‘Batwoman’: Camrus Johnson Talks Diggle’s Influence on Luke, What’s Next for the Bat Team

“He is the Black grandfather of the Arrowverse. So the fact that he was the one to talk to Luke, it just goes so deep,” the actor tells TheWrap

Luke Fox Camrus Johnson
The CW

Luke Fox is having a particularly rough go of things right now. And on Sunday’s episode of “Batwoman,” those struggles manifested in some pretty dangerous ways for our resident tech genius.

Having reluctantly survived his encounter with Agent Taveroff, Luke isn’t exactly in the best headspace, and finds himself actively seeking out a confrontation with his would-be killer. And after successfully beating Taveroff in Texas hold ’em — even with Taveroff’s cheating — a confrontation is exactly what Luke gets.

Fortunately, a new friend is nearby to intervene: “Arrow” MVP John Diggle (as always played by guest star David Ramsey). He’s well aware of who Luke is, though the same can’t be said for the younger Fox. Still, the two make a connection and by the end of the night, it’s Diggle that really ignites the spark that will lead Luke to eventually become Batwing. For Camrus Johnson, who plays Luke Fox, that encounter was particularly meaningful, having befriended David Ramsey on the set of “Arrow” last year.

“It was just like ‘I love this guy. You’re proof of what a lead of a show should be. You’re a great example of being welcoming, being very loving, being very open,’” Johnson said. “And ever since I got to meet him — I saw him maybe once or twice at some of the CW events — but I always thought ‘Wow, I would love to work with him. I think working with him would be the greatest thing ever.’”

Of course, working with Ramsey could’ve meant a lot of things. Ramsey could’ve simply directed the episode without being in it, as he just did over on “Superman & Lois.” Instead, he appeared in character once more, giving Luke some much needed advice.

“And the fact that Caroline [Dries, “Batwoman” showrunner] made it so, made it so my character got to not only work with him, but also connect with him in such a deep and meaningful way, it means a lot to me,” Johnson said. “Because like, what better person to be on set with than him? But also, as a character, he is like the first Black man of the Arrowverse. He’s the guy. He is the Black grandfather of the Arrowverse. So the fact that he was the one to talk to Luke, it just goes so deep.”

We still have to wait a bit longer to see Johnson don the Batwing suit, but rest assured, the fire in him has been lit. Of course, before that happens, Luke must now grapple with the fact that Kate Kane is in fact alive, and potentially returning to the Bat Cave.

“Honestly, it’s not really talked about like this, but I think Luke believes that she can come back and rejoin the team so much. And I think part of that is because he just wants to distract his brain from all the stuff that just happened,” Johnson says. “I think that he wants Kate back so bad throughout this season, and at this moment in the season, all he wants to do is help her come back to normalcy. And I think a reason for that is because, maybe if he can bring this back to what it was before, it will almost bring him back to who he was before all the bad stuff happened.”

And according to Johnson, there’s definitely going to be some friction with our newest Batwoman in that process.

“Yeah. I mean, that’s the thing though, right? There was always that fear of ‘What happens when Kate’s back?’ And I think we kind of tricked the audience for a minute when we were like ‘Oh Kate’s not alive anymore,’” Johnson said. “And as soon as we realized that she was going to implement herself and find herself back to our Bat Team, what does that mean for Ryan? How’s that gonna make her feel? How is the rest of the team gonna react to that? And I think the pain that Ryan’s gonna feel isn’t purposeful, it’s just situational. So having to watch and see how the Bat Team comes to adapt to this new addition will be very interesting for the audience to see.

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