Marc Guggenheim Has Left the Arrowverse

During a panel for Comic Con International's Storytelling Across Media series, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow co-creator Marc Guggenheim confirmed that he has officially stepped away from the Arrowverse. While Guggenheim had not served as showrunner on Arrow or Legends in a few years, his involvement as the showrunner of The CW's annual DC superhero crossover events had kept him very involved in the day-to-day operation fo the shared universe those shows inhabit. Now, with Arrow finished and Supergirl about to wrap up, Guggenheim is ready to move on, with last year's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" mega-event as his victory lap.

Earlier this year, when I spoke to Guggenheim about his directorial debut on an episde of Legends, he still wasnt' quite sure what was going on with the universe he helped usher into existence. While he had initially intended to let "Crisis" be his swan song, the pandemic had raised questions as to whether he would want to stick around to help ease the transition in 2021. Instead, Guggenheim and Arrow co-creator Greg Berlanti are working with comics legend Geoff Johns on Green Lantern for HBO Max.

"With the end of Arrow and finishing off Crisis on Infinite Earths, I basically decided that a chapter's been closed here and it seemed like I've said all I'm going to say, at least for now, with these characters in this medium," Guggenheim explained. "I've decided to sort of move on from the Arrowverse. By now, everyone knows that I'm involved with the Green Lantern launch for HBO Max, so I'm not going too far away, but I am stepping aside from the Arrowverse for the time being."

Of course, fans will wonder what this means for David Ramsey, whose John Diggle became a Green Lantern in the Arrow series finale. Diggle, a variation on John Stewart, is unlikely to be a main character, as the official announcement for the series seemed to steer clear of John or Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern played by Ryan Reynolds in a movie where Guggenheim, Berlanti, and Johns all got writing and producing credits.

During the same interview, when asked whether he might consider trying to write the Arrowverse versions of DC characters in a feature film context, Guggenheim didn't rule it out.

"I think so," he said when asked if he would take such an opportunity. "I do love these characters, and I do miss working in this world."

You can check out more of the SAM interviews posted today at the Comic-Con website or YouTube channel.