For Patton, who pitched the idea for Iris to ditch the flat iron for a more laid back look, this was a moment she previously thought to be impossible. It was a small gesture that made a major impact and garnered resounding praise for showcasing Iris with a more relatable hairstyle instead of the wavy, perfectly placed side-part she'd been rocking for the previous five seasons. In Episode 5 of the current season, Iris was again allowed to be a more authentic version of herself when she rocked her natural curls while heading on vacation with Barry. The scene stood in stark contrast to previous seasons, which raised eyebrows with dishes like Grandma Esther's ambiguous noodle recipe, a dish that seemed inauthentic and unlikely to have been passed down through a Black family. Season 6 opened on a cookout, a staple within the Black community, which featured recognizable dishes like creamed corn, candied yams, and collard greens. Wallace understood who the Wests were as an African American family and didn't shy away from that. One that stood out to him like a neon sign was the way in which Iris and her family's race was ignored. When Todd Helbing stepped down from his post to focus on other projects in 2019, Eric Wallace, who'd served as an executive producer since Season 4, took the reins and reevaluated areas that weren't given enough attention. However, Iris' blackness was never really acknowledged by the show or its characters, a glaring omission for fans who'd connected with the show's Black female lead.Д«ut then, something changed in Season 6: The Flash hired its first Black showrunner. As the seasons progressed, so did her character development and her relationship with Barry. And Iris mainly served as Barry Allen's ( Grant Gustin) sidekick and 'lightning rod,' championing him from the sidelines while he saved the world on a weekly basis. In fact, Iris and her police detective father, Joe West ( Jesse L. The Rise of Black Superheroes: A Black History Month CelebrationД«efore Season 6, the show took a colorblind approach to its depiction of Patton's character, Iris - and by extension, Iris' family - painting her as a journalist, a love interest, and a daughter, but never embracing her identity as a Black woman. What Patton didn't know was that it would take over five years before the show would begin to acknowledge her race. 'I knew it was different, I knew it was gonna be maybe a little bit controversial for some people, but I knew it had the potential to be a conversation-starter and something really important.' 'I knew how important it was going to be for a lot of young girls who looked like me,' Patton explained.

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