| “ | My family is H.I.V.E. | „ |
| ~ Andrew when facing his brother again. |
| “ | Aren't you tired of this? Same dead end conversation - I'm not talking, I'm not helping. So why don't you stop wasting both of our time? | „ |
| ~ Andrew Diggle to his brother. |
Andrew "Andy" Diggle is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Malcolm Merlyn) of Season 4 of the 2012-20 superhero television series Arrow, which is part of DC‘s Arrowverse.
He is the brother and the bitter arch-nemesis of John Diggle who was presumed deceased until it was found out that in reality, he was alive and a soldier of H.I.V.E., serving as a member of the "Ghosts" elite force and a loyal high-ranking minion of the organization's leader Damien Darhk.
He was portrayed by Eugene Byrd.
Biography[]
Afghanistan[]
After a mission in Afghanistan, Andrew and John were approached by their Lieutenant Joyner, who tried to recruit them to Shadowspire, a criminal group of war profiteers. Although Andrew declined, much to the pride of his brother, he secretly joined Shadowspire and profited. At one occasion, John saw Andrew with Joyner and furiously demanded to know what that was about, claiming that Andrew cannot fall back again. However, Andrew told John that this was merely a talk about Blackjack and that John had to start treating Andrew like a brother. John apologized to Andrew and the matter was not discussed further.
At one point, Andrew is called to Joyner's tent, where Joyner hands him an envelope full of cash. When tells Joyner that he has already received his monthly pay, Joyner claims that it is a token of appreciation from the boss as he was able to trade the opium for something else. When asked what the boss traded the opium for, Joyner tells Diggle to ask the boss himself. Diggle is then introduced to Baron Reiter, who reveals that he has traded the opium for the location of a place of immense power and reveals to him a map of Lian Yu.
When Andrew was discharged, Shadowspire cut ties with him.
Presumed Dead[]
During his military service, he somehow became a warlord in Afghanistan, selling weapons, drugs and people. H.I.V.E. wanted to get into the market without competition and thus hired the assassin Deadshot, who was believed to have killed him. This led to his brother John becoming consumed by revenge and John tried to take down Deadshot for revenge. However, John also was able to find out that and organization called H.I.V.E. was responsible for the death of his brother.
When Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E. come to Star City, they clash many times with Team Arrow. During one of these fights, Andrew Diggle, clad in his H.I.V.E. armor manages to overpower his brother John but spares his life. John, unaware that his brother is alive, wonders why the unknown H.I.V.E. soldier fled instead of killing him.
Later, after a job well done, Darhk gives Captain Lance the H.I.V.E. file of Andrew Diggle after Lance asks about him. Lance gives the file to John, who to his horror finds out that his brother was a warlord in Afghanistan.
Truth revealed[]
However, while Team Arrow infiltrates a H.I.V.E. facility, they are attacked by Ghosts. During this fight, they manage to overpower Andrew and knock him out. To identify him, John removes the mask and is horrified to look into the face of his long-lost brother. Andrew uses the opportunity to flee.
John is shocked and hurt to find out what a man Andrew has become and tells Oliver that the brother he knew died long ago. However, Oliver is determined to not let go of this as he thinks there is more to it than they have found out. He plans to save Andrew from H.I.V.E.. Taking John with him, Oliver follows a lead by Captain Lance which leads them to the Star City Docks where Damien Darhk introduces new members to the Ghosts. Oliver and John are spotted and Andrew tells the Ghosts to "kill the green one", thereby ordering them to spare his brother. Oliver and John fight and escape.
After Ray Palmer has found out the location of H.I.V.E.s main base at Star City, Oliver assembles Team Arrow to infiltrate the base and save Andrew Diggle. John tells them to stop that as he thinks Andrew lost and does not want the team to risk their lives for him, but they tell John that this is not his decision to make and head for the base. There, Thea encounters Andrew and fights him, eventually overpowering him and knocking him out with a tranquilizer arrow. After a brief occurrence with Damien Darhk the team manages to get Andrew out and imprison him in their hideout. There, John faces his brother, telling him that he does not even know where to start. He hands him the H.I.V.E. file he got from Lance and asks Andrew if what stands inside is true. Andrew takes the file. After briefly looking over it he coldly exclaims that everything inside is true, throws the file in front of John's feet and turns his back to his younger brother, who leaves the room in tears.
