‘Arrow’: Rick Gonzalez on How Rene’s Daughter Influences His Vigilantism

On Arrow, Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog isn’t just a vigilante he’s also a devoted father. While protecting Star City is what he does, his daughter is never far from his mind. It’s that devotion that actor Rick Gonzalez says deeply influences the character.

Speaking with ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Gonzalez said that everything he does as a vigilante is rooted in his ultimate desire to be a good father.

“I think what’s cool about Arrow was they created a character in Rene that deep down wants to be a dad and I think that’s his ultimate motivating factor in putting on the mask,” Gonzalez said. “So, every decision he makes in terms of being a vigilante is not so much selfish, but more about wanting to keep his daughter safe and doing that in a way that he thinks is right by protecting the city. I love playing Rene because I understand that he cares so much about wanting to be a good parent, so I always root for him in that way.”

It’s something that’s easy to root for, especially after a particularly powerful scene in the season six finale in which Rene, after going into a warehouse after Ricardo Diaz that turned out to be a trap, thought he might not survive. Rene takes a moment, calls his daughter Zoe to tell her how proud of her he is, and then risks moves to make sure everyone with him escapes the warehouse. He survived, even earning Oliver Queen/Green Arrow‘s respect in the process.

However, going into season seven, Oliver’s in jail and Diaz is still on the loose. It puts the heroes in a situation where they’re going to have to redefine what it means to fight for the city, something that Gonzalez told Entertainment Weekly puts everything into question.

“The idea is that, now with him being in prison, we’re having to interpret the idea of fighting for Star City,” Gonzalez said. “Continuing to move forward and do what we need to do to help the city. But how do we interpret that? How does that come about? The choice of me being behind the mask, do I do that, how do I do that, or do I not do that, so we’ll see that throughout the entire season.”

What do you think about Rene’s family motivations as a vigilante? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The season seven premiere of Arrow, which is titled “Inmate 4587”, will debut on Monday, October 15th, at 8/7c on The CW.