close to becoming something, the door was shut quietly and without warning.
What Diggle’s arc meant for the Arrowverse
Turning Diggle into a Green Lantern would have added a new dimension to the Arrowverse. A cosmic scale. A new frontier for a universe that had already explored time travel, alternate Earths and speed forces. Giving that role to someone like Diggle would have sent a message. That loyalty and stability were as worthy of power as drama and destruction.
But the Green Lantern name is valuable. DC had its reasons. Bigger projects were coming. Other versions of the character were being developed. And Diggle’s version, grounded in television, didn’t fit into those plans.
Why the plan didn’t move forward
It wasn’t a lack of commitment from the cast or writers. According to Ramsey, they wanted it to happen. They pushed for it. But DC didn’t approve of the use of the Green Lantern identity. They wanted to hold that storyline for something else. Possibly the new Lanterns series. Possibly just to avoid overlapping storylines.
With that decision, Diggle’s arc changed. He remained in the Arrowverse. Appeared in different shows. Stayed involved. However the potential of the transformation was left behind.
What’s left for those still interested
Concept art of Diggle as a Green Lantern surfaced in 2024. It matched the tone of the universe. Balanced, modern, true to the character. But it was never used. It became part of the what-if collection of the Arrowverse. Meanwhile, HBO’s Lanterns series is in development. A different universe, a new tone, no connection to what had come before.
There might be another John Stewart coming. But it won’t be Diggle. And it won’t be Ramsey. That chapter stayed closed.
The ending that never played out
The Arrowverse had ambition. It wanted to connect characters, expand boundaries, take risks. Some of those worked. Others stayed stuck. The Green Lantern arc was one of the stories that came close. The signs were there. The character was ready. The audience saw it.
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But in the end, it didn’t happen. Not because it didn’t make sense, but because it wasn’t allowed to move forward. And in a universe built on possibility, that absence still echoes.
Some arcs never begin. Others begin and don’t finish. This one did something in between. And for the Arrowverse, that was more common than it should have been.
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