WOMEN WE LOVE: Candice Patton

In the lexicon of TV’s badass leading ladies, Iris West-Allen has carved out a clean space for herself over the last six years. Of course, that couldn’t have been done without an incredible actress to play her. And Candice Patton is nothing short of incredible. She’s played Iris, from The CW's "The Flash", with skill and nuance, making the character so much more than what we knew in the comics.

But more than anything, Patton has handled everything that’s come from her role in "The Flash", good or bad, with a dignified ferocity. Unfortunately, it’s been very necessary. Candice Patton has dealt with more trolls than most, for longer than most. When Patton was announced as The CW’s choice to play Iris West on "The Flash" back in 2014, the worst kind of comments came in almost immediately. In fact, Patton has said that she was encouraged by "The Flash"’s executive producer to stay off social media altogether for a bit when her casting was announced.

Some “fans” just couldn’t accept that a Black actress had been chosen to play a character who, in the comics, was a white woman with red hair. Even now, SIX. YEARS. LATER, Patton’s still got racist, toxic trolls popping up in her mentions. But as she’s done for six years, Patton continues to shut them down.

She’s never once let them get to her -- at least, not openly -- and has continued to slay the role of Iris West-Allen, encouraging groundless haters to stay mad about it. There are few things as satisfying as seeing a troll get shut down as thoroughly as Patton does it. But one of those things is when a troll sees the error of their ways. And when that happens, however infrequent it is, Patton offers grace.

Does she need to do this? Absolutely not. At this point, the onus of forgiveness should not be on Patton. But with her kindness, the internet is just a little bit better place to be. And while Patton continues to stand up for Iris – she’s consistently fought for the character to wear her natural curls on the show, along with highlighting and embracing other aspects of her culture – and for herself, she also fights for those around her.

As part of the “BAWSE Females of Color within the DC Universe” panel during DC Fandome back in August, Patton, along with other DC women, discussed what being a “BAWSE” means to them. For Patton, it means owning who you are and using that power to help others when possible – even if it earns you a label of being difficult.

"[It] means standing in that... Being okay with being labeled as difficult if it means that I have to stand up for what's right and do the right thing," Patton said. "I've had to learn as I get older to not be afraid as a Black woman to speak up because I've been taught so much in my life to be quiet, be grateful, don't disturb too much, just go with the flow. In the last several years of my life, I've been able to find my strength and [have been] able to stand up for myself and for others, more importantly."

We love Candice Patton for so many reasons, and she’ll undoubtedly continue to give us more reasons in Season 7 of "The Flash" and beyond.