VanLoo 1

Peter VanLoo
English 115
Professor Lawson
20 November 2015
Persuasive Essay Rough Draft
Word Count 2219
Superheroes or Super Role Models?
Superman, Batman, Ironman and Captain America. These are all heroes that people have
heard of and look up to as symbols of hope, tolerance, justice and acceptance. The modern
American 32 page comic book came about in the late 1930s and since then it thousands of
unique character and thousands more storylines. As of late production studios like Disney,
Warner Brothers, and CBS have been making adaptations of beloved characters from comic
books. One of most popular comic book inspired television shows is The Flash, currently airing
on The CW. It is based on a metahuman, or a person with extraordinary abilities, named Barry
Allen who was struck by lightning, sent into a coma, then awakened to find out he could move at
extreme speeds. He is taken in and trained by the last two of the scientists that work at Star Labs,
Dr. Caitlin Snow, a biologist and Cisco Ramon, a tinkerer who also is a metahuman. Every super
hero needs a day job, and for Barry Allen that is at the Central City police department in the
forensics lab where he works side by side with detective Joe West. Due to another speedster
killing Barrys mother when he was just a young boy and his father being blamed for the crime
and imprisoned, he was raised by Joe West. Joe has a daughter, Iris, who is Barrys same age and
a son, Wally, that up until recently he didnt know about. Barry Allen is occasionally aided by
two people who can combine on will called Firestorm. All the characters in the Flash television

VanLoo 2
show come from different backgrounds and through their diverse backgrounds and personalities
they make a team that is stronger and more united than the individual members. Comic book
creators are able to construct a universe that caters to a diverse audience that provide relatable
characters for
Barry Allen is one of the most relatable characters in the Flash television show due to his
lighthearted and optimistic view on life even after experiencing extreme hardships in his life.
When Barry was only eleven years old when his mother was murdered by a speedster that would
eventually become Barrys nemesis, the Reverse Flash. Since the Central City police did not
believe Barrys eyewitness account of seeing his mother engulfed by a yellow blur before she fell
to the ground, his father was accused of the murder. This resulted in Barrys father, Henry Allen,
to wrongfully go to jail for the murder of his wife. Since Barry had no place to go he was taken
in by his best friends family, the Wests. Barry wanted nothing more to find his mothers killer
and he made it his purpose in life, even before he got his incredible speed, to clear his fathers
name. Even though Barry was outraged and wanted vengeance for his mothers death he never
strayed from the law to find that justice. Before the incident that gave him his powers he chose to
get a degree in organic chemistry with a minor in criminology and this eventually led to a career
in the Central City police department. Many viewers can identify with Barry, whether it is losing
a close family member when they were very young, or a one is in jail, or even being adopted or
fostered by a family other than their birth family. In an article for the Huffington Post J Nelson
Aviance he describes the struggle of how young people have difficulty while having to conquer
deep childhood trauma while staying on the side of good. Barry Allen is an exquisite example
of how there are always multiple paths in life, the straight and narrow, the unlawful, or even the

VanLoo 3
morally grey. While Barry is an inspirational role model for many, even more find the West
family the most relatable characters in the show.
Joe West was a simple beat cop with a wife, Francine, and a daughter Iris, when his
precinct received a call from a young girl about her mother taking drugs and almost overdosing.
Joe was the first to arrive at the scene only to discover that it was his house, his daughter that had
made the call, and his wife who was on the cusp of death. Francine was rushed to a hospital, and
once she recovered admitted to a rehab clinic where she soon ran away from leaving her family
behind. This left Joe as a single black father to raise his daughter while still trying to advance his
career in the Central City police department. After seventeen years Francine enters the picture
again and Iris discovers that Francine was pregnant when she left Joe and now has a child, Wally
West. Joe is looked as an inspiration to single parents and even goes to dispel the absentee black
father stereotype that is prevalent in society today. Joe went beyond the parental call of duty and
fostered a child that he had no blood relation with, Barry. Joe has always been protective of both
his children, even if he comes off as overprotective at times, like when his partner on the force,
Eddie revealed to Joe that he intended to propose to Iris. Joe refused to give his blessing.
(Kelly). Joe later revealed that one of his reasons for this decision was because he knew the
danger of being on the force and didnt want Iris to potentially loose her husband and father if
anything went wrong. Iris although at times is written as an overly impulsive woman has many
qualities that make her a role model for young woman everywhere, along with Dr. Caitlin Snow.
The Flash has two recurring female characters, Dr. Caitlin Snow and Iris West. Both of
these characters have had to overcome loss, Dr. Snow losing her fianc, twice, and Iris losing her
boyfriend Eddie Thawne to suicide and her mother, who up until recently was presumed dead.
Both of these individualistic women are educated, Dr. Snow having a PhD and Iris having a

