This isn't really a sign of my return to writing Arrowverse, but this is something that's been on my mind for the last week due to watching Falcon and the Winter Soldier clips and certain realizations I've had about Diggle's character.
Anyway, enjoy.
Oliver's apartment
Night
"What?" Diggle asked as he stared at Oliver in disbelief.
"I don't want you being Green Arrow anymore," Oliver repeated himself.
"Oliver, that is not your decision," Diggle said getting angry.
"The Hell it isn't. How many times have you lectured me about keeping secrets? Or are you the only one allowed to keep secrets John?" Oliver asked angrily.
"I was putting my body through Hell, for you! Because you needed me!" Diggle snapped.
"No John, you did it for you!" Oliver snarled and Diggle reeled back, looking like he'd been slapped. "You've been putting the team at risk for months! I had to jump off a bridge to save Rene's life! You weren't at one hundred percent and nobody knew! I trusted you, I believed in you and you were lying to me! If you can't see that you've lost sight of the bigger picture, then I never should have asked you to take up the hood!"
"So what are you gonna do Oliver? Are you gonna try to take it from me by force?" Diggle demanded, walking over and getting in Oliver's face.
Oliver was silent, staring at him stonily for a moment. After a beat, Diggle scoffed.
"Forget this, forget you. If you want the hood back, you're gonna have to take it," Diggle snapped.
Diggle then turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. After a few moments, Thea rounded the corner and walked out behind him.
"That was intense," Thea noted and it was silent for a few moments. "What are you gonna do?"
"I made a promise to my son, one I intend on keeping. But John has clearly lost perspective. I can't let him keep going as Green Arrow, especially not if he's going to keep putting himself and the team at risk," Oliver said as he pulled out his phone.
Thea watched in confusion as he dialed a number before putting it to his ear.
"Hey, it's me. I need your help…"
Star City, a few days later
Night
Diggle, dressed in his Green Arrow suit, entered a warehouse wearily, his crossbow at the ready. He'd been ready to head home when Felicity had told him of a disturbance in the warehouse district. With everyone else already gone for the night, Diggle had decided to check it out alone.
Only there was no one else here. Diggle was sure this had just been a group of teenagers' playing a bed joke when he saw someone standing in the shadows. Diggle aimed his crossbow as they stepped into view, a look of surprise crossing his face.
"Hey Dig," Roy Harper said, dressed in his Arsenal suit.
"Roy? What are you doing here?" Diggle asked as he lowered his crossbow.
"Oliver called me. He's worried about you," Roy said and Diggle scoffed.
"He's not worried about me Roy. He's angry that I didn't tell him the truth and that I'm not giving into his whims," Diggle said angrily. "I don't need an intervention Roy."
"Don't you? After all the times you've lectured Oliver about keeping secrets, now the rules don't apply to you?" Roy asked cautiously. "And what about your health? Dig, you're putting your body through Hell with this drug. Do you even know anything about it? Do you have any idea what it can do to you?"
"I can handle it Roy. I don't need you or Oliver to tell me what's best for me!" Diggle snapped angrily.
"What happened to you Dig?" Roy asked after a moment, staring at Diggle as though trying to find a piece of the man he used to know. "All this over a title? You're putting your life at risk John. The team's life at risk. The man I knew didn't put his ego over the team, didn't refuse to listen to the advice of other people because he didn't like what they had to say. This isn't you."
"Don't act like you know me Roy. You've been gone for over a year. Things have changed," Diggle snapped.
"Dig, you've made some mistakes, but there's nothing you can't come back from yet. But if you don't stop this now, there is no coming back, for you, Oliver or the team," Roy tried to reason with him.
"There was no disturbance, was there? This was all a set up," Diggle realized, angry at the 'betrayal' of his team. "You, Oliver and the others, you all went behind my back."
"Well, he's not stupid, I'll give him that much."
Slade watched in disbelief as Slade Wilson, dressed in his Deathstroke suit sans helmet, walked into view and stepped up beside Roy. And, for the first time, he noticed Roy was had his bow in hand, gripping it tightly as if he was bracing for a fight.
"So that's what this is," Diggle muttered, anger filling him. "I told Oliver he'd have to take it from me. Instead, he sent you two to do it for him."
"On the contrary, he told Mr. Harper to try and talk some sense into you. He seemed to believe you might listen to him," Slade, glancing over at Roy before returning his gave to Diggle. "But he wanted me here in case things turned…violent."
"Dig, don't make this any worse than it has to be," Roy pleaded.
"You don't wanna do this Roy," Diggle warned him, clearly not backing down and Roy sighed.
"You're right, I don't," Roy admitted before straightening, his face hardening. "But you're not giving me any choice."
With a roar, Slade rushed Diggle, pulling out his sword from the sheath on his back. Diggle dodged Slade's strike, using his crossbow to block Slade's sword. Diggle then sent a kick towards Slade's abdomen, which sent the older man stumbling back. Roy notched an arrow in his bow, firing at Diggle but Diggle fired his own from his crossbow and the two arrows collided in midair before falling harmlessly to the ground.
