Diggle Actor Reveals If His ‘Arrow’ Stint Will Last

Though John Diggle has previously worn the costume, tonight will see the character’s first episode with the mantle of the Green Arrow.

Last week’s Arrow ended with Oliver Queen stepping down from his superhero role and passing the duties onto his friend and partner, but Diggle is hiding a few secrets from his team.

Actor David Ramsey spoke with EW about his time under the hood, and revealed if he would be the permanent Green Arrow.

“No. No, it’s Green Arrow. Stephen Amell is Green Arrow,” Ramsey said. “It’s not going to last. Of course not, but I think it’s very interesting and it’s an interesting twist on how it fits into the ultimate theme of the season, I think it’s very clever. I think it’s an interesting detour.”

Ramsey went on to explain the reasoning behind the temporary change in duties, and how it will contribute to Amell’s character as well as his own.

“It also gives us some time with Oliver. I think it’s great, and he has some great writing,” Ramsey said. “Stuff is happening between him and Deathstroke, and he and his son and he and Felicity. It’s awesome. I think holding it for the few episodes I have the mantle, that’s the appropriate amount of time.”

But Diggle has been suffering from a physical injury and post-traumatic stress disorder since the explosion on Lian Yu, hiding his injuries from the rest of Team Arrow. And that will affect his tenure as the Green Arrow.

“Again, this ugly head of this physical limitation really rears its head in the field and it becomes glaringly obvious to the team that he has a problem, so he has to hide, he has to conceal it, he has to make excuses,” Ramsey said. “He hides it from everyone, which is very unlike Diggle. But even as we roll through this, because he wears this mantle for several episodes, he becomes the leader he was at the beginning of season 4. He becomes a very sound leader.”

Fans will get to see the beginning of Diggle’s temporary stint on tonight’s episode of Arrow, called “Next of Kin.”

Arrow airs Thursday at 9/8c on The CW.