Just having a little lurk in this forum. I was drawn to this discussion. I will exit as easily as I entered.
One of the most comical and wonderous things about the character of Iris West-Allen played by Candice Patton is the endless obsession fans have with her. You've got her dedicated fandom (they had #RunIrisRun trending worldwide just like *that*), general fans who watch, go back to their normal lives and would need a dictionary to understand the word fandom. Then there's those who have a vitriol hatred for her.
You know? You can visualize the steam coming from their ears and the white knuckling of their palms. The disdain isn't just for Iris West-Allen, it extends to Candice Patton too, and boy is it quite interesting. Is it logical? Does the answer to that question even matter? No.
Why? Purely for the fact...No matter what. All of this. Year after year, has done nothing but work to her benefit. The fact that anyone can sit down and talk ad nauseam in forums and on social media about a character they loathe is beautiful thing.....
for said character.
Jumping from a Forum, to Facebook to revel in the hate for said character. Rejoicing in the meeting of minds at how much you hate them. At every turn she does something
oh so monstrous and it must be discussed.
I don't like Felicity Smoak. The last time I wrote that sentence was in 2016 when I stopped watching Arrow. I didn't like Laurel Lance either. I rarely discussed her until I started liking her because she was not worth the mention in my mind.
There isn't a character more powerful than one that is fiercely loved and fiercely hated. That's why in the Game of Thrones, Iris West-Allen wins.
To hate a character, to have a strong belief he/she ruins the show....and continue to watch and talk about it/her? Bravo! Brava! To said character. Indifference is a slow death. To love or hate is an obsession. A welcomed fixatation. "God I hate her....same time next week? Yup. God I she's loathsome...same time next week? God I hate her...how long is the hiatus?"
The harder antis hates, the harder fans loves. The more feverent buzz generated.
Haters love to claim they speak for the majority. It's the binkie of validity. Grant Gustin's Instagram post of the Westallen Wedding hit 1 Million Likes but you know, the "majority". Iris' speedster poster hits something like 620K Likes+. The main account posting Iris' poster gets over 235,000+ Likes in one day vs the Killer Frost one is still at 189,000+ after three months. At Comic Con (which I attended) Candice Patton received the loudest cheers upon her coming on stage and during the trailer but the "majority" right? Same with Arrow, the "majority" hate Felicity or Laurel but these defeaning cheers say otherwise.
Little secret, the "majority" that's spoken off will always hate female characters no matter. Said female character will always be destroying the show and driving away the "majority". That narrative will never die and it will never be the truth.
I disliked Felicity and Laurel at different points but I was blessed with a sound mind. Neither character ruined the show.
The love and hate are the balance. Guggenheim woke a beast when he killed off Laurel and welcome back Miss Lance. Felicity started off loved. The vitriol hatred that followed was the perfect balancing act. Their haters make them stronger. If only haters knew that but they can't physically stop themselves. Same with Iris. The Speedforce draws them to her. Must bash Iris! Must have her name in my mouth and on my keyboard.
Then there's indifference
, Caitlin Snow. She doesn't blow a strong wind. It's not her fault. Her fans spend as much time, if not more time talking about Iris. Or using Caitlin as a self insert in this "Snowbarry" crackship. Due to the latter she became the revolving door for male guest stars: Ronnie, Hunter and Julian. Welcome to casa Caitlin! The former has led to the complete recton of Killer Frost S3 and the humorless comedy of men needing to yell in her face like she's the Siri on their iPhone to awaken Killer Frost.
Laurel fans ensured that the value of her character was NOT Lauriver. That's why bringing her back has been so easy. You could count on your hand the Laurel fans that still want Lauriver. Caitlin fans still to this day, desperately try to convince themselves Barry Allen, who declares his love for Iris nearly every episode is interested in Caitlin....*brief pause for embarassment*.....how can the writers value a character who isn't valued by her own fans? How can that level of indifference to who she is from her own fans do anything but devalue her season by season?
Patty Spivot. Indifference. She could've had it all but no impact. I could elaborate but it's been two years and we'll never see her again. You get the point. We were knee deep in her character and relationship with Barry and nothing. Evoke an emotion. Any emotion and make it have an impact. No? Let's keep moving.
Iris West-Allen's greatest super power is literally no one will shut up about her. Comical and wonderous.
Love her or hate her. Just know....you are the wind beneath her wings. The butter to her bread. The enema to her constipation. To put it simply...
CrimsonComet you just won the internet for me. The hate keeps me out of the Flash boards but I'm watching the show.
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