Superman and Lois showrunner Todd Helbing has confirmed that David Ramsey is playing a new version of John Diggle on the superhero show.
In the Season 2 finale, titled "Waiting For Superman," Superman and Lois revealed to longtime Arrowverse fans that the series was not set on Earth-Prime, which is home to Cress Williams' Black Lightning, Melissa Benoist's Supergirl and the Legends of Tomorrow, but on an entirely different world where Superman is the Earth's only hero. In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Todd Helbing acknowledged that the John Diggle seen on Superman and Lois was also not the one fans were familiar with. "This is also a new Diggle," the showrunner confirmed. "David Ramsey had grown a beard and grew his hair out. He called me and said, 'I’ve been growing my hair, I look different. Do you want me to shave and get a haircut?' So not to add more confusion to it, but he’s a different Diggle."
Despite Helbing stating Diggle's beard and hair in Superman and Lois' Season 2 finale is a sign that the character is not the same version as the one introduced in Arrow, the Earth-Prime version of Diggle sported the same hairstyle and facial hair in The Flash's Season 8 episode "The Man in the Yellow Tie," which aired less than a week before the Season 2 finale. The revelation also contradicts dialogue from the Season 1 episode "Through the Valley of Death." In the Superman and Lois episode, Diggle told General Sam Lane, "Come on, he's Superman. I've fought beside him. He's the best we have. Oliver would've said that. Hell, they all would've," which heavily implied the show was set on Earth-Prime and featured other superheroes like Oliver Queen/Green Arrow.
Ramsey first appeared as John Diggle in the pilot episode of Arrow in 2012. Created for the DC series by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, the original character grew in popularity and eventually crossed over into the mainline DC Comics continuity. Ramsey starred in all eight seasons of Arrow and made multiple appearances on the Arrowverse series The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and Batwoman. Following Arrow's conclusion in 2020, Ramsey appeared across the remaining Arrowverse series in a two-year multi-episode story arc for his character. The storyline, which continued off from the Arrow series finale, followed John Diggle as he attempted to learn more about reopening the mysterious box that landed beside him. The arc, considered Diggle's "Green Lantern" story in a reference to a popular fan request for the character, began in The Flash Season 7 episode "P.O.W." in July 2021 and wrapped just under a year later in June 2022 with "The Man in the Yellow Tie."
It is unknown at this time if Ramsey is set to return as Diggle in Season 3 of Superman and Lois. The actor is set to star in Justice U, an Arrowverse series set on Earth-Prime that would see Diggle recruit and educate five young meta humans to become heroes while they live at a university. The project is currently still in development at The CW.
Source: TVLine