Ray Palmer: Why the Arrowverse Hero was More than a Man in A Suit
By Louis Skye
Spreading the Love
The Ray Palmer we first met on Arrow was cynical and dour—mourning his fiancée and bent on destroying the Arrow, Ray had little personality beyond being antagonistic.
But on Legends of Tomorrow, Ray was everyone’s friend. Despite all the teasing he received at the hands of Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller), when Ray was about to sacrifice his life for the team, Snart took his place because the world still needed Ray Palmer.
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Even Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), the team’s designated hothead, can’t help but put up with Ray and also learned a thing or two about kindness from his teammate.
Ray had stood by Captain Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) through thick and thin and always lent an ear when she needed help looking for a new course of action.
Ray Palmer’s ability to love and spread a message of hope was uncanny. When he had been sent to hell by the demon Neron, instead of drying up and dying, Ray not only thrived but managed to turn the Legends’ old rival, Vandal Savage, into his personal friend and card-playing partner. Only Ray!
While Ray’s romance with Nora Darhk — not exactly a surprising decision considering the actors are married in real life — has been sweet to watch, Ray’s friendship with Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) has been one of the biggest highlights of Legends of Tomorrow. It evoked the most tears in Ray’s swan song.