VanLoo 4
psychology degree. These characters are both written to be role models for young women to
show that they do not need to let anyone else define who they are. They create their own path
and do not let personal hardship get in the way of their success. One of the other scientists who
works at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco Ramon, is a beacon to people of Latin decent.
Cisco Ramon is a witty Hispanic character with a drive for pushing himself and making
the most of his life. Cisco had one episode where his brother Dante was a side character and it is
revealed that he was jealous over Ciscos successful career. Cisco is sometimes written as a
comic relief, which some think is just enforcing a stereotype of casting a person of color as a
character who is only there to be the funny friend, however Cisco is much much more than that.
He is the friend that inspires greatness in those around him, whether it is him asking out Kendra
Sanders giving Barry the courage to go on a date with Patty Spivot, or his emotional support for
Dr. Snow after she lost her fianc.
The show has been known to respond to fan criticism, one of the most noticeable
examples being when they sacrificed one character only to replace him with a Dr. Snows fianc,
Ronnie Raymond, was presumed to be dead in an explosion the same night that Barry Allen got
his powers, however it is later found out that he too got powers and could combine with
professor Martin Stein to become Firestorm. In an event that bridged the gap between the season
one finale and season two premiere Ronnie had to give his life in order to close a wormhole
about Central City, which left the professor without someone to combine with, thus causing his
physical health to deteriorate. In the episode The Fury of Firestorm the Flash team searches for
a new match for professor Stein and they find an ex high school football star, Jefferson Jackson
(Jax), to take Ronnies place in the Firestorm duo. Jefferson Jackson was the polar opposite of
Ronnie, Jax came from a not very well off family and could not attend college like Ronnie could.

VanLoo 5
It should be noted that even though Jax does fulfil a couple of stereotypes about black people. He
was the high school football star and had a full ride scholarship to a university until an injury
forced him to give up his sports career and take up a, presumably, low wage job as a mechanic. A
show like The Flash will never be free from stereotypes, since some of the viewer base can
identify with the stereotype. Furthermore, the Flash writers and creators should be commended
on the positive, inspirational light on Jaxs situation. Even though Jax lost his sports scholarship
he was given the choice to be a part of something bigger and to improve his life and the lives
around him. The showrunner, Andrew Kreisberg, was quoted in an article for The Wrap by
declaring Were all proud to have another [black] superhero. The writers and producers are
making their best efforts to make a diverse show that anyone can relate to. Jax is idolized by the
black audience for his admirable choices, considering his less than fortunate upbringing.
Another black character being introduced in season two is causing controversy because of
his race. A popular practice in adaptation media is race bending or gender bending, which means
taking what the character traditionally is written as and changing it for creative purposes. In The
Flash the writing team has decided to use further this practice by race bending a new character,
Wally West. As writer Constance Gibbs puts it in her article for Nerds of Color, [Wally] used to
be white and red-headed and goes on to give the reason that the writers made this choice
because Wallys black casting is primarily about plain old consistency. In the show Wally is
being written as the child of Francine and Joe West, two black characters. The confirmed actor
who will be portraying him on screen is Keiyan Longside, a black actor. Some people were
outraged that the writers would change a race of a character who has been around since the late
50s, but others could see that this was not an attempt to exclude anyone, but just a decision

VanLoo 6
made for continuities sake. The practice of race and gender bending has become exceedingly
more common in the new wave of comic book movies and television shows.
Race or gender are not the only ways that the show creators make identifiable characters,
another way is the sexuality of their characters. In The Flash Barry Allens boss, the chief of
police, is an openly gay character. Unlike many other openly gay characters on television the
writers do not define the character by their sexuality, but instead make it realistic and relatable by
not playing up common stereotypes.
The diverse casting decisions in The Flash lead to a widely accepted show with a diverse
audience. The police chief is an openly gay, yet not stereotyped icon for viewers who might be
struggling with their sexuality. Wally West is a role model to the younger audience who might
not have both of their birth parents in their life. Jefferson Jackson is a beacon that shows people
who grew up in poverty that there are ways to break out of the poverty cycle and be a part of
something bigger. Cisco is an inspiration to Latinos to be proud of their heritage, but not as a
scapegoat that defines his education and social classes. Dr. Snow and Iris are looked up to by
many for how to be strong even when faced with great loss and how to be individualistic woman
that refuse to let their gender define them and their success. Joe is admired by many single
parents for his dedication to his own child and his foster child, while still having a successful
career. Barry Allen is a motivation for the masses with his quest to find his mothers killer, but
staying within the law and only using violence when necessary. No matter a persons social class,
ethnicity, race, gender, or personal hardship a hero can be found in The Flash.

VanLoo 7
Works Cited
Aviance, J Nelson. "Why the CW's 'The Flash' Is a Pretty Great Gay Show." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Feb. 2015. Web.
Ge, Linda. "The Flash EP Touts Diversity Push With New Black Superhero Firestorm." The
Wrap Covering Hollywood. 27 Oct. 2015. Web.
Gibbs, Constance. "Casting Wally West and the Redundant Anger Over the Diverse Flash." The
Nerds of Color. 6 Aug. 2015. Web.
Hudson, Laura. "Its Time to Get Real About Racial Diversity in Comics." Wired.com. Conde
Nast Digital, 25 July 2015. Web.
Kelly, Caitlin. "The Flash and the Issue of the Overprotective Father (opinion)." Hypable. 29
Apr. 2015. Web.
The Flash. Berlanti, Greg, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns, producers. The CW, Burbank,
California, 2014. Television
The Fury of Firestorm. The Flash. Berlanti, Greg, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns,
producers. The CW, Burbank, California, 2014. Television