Oliver Queen makes plenty of friends during his time in the Arrowverse. At the start of Arrow, Tommy Merlyn is his best friend, but when the two reunite after Oliver’s five-year absence, things are different. Oliver keeps his vigilante career a secret, and Tommy only learns the truth shortly before his death. Losing Tommy devastates Oliver, and it takes him years to recover fully. Fortunately, he gains an incredible support system in Team Arrow. Felicity Smoak and John Diggle help Oliver in his mission to keep Star City safe, and when the three of them put their heads together, there’s very little they can’t accomplish.
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Sadly, Oliver has to sacrifice himself to save the multiverse during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event. Diggle is distraught after losing his best friend, but the Arrowverse doesn’t stop there, twisting the knife a bit. The franchise doesn’t let Diggle wallow in his sorrow forever, though.
Oliver Queen Dies Twice to Save the Arrowverse
Unbeknownst to his friends, Oliver makes a deal during the “Elseworlds” crossover with the Monitor to save the lives of Barry Allen and Kara Danvers. He knows they’re the future, so he agrees to die in their place during the impending crisis. Oliver makes good on his promise during the first episode of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, losing his battle against the Anti-Monitor’s forces while trying to ensure everyone escapes Earth-38 before its destruction. The heroes return to Earth-1 and are devastated, but they don’t take their friend’s death lying down.
Diggle and Mia, Oliver and Felicity’s daughter from the future, attempt to retrieve Oliver’s soul from Purgatory. While he entertains coming back, a visit from Jim Corrigan, the Spectre, changes his mind. Oliver becomes something else and returns to fight the Anti-Monitor when the time is right. At that point, the majority of the people from Earth-1, including Diggle, are dead, but defeating the Anti-Monitor creates a new multiverse, and most everyone comes back to life.
The one downside of restarting the multiverse is that anyone who wasn’t present for the Anti-Monitor fight at the dawn of time doesn’t have memories of what happened. The Martian Manhunter goes around and fills everyone in using his powers, which ends up being bittersweet for Diggle. He learns that his best friend died all over again, and he wasn’t there to help him. Diggle breaks down, but he can’t let his emotions get the better of him because the fight isn’t finished. He spends the next couple of years helping heroes around the Arrowverse while processing his loss. From beyond the grave, Oliver notices his friend’s hard work, so he gives him a chance to say goodbye.
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Diggle & Oliver Get One Last Ride on The Flash
In the last season of The Flash, Diggle attends Barry’s surprise birthday party. The shindig is going off without a hitch until Bloodwork arrives and threatens the guests. Barry jumps into action, and he gets some help in the form of the Green Arrow, who shows up because Bloodwork is threatening the multiverse. Diggle sees his dead friend on the battlefield and doesn’t question it, suiting up and doing whatever he can to help. Oliver steals the show, though, using his Spectre abilities to take away Bloodwork’s powers.
With the threat gone, the party resumes, and Oliver and Diggle get a chance to reunite. They get to talk about Diggle’s busy life, including his run-in with a green box that tempts him with power, and how they miss each other. A hug seals the emotional interaction, with Diggle finally able to move on with his life after getting everything off his chest. He also knows that, despite his best friend not being around anymore, he now has a guardian angel who can show up when a situation calls for another team-up between Green Arrow and Spartan.
The Arrowverse shows are streaming on Netflix.
Were you upset that Diggle wasn’t present either of the times Oliver died during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover? Are you glad the Arrowverse made things right by having the two characters reunite? Let us know in the comments below!
