'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 2 reveals that JJ is dead set on being a villain, but Connor thinks his brother can still be saved
'Arrow' Season 8's second episode 'Welcome to Hong Kong' gave us some interesting insight into Charlie Barnett's John "JJ" Diggle Jr. aka the Deathstroke of 2040. As the leader of the violent Deathstroke Gang, JJ is the biggest enemy of his brother Connor Hawke (Joseph David-Jones) and a deadly crimelord with plans of ruling over Star City with an iron fist.
They say love can be blinding and this is proven quite right in Connor and JJ's case. Despite how clearly evil his brother is, Connor still can't bring himself to accept that JJ is too far gone to be saved. The way Connor sees it, JJ only became Deathstroke as an act of rebellion against their parents John Diggle (David Ramsey) and Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson). In Episode 2, he has a heartbreaking confrontation with JJ, which David-Jones had previously described to us as his proudest moment this season.
In the scene, Connor and JJ talk about their childhood, with Connor reminding his brother that JJ was always the one who would stand up for Connor and make sure he stayed on the right path. He begs JJ to leave with him and Mia Smoak (Katherine McNamara) so they can make things right but JJ reveals that he's not the rebellious kid that Connor seems to believe he is.
JJ's attack from the last episode is revealed to have been more than just a simple kidnapping/robbery. Instead of valuables or money, the Deathstroke Gang was actually looking for the details of those associated with the City Reunification project so that they can cripple the reunification effort and take over Star City. Connor might still think that his brother is merely hiding his true goodness behind the mask of Deathstroke but JJ makes it clear that he's not the hero Connor thinks he is. "You were wrong about me, brother," JJ tells Connor. "It was never a mask."
It looks like the Diggle family's curse of warring brothers is going to continue into the next generation with JJ poised to become an even worse villain than his late uncle Andy Diggle (Eugene Byrd). He may even become a bigger threat to Star City than the original Deathstroke, Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) as the season progresses but only time will tell if he can ever truly find his way back to the light.
'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 3 'Leap of Faith' will air on The CW October 29 at 9 pm ET.
