Arrow: 5 Times We Fell Bad For John Diggle (& 5 Times We Hated Him)

One of the best creations from Arrow is the original character of John Diggle, played by David Ramsey for 8 full seasons. The character has over his time in the Arrowverse gone from just Oliver Queen’s closest ally to also become a superhero in his own right. While the Green Arrow drama has come to an end, Diggle’s time in the franchise is still up in the air. The final moments of the series finale had Diggle discovering what is meant to be a Green Lantern ring as he and his family were ready to move to Metropolis.

Whether or not he will be seen again remains to be seen, but if he showed up on Superman & Lois, that would make sense. Throughout Diggle’s time on The CW, he has had several tough moments where it breaks hearts. However, like other fictional characters, Diggle has his flaws and hasn’t always been at his best either.

10 Felt Bad For Diggle: Having To Kill His Own Brother

The fourth season was a controversial one for the DC drama that kicked off The CW’s massive DC TV franchise. Following the death of Black Canary, there were a lot of aftereffects that followed. One of the arcs that season was that Diggle’s brother Andy had been revealed to be alive this whole time, but was working for Damien Darhk.

After Diggle tried to save Andy’s soul over and over again, John was left with no other choice. In a shocking moment, Diggle kills his brother, which was probably one of the most traumatic experiences in his whole life.

9 Hated Diggle: Working At ARGUS

One of the recurring elements on Arrow was the organization ARGUS, formerly led by Amanda Waller before she was killed off. In the later seasons, ARGUS just lost its effect and meaning in the series, as it had overstayed its welcome.

But that didn’t stop the series from giving Diggle one of his worst arcs of all time. Because his wife Lyla was the director, ARGUS ended up becoming his new job and it held the character back for quite a while.

8 Felt Bad For Diggle: First Day On The New Job

The pilot was the beginning of Oliver and Diggle’s long-lasting friendship and partnership. However, Oliver and Diggle didn’t get off to a good start initially.

Since Oliver’s mother wanted him to have a bodyguard, Oliver used this as a way to have someone he could constantly mess with by trying to shake him off. That is definitely not a fun way to start your first day at a new job.

7 Hated Diggle: Letting His Friends Crash His Other Friends’ Wedding

The Crisis on Earth-X crossover had its controversial moments as the heroes of Earth-1 took on the Nazis from Earth-X. However, it’s the final scene of the entire crossover that was a disaster, and Diggle is part of it.

When trying to get married a second time, Barry and Iris get Diggle to officiate them. With Oliver and Felicity there as guests, they suddenly decide to make it about them as they decide to get married at the same time as Barry and Iris. Diggle, who has for the longest time been the voice of reason, would have never agreed to this. But sadly, he let another couple suffer so his two best friends could share their day.

6 Felt Bad For Diggle: The First Time Barry Gave Diggle “A Lift”

Diggle is a man who has survived a lot in his life. However, meta-humans, aliens, magic, and infinite Earths were probably not in his education or something he thought he would have to tackle.

Barry Allen was one of those surprises, as super-speed was something Diggle had to take a long time to process. However, the first time Barry ever gave Diggle a speedy-lift was probably a horrifying experience for him, as he threw up instantly.

5 Hated Diggle: Being Dishonest About His Health

The sixth season came with a change to the status quo when Oliver had to commit fully to being Star City’s mayor. Because of that, he passed the mantle on to Diggle, believing he was the right man for the job.

But Diggle made the wrong decision in accepting, as he was still damaged from the events of Lian Yu, making him unfit to be the new Green Arrow. Because he chooses to not open up about his health problems until much later, Team Arrow was hurt.

4 Felt Bad For Diggle: His Spartan 1.0 Helmet

As the seasons went by, viewers even started to share the same opinion as some of the Arrow characters that Diggle seriously needed to get a disguise when being out on the field. By the fourth season, the creators made sure to get Diggle his own disguise, and the reception was not what they were hoping for.

While Diggle’s Spartan helmet evolved throughout the later seasons, his 1.0 model was a disaster. Why Diggle didn’t complain sooner is still an unsolved mystery.

3 Hated Diggle: Causing The Dumbest Fight Ever

Oliver and Diggle’s brotherly bond became a big relationship for the series from start to finish. But just like any brothers do in real life, they argue and fight. But the meltdown in season 6 was perhaps their worst and, quite frankly, their dumbest, fight ever. Oliver found out about Diggle’s health issues and from there, they became petty in a flash.

This is the consequence of Diggle choosing to accept the Green Arrow mantle without telling his team that he has serious health problems. After they both list their worst acts in the series, the two get into a physical fight that felt like seeing two children having a meltdown.

2 Felt Bad For Diggle: Not Being By Oliver’s Side When He Died

Crisis on Infinite Earths became a game-changer for the franchise, but especially for Arrow as their final season was almost over. With Oliver’s final adventure in motion, the Emerald Archer ended up dying not once, but twice throughout the 5-part event.

While he gave his life to restore the Multiverse, there was one person that wasn’t by Oliver’s side before he passed away: Diggle. Seeing him gutted that he failed to be there for Oliver’s death twice was the most devastating Diggle moment of all time.

1 Hated Diggle: His Pettiness In The Invasion Crossover

The Arrowverse was altered a few years ago after Barry caused Flashpoint, which ended up affecting Diggle in a big way. In a post-Flashpoint world, Diggle’s baby daughter Sara had now been replaced by John Diggle Jr., which he only found out about in the Invasion crossover.

While Diggle was right to be upset, to get as petty as he did during the invasion of the Dominators proves that he has some issues he needs to work out. Besides, several seasons later, Crisis ended up bring Sara back in the Earth-Prime timeline, without erasing J.J.

About The Author

Andy Behbakht
(1048 Articles Published)

Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

More From Andy Behbakht