Brothers[]
After Darhk attacks the volunteers on Star City Bay, Diggle tries to get answers out of Andy, by trying to guilt-trip him with pictures of his wife and son, whom he left behind thinking that Andy was dead. Andrew responds that it wasn't him but H.I.V.E. and that even Deadshot did not know that he shot Andrew with blanks. John tells Andrew about the attack on the bay, but Andrew remains cold, telling his brother that he's not anyone's bitch. John continues to try to bring Andrew to reveal Darhk's plans for the bay but Andrew remains stubborn.
After Felicity has been shot and severely injured by the Ghosts, John once again approaches his brother's cage. However, instead of simply asking John enters the cage and beats up Andrew, much to the latter's surprise. Andrew states that he didn't believe that John had in in him, and John tells him that he didn't. When Andrew asks what had changed, John tells him about the attack on Felicity and continues beating him.
John with his captured brother.
Eventually, John returns to Andrew to talk. Andrew asks him if he remembers the last time John beat him up as bad as this. John replies that he does, it was ten years ago when he found out what Andrew was doing and that he afterwards convinced Andrew to enlist. Additionally, Andrew claims that John only helped him because he was ashamed of his little brother, which John denies, claiming that he loves Andrew. Andrew continues, claiming that Darhk wants for the worlds to reset and that after what he saw in Afghanistan, Andrew is on his side.
John then claims that while that may be true, Darhk hurt someone close to John, a woman better than him and Andrew combined. He also claims that while both of them are flawed, they are still brothers. Andrew then tells John that Darhk used to talk about Stonehaven and how the leaves look there in autumn. John thanks Andrew, but Andrew merely tells him that he shouldn't thank him as John was ashamed and now they are even.
After arriving at Darhk's house and defeating Machin, who was taking Darhk's family hostage, John returns to his brother with a deck of cards. Andrew wonders what John will ask now, but John tells him that he hasn't come to ask questions, revealing the cards. Both Diggle's then start to play the game they played when they were boys, granting them a brief moment of reconciling.
Return of Shadowspire[]
Andrew is brought to A.R.G.U.S.
After this, the brother's relationship gets better. When John returns to Andrew's cage with cheeseburgers, Andrew tells him that though John asked him many questions, he never got to ask some back. John then asks him what the wants to know. Andrew asks him how he got to fight crime with the Green Arrow. John answers that they are not fighting crime but helping the city to hold together, asking Andrew if he remembers when that was his mission, referring to their mission in Afghanistan.
After having found out that Shadowspire has come to Star City, John faces Andrew with the facts, asking him for how many secret organizations Andrew was working. Andrew tells him that he has nothing to do with Shadowspire anymore as they cut ties when he was discharged. He tells John that he can help them and tells them that they will use the nearest free port as hideout.
After Team Arrow returns from the port, John lets Andrew out of his cell, but brings him to the A.R.G.U.S. facility. There, Amanda Waller wants to know what Andrew knows about Shadowspire. Waller tells the Diggles and Layla that the two dead agents were guarding a shipment of electromagnetic railguns. As this was a completely black assignment, Waller thinks that there has been a catastrophic security breach in her organization. However, Andrew claims that the stealing of the railguns was merely a distraction and that Shadowspire must be after something else.
This is proven true when Shadowspire attacks the A.R.G.U.S. headquarter and demands access to Rubicon codes. John, who had stayed at the prison cell with his brother and is able to watch the Shadowspire attack via the monitors, tries to use the equipment there to contact Oliver while Andrew tries to make John release him, as John's wife Layla is one of Shadowspire's prisoners. However, John says that he won't let Andrew out and continues to fumble with the equipment. Eventually, the Diggles witness Joyner shoot Waller in the head. As Joyner is now threatening Layla, John leaves the room to safe her, while Andrew demands that he takes him along so that they can save Layla together.
Andrew and John after taking down Shadowspire.
When two Shadowspire agents arrive at the detention area, they find a still imprisoned Andrew. When asking him who his is he tells them that he and their leader go way back and tells them to call Joyner to confirm this. Joyner then has Andrew freed and brought before him. Andrew tells Joyner that John is crawling in the ventilation shafts, so Joyner dispatches men to take him. When John is brought before Joyner, Andrew tells Joyner that Layla will yield the Rubicon codes if John's life is at stake. Claiming that he would shoot John if Layla does not give up the codes, Joyner breaks Layla's determination and she goes to the computer to give Joyner the code but she is blocked out of the system by Felicity. Not believing him, Joyner aims his gun at John. However, Joyner is then attacked by Andrew. Team Arrow then arrives to take down Shadowspire and one after one the soldiers are defeated. During the fight, Andrew knocks out Joyner. After every enemy is defeated, John and Andrew congratulate each other on their plan and shake hands.