Slade then tried to deliver a spinning kick to Diggle's head but Diggle dodged, attempting a strike to Slade's head with his crossbow. Slade dodged before grabbing hold of the crossbow, attempting to yank it out of Diggle's hold. But Diggle elbowed him in the face, sending Slade stumbling back. Diggle quickly loaded another arrow and was about to fire at Slade when Roy rushed over. A well placed kick to Diggle's arms knocked his aim off and the arrow flew harmlessly into the wall. Roy then tried to strike Diggle with his bow but Diggle managed to dodge.
Diggle delivered a powerful kick to Roy's abdomen, sending the younger man down to the ground. Diggle was about to delivered a punch to Roy's race when Slade tackled him. They stumbled away from Roy before Diggle broke free of Slade's grip. Roy got back to his feet and rushed over. Roy tried striking Diggle with his bow while Slade attempted to strike him with his sword. Diggle blocked Slade's sword with his crossbow while taking Roy's bow in his shoulder.
Grunting in pain and anger, Diggle pushed Roy out of the way and struck Slade across the face. Diggle then whirled around, attempting to strike Roy. Roy dodged, sinking down and attempting to deliver a kick to Diggle's side but Diggle side stepped it. Roy then jumped back, performing a backflip to get away. As Roy landed on his feet, he looked at Diggle sadly.
"John, look at yourself. Is a title really worth all this? This isn't you," Roy tried to reason once more.
"I stopped taking your advice when you tried to force me to give it up," Diggle snarled as he reloaded his crossbow. "Oliver will have to face the fact that I'm the Green Arrow whether he likes it or not."
Diggle then fired at Slade, who dodged the arrow before rushing him. Diggle blocked with his crossbow before Slade slugged him, hard. Diggle grunted at the pain, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth before he retaliated by sending a punch to Slade's face. Snarling, Slade applied enough pressure with his sword and both weapons flew out of their hands. It then became a battle of hand to hand, the two trading blows. Although Slade was clearly more skilled, Diggle was bigger and stronger.
Seeing a metal sheet nearby, Diggle picked it up off the floor and struck Slade across the face with it. Slade went down, coughing up a mouth full of blood. At that point, Roy rushed over, attempting to jump onto Diggle. But Diggle jumped out of the way, attempting to strike Roy with his new weapon as he did. Using some acrobatic skill, Roy avoided Diggle strikes before notching an arrow with a line. Firing, the arrow struck Diggle's metal sheet. Roy then yanked, hard and the sheet was yanked out of Diggle's hand, thrown across the room.
With a roar of rage, Diggle rushed across the room towards Roy. Roy tried to strike Diggle but Diggle stopped his bow with one hand and Roy with the other. With a roar, Diggle whirled around and tossed Roy into some shelves. They tipped over under Roy's weight and Roy rolled onto the ground, dazed as he lost his bow.
Seeing his crossbow, Diggle moved towards it but Slade tackled him. The two ended up on the ground, wrestling before Diggle managed to pin him to the floor.
"You should have stayed out of my city," Diggle snarled.
Pulling out an arrow, Diggle was about to stab Slade in the eye when Roy jumped on his back, stopping him. As Diggle tried to knock Roy off, Slade managed to free himself, punching Diggle in the face. Roy yanked the arrow from Diggle hand as Roy pushed him off. The three pulled themselves to their feet, Diggle spitting out a mouth full of blood as they all stared at each other.
"Stand down Mr. Diggle. Or else I will be forced to do something I do not wish to do," Slade warned him.
"If you were gonna kill me, you'd have done it already," Diggle sneered.
Diggle then rushed forward, striking Slade across the face. Slade stumbled back but stood his ground. Slade grabbed onto Diggle, the other man struggling to move as Roy spotted his bow. Picking it up, Roy then fired two arrows with connected lines. One line wrapped around Diggle's arm while the other hit a nearby metal barrel. Roy gave a slight tug on the wire and Diggle realized what was happening but couldn't stop it. The barrel fell and the line dragged Diggle's arm to an impossible angle. Diggle cried out as a sickening crack was heard, signaling the breaking of his arm.
Diggle stumbled away from Slade, ripping the wire off his arm, the barrel falling to the ground before Roy saw the metal sheet. Grabbing it, Roy nodded at Slade, who understood. Slade rushed Diggle, tackling him and pushing him back. Roy then rushed forward, striking Diggle in the back of the head with the metal sheet as hard as he could. Diggle went down as Slade let him go, barely conscious. Slade then struck him with a punch, fully knocking him out.
For a moment, the warehouse was silent; the only sound the heavy breathing of Roy and Slade.
"You alright kid?" Slade asked Roy.
"No," Roy said honestly, looking down at Diggle sadly. "That…wasn't easy."
"It never is," Slade said softly, thinking of facing his son just a few weeks ago. "Never."
ARGUS base
Later
When Diggle next opened his eyes, it was in the ARGUS med bay. He was lying in a bed, dressed in civilian clothes, his arm in a cast. He simply laid there for a few moments, remembering what had happened.
"How are you feeling?"
Startled, Diggle looked over, realizing his wife was in the room. Lyla sat in a chair a few feet from his dead, looking at him with an unreadable look on her face.
