In Arrow's series finale, John Diggle stumbled across a box that had crashed to Earth. After opening it, he was greeted by a green glow, with the clear insinuation that this was a Green Lantern Power Ring. For years, theories swirled that Spartan might be the Arrowverse's John Stewart, and this cliffhanger appeared to finally confirm that was the case.
With Warner Bros. moving ahead with a Green Lantern TV series for HBO Max and a Green Lantern Corps movie supposedly still in the works, it would have been a shock to see The CW granted access to the character. Unfortunately, it was confirmed during last night's episode of The Flash that Diggle won't be suiting up for any future adventures.
Eobard Thawne is still imprisoned on Lian Yu, but we soon learned that he's not alone. Diggle has tracked the villain down to see if he knows anything about the box. It turns out the hero has been unable to open it after closing the lid sometime after Arrow's finale, and the Reverse-Flash explains that it appears only to those at a crossroads in life before they choose their destiny.
Diggle wasn't ready before, but is now. With that, he gets a glimpse of the cosmos and the sort of possibilities it holds for him. The Green Lantern Corps is never directly referenced, but the insinuation is clear. Alas, he decides that heading into outer space isn't for him, especially as it would mean leaving his family behind. Diggle then throws the box aside and it closes for good.
Some fans are bound to be disappointed by this latest development, but we have to give The Flash some credit for finding a way to resolve this subplot.
After all, it was one of Arrow's biggest lingering plot threads. On this occasion, it hasn't gone anywhere, meaning we'll have to wait for Green Lantern to return to the screen. The character has been on the shelf for a long time now, but it appears that's going to change over the next few years.
The Flash season 8, episode 19; "Negative, Part One" - TEAM FLASH BANDS TOGETHER: The Flash (Grant Gustin) and the team are in for the fight of their lives, meanwhile, Iris (Candice Patton) discovers the cause of her time sickness. The series also stars Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton and Brandon McKnight. Jeff Byrd directed the episode written by Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza (819).
"Negative, Part One" airs on The CW on June 22.