page_title: John Diggle (Arrowverse)
section_title: Relationships
hierarchical_section_title: John Diggle (Arrowverse) / Development / Relationships
caption_attribution_description: HVFFSJ2017OTA-ALS-187
context_page_description: John Diggle, also known by his code name Spartan, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2012 pilot episode of the television series Arrow. The character was created for the series by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. Diggle is portrayed by David Ramsey.
  In the series, Diggle is introduced as a military veteran and Oliver Queen's new bodyguard. Over time his relationship with Oliver evolves and he becomes his best friend and confidante in his crusade as the Green Arrow, joining him as Spartan and for a while succeeds him as the Green Arrow. After Oliver returns as the Green Arrow, he leaves the team and joins A.R.G.U.S.
  Ramsey reprises his role in the Arrowverse series The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl. The character also appears in the Arrow's tie-in novels and digital comics, as well as the Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham video game. While Diggle was originally created for the television series, since 2013 a character of the same name has appeared in the Green Arrow series published by DC Comics.
context_section_description: Regarding Diggle's relationship with Oliver in season 1 after realizing he is a vigilante, Ramsey said that "the biggest change is that they start working together", adding that, "He [Diggle] makes it clear to Oliver that this isn't about me being a yes man. This is about me understanding what you do and what it does to you as a person. What it does to your humanity." After Diggle leaves Team Arrow and joins A.R.G.U.S. in season 6 due to his differences with Oliver, Ramsey said, "he obviously loves Oliver, but he sees that there's more than one way to save the city. He's still committed to Oliver, to a certain degree, but even more so than Oliver, to the people of the city."
  Diggle, alongside Felicity, is shown to play an important role in the transitioning of Oliver from a 'lone-wolf' to part of a vigilante team. This working relationship between these three characters has been described both in the media and the show as 'Original Team Arrow', and has received particular praise from critics. Commenting on this "symbiotic relationship", terming it "Arrow's most important", Carrie Raisler of The A.V. Club stated "Amell, Ramsey, and Rickards have the kind of lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry that makes all their scenes together hum", in her review of the first half of season 2. Similarly, Jesse Schedeen of IGN, reviewing the season three premiere, described the three as the "core trio" of the show and Jenny Rafferty of Vulture, writing about season four, described the relationship between the three as "the heartbeat of the show". Looking back at the series during her review of the season seven finale, Della Harrington of Den of Geek commented that "The magic of the show and the magic of his [Oliver's] team within the show alchemised when John Diggle and Felicity Smoak signed on."
  Juliana Harkavy, who plays Dinah Drake, described Diggle as Drake's "best friend" and "her family".
caption: Ramsey, Rickards and Amell at Heroes and Villains Fan Fest San Jose in 2017
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