Why Cisco Ramon is My Big Damn Hero

The Flash has been sweeping people and respectable nerds off their feet for the last couple of months. Its debut season has been absolutely remarkable. The character development was a little slow for my taste, and some episodes were definitely more filler than necessary, but overall I would say it has been a terrific season. Representation on The Flash has been pretty great, and there are lots of awesome People of Color who are actually developed characters. Joe West is probably one of the top characters on the show, brilliantly portrayed by Jesse L. Martin. I also enjoy Candice Patton’s performance as Iris West, especially when the writers gave her more depth and purpose other than being Barry’s unrequited love. However, my one hero out of all these wonderful characters remains the same: Cisco. Ramon.

I feel as though Cisco has evolved. Carlos Valdes never strictly portrayed Cisco as the one-dimensional, hyperactive wiz-kid trope, but he has truly grown in his character portrayal. Cisco has shown vulnerability, humor, the ability to adapt to any situation, and — one of the most important concepts in the show — hope: The hope that at the end of the day, good will overcome evil. Cisco Ramon is a mechanical engineering mastermind, and without him, the Flash Bash Posse would be obsolete. His brains, coupled with his endless amounts of optimism that is realistic and vulnerable at the same time, makes me really want to push for a Golden Globe nomination for Valdes, if he keeps …