The most memorable episode of Legends of Tomorrow is “Star City 2046,” where we meet Connor Hawke, the second Green Arrow from the comics. When Sara arrives in Star City on the Waverider, finding the city in ruins and Oliver Queen supposedly dead, the new archer donned in green reveals himself as a grown John Diggle Jr., calling himself Connor Hawke because he feels somehow undeserving of his late father’s name. In Oliver’s absence, John Diggle takes up the Green Arrow mantle.
This storyline of the episode was revisited earlier this year on The Flash and Arrow, when it was revealed Barry went back in time to save his mother. The story arc, dubbed Flashpoint, sent ripples through the timeline and changed little bits of history. One of these ripples affected John Diggle, who was supposed to have a daughter named Sara instead of a son, John Jr. Flashpoint confirmed Star City’s 2046 future is a plausible one, and ever since, fans have wondered what the fate of John Diggle Jr. will be.
So when we spoke with actor Joseph David-Jones about his role in the upcoming film, Detroit, we had to ask if he has heard anything about his long-lost character Connor Hawke, who is an infant in the current timeline.
“It’s funny people still ask me about that. ‘Hey man, you're the Green Arrow. Yo, like weren’t you…?’” David-Jones said when we asked about the possibility of another time jump episode featuring his version of Green Arrow. “Who knows? We will see. I still talk to some of the writers from the show and everything, so we will see.”
David-Jones recounts having a lot of fun shooting his scenes as Connor Hawke and even remembers the piece of advice Stephen Amell gave him during shooting, Green Arrow to Green Arrow.
“It was more like, physical advice. He’s very athletic, but there’s a lot of scenes where you’re just standing holding a bow. We have to do those like 20 times. You're there holding this bow in place that’s maybe 30 pounds or something. You’re holding 30 pounds for five minutes every 20 minutes for like three hours. It’s really intense, especially in a scene where you're at a standoff holding an arrow or whatever,” David-Jones recalls.
“He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, no I figured that out Season 1.’ So the new bow he has, because he’s changed bows, it locks in place so he’s not constantly holding back this 30-pound string and constantly getting arm cramps holding this thing. Pro tip right there on how to be Green Arrow.”
While the prospect of Connor Hawke’s return does not look promising at this time, that possible 2046 future remains intriguing, considering Deathstroke is out and about again. Oliver freed him from the Lian Yu supermax prison to help him defeat Prometheus. While Slade Wilson swore the mirakuru has worn off, their history is a long one to forgive and forget. Slade even says in Season 2, “It’s not the mirakuru that made me hate you.”
With Season 6 confirmed to give us Deathstroke flashbacks, we may get some answers regarding the whereabouts of Deathstroke’s sons. It was confirmed in the Season 5 finale, “Lian Yu,” that Joe Wilson is alive and well. However, Slade has never mentioned a son named Grant. Flashpoint could have something to do with this, or there may be a story that has yet to be told.
In the possible 2046 future, Grant Wilson took on his father’s name and lead an uprising in Star City that resulted in the dismal 2046 future shown on Legends of Tomorrow. Oliver tried to fight Grant himself, but ended up with a severed arm and vanished, leaving John Diggle Jr. to fend for himself after his father’s death. When Sara and the Legends arrive, she refuses to believe Oliver is dead, and he indeed comes out of hiding in the old Arrow bunker. After a heated discussion, the two Green Arrows join forces to defeat Deathstroke’s army. After they win, Oliver hands off his own bow to John Diggle Jr. and when Connor corrects him to call him Connor Hawke, Oliver says, “Either way, it’s Green Arrow.”
And with that one sentence, Arrow fans will forever want answers about the fate of this second Green Arrow. Do you think Arrow should revisit the Connor Hawke mystery? Let us know in the comments.
