Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Flash season 9 episode 9, “It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To.”The return of Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and David Ramsey as John Diggle in The Flash season 9 addressed a major mistake from “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and the Arrow finale. The return of the two actors to the roles that helped establish the Arrowverse had been heavily promoted in the buildup to their guest appearances. It was unclear, however, just how the series would bring back Oliver Queen for an episode. It was speculated that Barry Allen might travel back in time to before Oliver’s death, or that Amell would be playing the Green Arrow of another timeline.
The answer came in The Flash season 9, episode 9, “It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To,” where John Diggle traveled to Central City for Barry’s birthday party and got caught in the middle of Bloodwork’s scheme to spread his influence across the multiverse. This pushed Oliver Queen, in his role as The Spectre, to step in, as he was only empowered to face threats to the new multiverse. The episode established that Oliver Queen was still the Spectre after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and amended one problem from the Arrow finale involving Oliver’s death.
John Diggle Finally Gets To Say Goodbye To Oliver Queen In The Flash Season 9
The closing moments of “It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To” finally gave Diggle and Oliver a chance to say goodbye to one another. Despite both heroes fighting in the “Crisis On Infinite Earths” event, Diggle was not present for Oliver’s death. Oliver also didn’t appear in the final episode of Arrow, apart from some flashbacks and a flash-forward revealing his future reunion with Felicity in the afterlife.
The two exchanged a hug on the battlefield when Oliver manifested as Green Arrow to fight Bloodwork. They later hugged again after saying their goodbyes at Barry’s birthday party. Oliver apologized for not having the chance to give Diggle closure regarding his death, but explained that the rules for his role as The Spectre forbid him from making contact with his friends and family except when the multiverse was in danger. The incident in Central City was the first time Oliver had been able to bend the rules in his favor, allowing Diggle the chance to mourn and Oliver a chance to say goodbye to his brother.
Digg’s Brightest Days Are Yet To Come In The Arrowverse
Oliver left Diggle with some comforting words, assuring him that the latter had made the right choices since Oliver’s death and that “all of your brightest days are ahead of you because they’ll be spent with your family.” This referenced Diggle’s rejection of a cosmic power source, which he turned down because it would have meant leaving his family behind. It also seemed to foreshadow the upcoming Justice U series, in which Diggle will mentor a group of young heroes. Regardles of whether or not the series is picked up, The Flash season 9 still gave the two friends the closure that Arrow season 8 did not.
The Flash season 9 continues on Wednesdays on The CW.