Taking this as a sign that he can trust Andrew enough to release him, John brings Andrew back to his home, where he and Layla introduce Andrew to his niece.
The Ace-in-the-hole[]
After Damien Darhk has been imprisoned, he uses his influence over an imprisoned gang-leader to make contact with Malcolm Merlyn. Merlyn later meets with a mysterious person, claiming that Darhk has reached out to him and has claimed that the person was Darhk's Ace-in-the-hole. This man is revealed to be no other than Andrew Diggle. Two days after meeting with Malcolm, Andrew confides in his brother and reveals to him that Malcolm wanted him to help freeing Darhk from prison. He reveals that Merlyn but this is revealed to be a distraction, while Oliver and the Diggles attack the convoy, Merlyn and a few of his remaining loyalists attack the Bunker and steal Darhk's idol.
Andrew reveals himself to be a traitor.
Believing that Andrew has been a traitor all the time, Oliver grabs him and tries to force a confession put of him but is stopped by John who aims a gun at Oliver to save his brother. Together with the rest of Oliver's team, Andrew later heads to Iron Heights Prison where Darhk has started a riot. There, Andrew reveals himself as still loyal to Darhk and delivers him the missing piece of the idol. While the team is shocked of Andrew's betrayal, a repowered Darhk reveals to them that Andrew at some point mentioned to him that his brother John worked for the Green Arrow. Darhk tells Oliver that from this he was able to deduce the identity of every member of the Green Arrow's team and is finally aware that Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow are the same person. To fulfil his promise to Lance, Darhk stabs Laurel with an arrow before he, Andrew and Merlyn flee from the prison.
Diggle puts Sara and Lyla into hiding and manages to track down his brother, pursuing him through a warehouse. Andy and another Ghost subdue Diggle and Andy tortures him until Darhk is able to arrive. Diggle fights back against his captors and handcuffs Andy, disarming him but refusing to kill him. However, Diggle's easy escape is nothing more than a ruse as Andy implanted a tracker on Diggle that will lead them to Lyla and the Rubicon codes. After realizing this, Lyla stays behind to face Darhk while Diggle, with Sara on his back, flees on a motorcycle to face off against his brother. Diggle once again subdues his brother, who taunts him about not being man enough to do what is necessary and that Genesis is in effect. Fed up with his brother, John shoots Andrew, killing him much to both of their shock.
Personality[]
Andy had always been something of a black sheep in the family, especially when compared to his brother, John. It is likely that this is what can be considered a contributing factor to his criminal background and John reprimanding him for his past mistakes, which he only saw as his brother not seeing him for what he really was by forcing him to join the army, seemingly pushed him over the edge as he used the opportunity of being in the army to enter the drug trade and fake his own death to join HIVE under the alias as a Ghost. Before this, Andy did care about his family, namely his brother, son and wife but eventually grew tired of pretending to be something that he was not.
After being revealed alive and unmasked as a Ghost, Andy grew more apathetic, cold and unapologetic regarding his crimes, bluntly telling his brother that him aligning with Shadowspire, engaging in the drug trade and faking his death were all true. His love for his family seems to have vanished completely as he was comfortable with allowing his brother and wife believing that he was dead and leaving his son fatherless. However, Andy slowly began opening to John, despite being his prisoner and beating him to gain information on Darhk and H.I.V.E., after John began treating him like a brother rather than a criminal, Andy's love for him appears to have resurfaced as he assisted Diggle into defeating Shadowspire and rescuing Lyla. This redemption act was discovered as a ruse as was using this position in Team Arrow to further assist H.I.V.E.'s goals in return for a high-ranking position.
Andy was willing to deceive others as to get close and learn of their tactics to assist with his superiors' goals and betray them, even if they were people he used to love. His distinct lack of morals or remorse caused him to arrogantly berate John and threaten his family which caused him to shoot Andy on impulse after he threatened John's family.
Ultimately, these negative traits of Andy's, were what led to his very well deserved death at the hands of his older brother John Diggle; albeit he killed him after being provoked too far by his younger brother. Ironically, who was thought to be his murderer Floyd Lawton proved to be a more honorable man than he ever was.
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- He was named after DC Comics writer Andrew Diggle, who wrote the graphic novel Green Arrow: Year One.
- Although it was believed that Floyd Lawton killed him under the orders of Mina Fayad, it was later proven that his death was faked by H.I.V.E..
- He is similar to Riley Hicks (Fast and Furious 6), Grant Ward (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), George McHale (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Miranda Frost (Die Another Day). They all acted friendly to the protagonists and paid the price for their heinous actions with their lives.
