Arrow Concept Artist Explains Diggle’s New Helmet Design

[SPOILERS for those not caught up on Arrow ahead.]

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Five episodes into Arrow season 5, and it is clear the series is attempting to go back to its roots. After last year’s lackluster season, things do look like they are picking up with more grounded storylines and magic-less antagonists. Another change this year is to the Team Arrow dynamic. After Laurel Lance’s (Katie Cassidy) untimely death at the hands of Damien Darhk, both Thea (Willa Holland) and Diggle (David Ramsay) decided to give up their night jobs as vigilantes. Diggle, who also was looking for redemption after killing his brother, decided to reenlist, and began the season back in the military.

Without Speedy and Spartan by his side, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was left to deal with the season’s first primary villain, Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman), on his own. This eventually proved impractical, leading Oliver to reluctantly recruit Wild Dog, Artemis, and Ragman to the team. However, when Diggle was sent to military prison for a crime he did not commit, his wife, Lyla, persuaded Oliver to orchestrate a prison break. Now a fugitive, Spartan is back on Team Arrow and he has an upgraded look – in the form of a new helmet.

CBR recently spoke with concept artist, Andy Poon, who discussed fan reaction to Diggle’s new helmet, and what he and costume designer, Maya Mani, looked to for inspiration. You can read Poon’s response below:

“Costume designer Maya Mani and I were already working on some further exploration of a newer version of Diggle’s helmet while the first one from Season 4 was in production…I was studying the first one, and it felt more like a mask with an open back that helped him disguise his identity like Oliver suggested before. I feel like with Diggle’s military background and his access to resourceful people like Cisco, he could use a more practical functional helmet that gives him full protection.”

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