Arrow, during its run, introduced a vast number of DC Comics characters, from bigger ones to some of the more obscure ones that would become big players in the Arrowverse. One of them was Rene Ramirez a.k.a. Wild Dog. He was played by Rick Gonzalez, who joined the show in the fifth season and became a series regular for the following three seasons. The character, who debuted in the comics back in 1987, got reimagined for Arrow for his live-action debut. As Oliver was rebooting Team Arrow after the fallout in season 4, Rene becomes one of the new recruits. While it was a rocky start, it would begin an incredible journey for the character all the way into the show’s final hour.
As Arrow has come to an end, there are a lot of big moments for Rene during his time in the series. With that said, it’s time to look at 10 of Wild Dog’s best moments and events on Arrow.
Connecting With Diggle
The beginning of Rene’s run was perhaps the character’s roughest time in the series, to say the least. With the new recruit butting heads with the Emerald Archer, their relationship had a lot of steps to go through to get where they ended up at by Arrow’s end. Their dynamic did get a bit trickier after Rene, through torture by Tobias Church, ends up revealing the Green Arrow’s secret identity.
While Oliver and Rene struggled to bond initially, Wild Dog ended up finding someone else that managed to get through to him: Diggle. One of their bigger moments together is after Diggle meets the new team and Rene becomes the one he connects with the most. In the seventh episode of season 5, Rene arranges a way for Diggle to be able to celebrate his son’s birthday, hinting at the new hero’s own life as a father.
Accepting Metahumans And Aliens
The big crossover that season had Wild Dog getting to feel the whole tone of the Arrowverse as he was joined by metahumans and aliens. The Dominator-invasion saw Rene not react too positively to The Flash and Supergirl initially. Being a bit overwhelmed by superpowered people as they dealt with this alien threat, it took Wild Dog some time to see that not all aliens and metahumans are bad. But at least he did learn to accept them before the crossover was said and done.
Joining Team Arrow 2.0
Even though Oliver was against the idea initially, the hero eventually agrees to relaunch Team Arrow and help raise the next generation of heroes. Despite their clashing dynamic at the start of season 5, Rene does end up becoming one of the new recruits.
While there would be a lot of arguments and disputes between them, Rene joining the team was still a blessing in disguise. Once he came on board, it was the first step in beginning a transformative journey.
Messing With William Over His Friendship With Zoe
Once the show revealed that Rene was a father, it was the perfect decision as it helped flesh out his character. But it also humanized him on a bigger level and made him more than just the loud-mouthed, wise-cracking vigilante that he was known for being. Anytime he had scenes with Zoe, it brought out the better parts of Rene. One of his best moments was a very simple one, but still so typical Rene, in all the best ways. In the seventh season, Rene finds out that William and Zoe were friends which he reacts to hilariously.
Bonding With Quentin
Another main player that was crucial in Rene’s character development early on was Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) who was basically the father of the entire series. One of the better moves for Rene, story-wise, was when he began working at the mayor’s office during Oliver’s administration. That’s how he and Quentin begin to get to know each other.
When Quentin was out of rehab and left on his own while the team went to Russia, Rene stayed behind to help him prepare for a big interview. This experience ends up being one of the best starts of a new relationship as the two flawed men begin finding an understanding for one another.
Changing His Future
The flashforwards revealed to viewers that Rene would be the one to really go down a dark path throughout the Star City 2040 storyline. But once Oliver’s kids and Connor Hawke got sent back into the past, that’s when the present Team Arrow begins to learn about the fall of Star City in the future. Rene, discovering that Zoe was dead and what he had become, decides in that same episode that he is taking control of his future.
Flashback To His Darkest Day
While Rene brought some wittiness to the series, this was one of the characters with the darkest backgrounds. The thirteenth episode of his first season was a gun-themed story as the series tackled the issues of gun violence.
Given Rene’s main weapon of choice is guns, the episode flashes back to the darkest day in his life where his wife was accidentally killed by her dealer that Rene tried to stop. While it’s a tragic backstory, it’s still considered one of the biggest moments in Rene’s journey.
His Absurd Love For Hamburgers
When it comes to Rene, some of his greatest moments are something as simple as having an incredible, understandable love for hamburgers. During their mission to track down Dinah Drake, viewers got to visually see how deeply in love he was with hamburgers. How he managed to get down an insanely big triple-burger is still a mystery to this point.
Making Amends With Oliver
The season 6 finale had some powerful moments as Oliver secretly made a deal with the FBI that would cost him his freedom, but protect his team. During his farewell tour, he and Rene get to make amends after what had been a very rough season between the two of them. As much as they clashed, it is what ultimately strengthened their relationship in the long run. Having them make amends before Oliver went to prison was therefore that more appreciated.
Rene’s Meta Comment On Crossovers
Anyone who follows the Arrowverse crossovers knows how ambitious and nutty they can be as a whole. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” is the biggest one in the franchise thus far, having a combination of game-changing moments and absurd scenes where giant Beebos are running around. Rene has probably one of the best one-liners in part 5 when he asks Sara if this is what all the crossovers are like. Simply the notion of the characters breaking the fourth wall and referencing these get-togethers as “crossovers” is funny in itself.