"Like I got beat up," Diggle said honestly and it was silent for a moment. "They took the suit, didn't they?"
"Yeah, they did," Lyla agreed and Diggle noticed she didn't seem angry, or surprised.
"You knew they were gonna do this," Diggle realized.
"I knew Roy was going to talk to you, and if you wouldn't listen, he and Slade were prepared to do whatever it took to take back the hood," Lyla revealed. "Johnny, I don't even recognize you anymore. Becoming Green Arrow…it's changed you and not for the better. You're not acting like the man I married or even the man I divorced. You're acting like Andy."
Lyla's words hurt more than any battle wound Diggle had ever received. Diggle stared at her with a look of shock and hurt on his face as Lyla got to her feet.
"The medics want you to stay for a few days to recover. While you're here, I want to think about the kind of man you want to be. Because who you've been lately isn't a man I want to share a life with. He's not a man I want to know at all."
Lyla then turned and walked out, leaving Diggle alone with his thoughts.
Arrow lair
Same time
Oliver was standing in front of the suit display, staring at Diggle's suit before turning his gaze to the Green Arrow suit, which was back on the display case.
Behind him, Thea was cleaning a cut Roy had sustained during the fight.
"Thanks," Roy said gently once she was finished. "You're pretty good at that."
"I got pretty good at it after I joined the team," Thea said and it was silent for a moment. "Thank you for coming. I know Ollie appreciates your help."
"I'm always here for Oliver, you know that. But…I didn't just come here for Oliver," Roy admitted and Thea's heart sped up. "I came to make sure you were okay. Oliver told me you were awake."
"Yeah, just a few days before all this. Kind of figures, right?" Thea said with a laugh.
"Yeah," Roy said and it was silent again. "I know I have no right, that you've probably moved on-"
"I haven't. Moved on, that is," Thea said and Roy stopped cold. "I tried but…no one can be you."
"Well, this sucks," Roy said and Thea looked at him incredulously.
"It sucks that we love each other?" Thea asked.
"No. It sucks that we love each other but I have to leave," Roy said.
"Maybe you don't," Thea said and he looked at her in confusion.
By the displays, Oliver was deep in thought when Slade walked up beside him.
"You okay kid?" Slade asked.
"No. No I'm not," Oliver said with a sigh.
"So, what happens now?" Slade asked, repeating the words he'd said to Oliver over three years earlier.
"If John can get his head on straight again, he'll always have a plan on the team. Just not as the Green Arrow," Oliver said firmly and Slade nodded.
"So, are you gonna put the hood back on?" Slade asked wearily.
"No," Oliver said as he took his bow from the suit display. "I made a promise to my son and I intend on keeping it."
"Well then what are you gonna do?" Slade asked after a moment.
"What I should have done from the start," Oliver said simply. "Roy, would you come here for a minute?"
Roy and Thea stopped their conversation, Roy looking confused as Thea encouragingly pushed Roy towards the steps. Looking at Thea weirdly, Roy turned and walked over to Oliver.
"Thank you, for all your help. I know going up against John couldn't have been easy," Oliver said once Roy reached him.
"It wasn't, but it had to be done. You were right, Dig, he's lost sight of what's important. I just regret that it had to be done," Roy said honestly.
"Me to," Oliver said and it was silent for a moment.
"So, it's gonna be weird, this city not having a Green Arrow," Roy noted, confused when Oliver gave him a smile.
"About that," Oliver said before, to Roy's great surprise, he offered Roy his bow. "Try it out."
In disbelief, Roy looked over at Thea, who only smiled at him encouragingly. She had known, he realized, her comments earlier suddenly making sense.
"Roy?" Oliver called out.
Roy turned back to him and, after a moment, reached out and took the bow from Oliver. He gave it a few whirls, trying to get a feel for it.
"How does it feel?" Oliver asked after a moment.
"Like it belongs to someone else," Roy said honestly.
"It doesn't," Oliver said and Roy straightened. "Star City will always need a Green Arrow. It just can't be me, and it certainly can't be John. It should be you Roy. It always should have been you."
Roy looked up, letting out a heavy sigh. It was a mile passed complicated, he knew. There was still his 'death' and the investigation into Oliver. But, for the first time in years, he knew the decision he was about to make was the right one.
"Thank you," Roy said humbly, holding out a hand to Oliver. "I'll do my best."
"I know. That's why it's yours," Oliver said as he took Roy's hand in a firm handshake.
I know some things don't match up with canon here but just go with it.
So, last week, I realized that if Diggle had an MCU counterpart, it would be John Walker. Not only are both military men who are asked to take up the mantle of a great hero, Walker's attitude on being Captain America is almost a mirror image of Diggle's attitude on being Green Arrow, specifically on how both will do almost anything, including injecting themselves with a drug of some kind, to keep the mantle.
And if written in character, this is how Oliver would have reacted to Diggle lying to him. But apparently keeping a secret is okay unless you're Oliver Queen.
Roy being Oliver's successor would have made a lot of sense, but the behind the scene drama with Colton, along with the writers' pure incompetence, wasted the opportunity.