Vibe (character)

Vibe (Francisco "Cisco" Ramon) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

He has the metahuman ability to emit powerful vibratory shock waves. Introduced in 1984 as Paco Ramone, he joined the new Justice League formed in Detroit and became the first member to be killed in action. In The New 52 continuity reboot, his powers were redefined to involve interdimensional physics, posing a significant threat to characters like the Flash.

Carlos Valdes portrays Cisco Ramon / Vibe in The CW's Arrowverse, where he develops from a supporting engineer to a superhero. Vibe also makes lesser appearances in the animated series Justice League Unlimited and a self-titled episode of DC Nation Shorts.

Publication history

Vibe first appeared in Justice League of America Annual #2 (October 1984),<ref name="GCD" /> and was created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In a 2018 interview, Patton discussed the character's creation, stating:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vibe was one of the first US Latino superheroes, and possibly the first Mexican-American superhero (if the character is Mexican-American, which is implied but not made explicit). However, the character has been described as stereotypical, and comics artist George Pérez, who was of Puerto Rican descent, refused to draw him in his entirety.<ref>Frederick Luis Aldama, Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, University of Arizona Press, 2017, p. 27.</ref> As the "Justice League Detroit" series developed, team members noticed that at times he sounded like a Cheech and Chong character and other times he had almost no accent at all, deducing that this was done just for appearance's sake.Template:Citation needed

In DC's Free Comic Book Day 2012 sample during The New 52, a gatefold revealed various characters who would appear in Justice League over the coming year, one of which was Vibe. Geoff Johns revealed that Vibe's return would be explored in greater detail in the third story arc of Justice League.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On August 26, 2012, DC announced a new Justice League of America title which would feature Vibe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On November 5, 2012, DC announced that Vibe would star in his own ongoing title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Debuting in February 2013, the series was written by Andrew Kreisberg and drawn by Pete Woods.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Justice League of America's Vibe lasted for ten issues, with the final issue released on December 18, 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fictional character biography

Cisco Ramon began his career as Vibe shortly after Aquaman disbanded the original Justice League. When Cisco heard that a new version of the Justice League was forming in his own hometown Detroit, he decided to give up his position as the leader of a local street gang, Los Lobos, to join. What made Cisco a candidate was his metahuman ability to emit powerful vibratory shock waves.<ref name="DCEncyc">Template:Cite book</ref>

Vibe's presence on the team causes Aquaman and Martian Manhunter to harbor some strong doubts about the new Justice League, particularly after he gets the League involved in a rumble with a rival gang and his older brother Armando. Vibe soon proves his mettle during the League's battles against the Cadre,<ref>Justice League of America #233–236 (December 1984–February 1985)</ref> Anton Allegro,<ref>Justice League of America #237–239 (July–September 1985)</ref> and Amazo.<ref>Justice League of America #241–243 (August–October 1985)</ref> He stays with the League through the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, when his powers play a vital role in defeating Despero.<ref>Justice League of America #254 (September 1986)</ref>

During the 1987 event Legends, the Justice League disbands and Cisco leaves to seek the familiar solace of the streets. He is attacked and killed by one of Professor Ivo's androids, becoming the first Justice League member to be killed in the line of duty.<ref>Justice League of America #258 (January 1987)</ref> Martian Manhunter brings Vibe's body to the League's mountain sanctuary, where he is laid to rest in a cryogenic chamber.<ref>Martian Manhunter (vol. 2) #12 (November 1999)</ref>

In the 2008 series Trinity, Vibe is resurrected after Despero, Morgaine le Fey, and Enigma replace Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as the core of the DC universe and alter reality. Soon after the real trinity returns, Vibe is disintegrated by an energy blast.<ref>Trinity #25 (November 2008)</ref> In the 2009 event Blackest Night, Vibe is resurrected as a member of the Black Lantern Corps, rising from his coffin in the Hall of Justice. Alongside the Black Lantern Steel, Vibe attacks his former teammates, Gypsy and Vixen, until Doctor Light destroys him.<ref>Justice League of America (vol. 2) #39 (November 2009)</ref><ref>Justice League of America (vol. 2) #40 (December 2009)</ref>

The New 52

Template:Expand section In The New 52 continuity, Vibe gained his powers after being caught in the event horizon of a Boom Tube, a type of portal used by the New Gods, while juggling a personal life with his younger brother Dante.<ref>Justice League of America's Vibe #1 (April 2013)</ref>

Powers and abilities

As his name suggests, Vibe's powers revolve around vibration, frequency, and resonance. His powers enable him to create shock waves of considerable strength that could shatter concrete or steel as well as affect the physical world as seismic vibrations (and even earth manipulation) or the fabric of space-time (interdimensional, transdimensional and extradimensional portals).<ref name="DCEncyc"<ref/>

Vibe's reintroduction in 2013 redefined his powers as involving interdimensional physics. Vibe's waves have the power to disrupt the Speed Force, making him one of the few characters who poses a serious threat to the Flash.<ref>Justice League of America (vol. 3) #6 (September 2013)</ref> For this reason, Steve Trevor recruits him into the JLA which exists to guard against the threat of the main Justice League going rogue.<ref name="JLA1">Justice League of America (vol. 3) #1 (April 2013)</ref> Amanda Waller stated that "Cisco Ramon might be one of the most powerful super-humans on the planet. He wields vibrational powers that could in theory shake the Earth apart. And he's the only person we know of who can find and track inter-dimensional breaches."<ref>Justice League of America's Vibe #3 (June 2013)</ref> He is also undetectable by security cameras.<ref name=JLA1 />

In other media

Television

• Vibe makes non-speaking appearances in Justice League Unlimited as a member of the Justice League.<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
• Vibe appears in the DC Nation Shorts two-part short "Enter: Extremo", voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.<ref name="btva" />
• Vibe appears in Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Peter Rida Michail.
• Cisco Ramon appears in Young Justice, voiced by Jacob Vargas.<ref name="btva" /> This version is a high school student at Hayward High School and classmate of Victor Stone.
• Vibe makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Harley Quinn episode "Something Borrowed, Something Green" as a member of the Justice League.
• Vibe makes cameo appearances in DC Super Hero Girls as a student of Super Hero High.

Arrowverse

File:Cisco Ramon (Carlo Valdes).jpg

Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe as he appears in the CW series The Flash.

Cisco Ramon / Vibe appears in media set in the Arrowverse, portrayed by Carlos Valdes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• First appearing in the Arrow episode "The Man Under the Hood" and primarily appearing in The Flash, this version is a mechanical engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City who assists Barry Allen / Flash in his crime-fighting efforts alongside Caitlin Snow. Following the explosion of Harrison Wells' particle accelerator, Ramon suffers a delayed reaction and eventually becomes a metahuman with sonic manipulation capabilities, tactile remote viewing, and the ability to detect anomalies within reality. As the series progresses, he hones his powers, developing the ability to create portals, and becomes Vibe. Additionally, he's the Earth-1 doppelganger of Earth-2's Reverb and Earth-19's Echo.<ref name="EWEarth2EP">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Ramon also appears in Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Vixen, and the web series Chronicles of Cisco: Entry 0419.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="btva" />
• Ramon and his Earth-X doppelganger appear in the web series Freedom Fighters: The Ray.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="btva" />

Film

• A villainous, alternate universe incarnation of Vibe named Breakdance appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.<ref name="btva2">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref> He is a member of the Crime Syndicate serving under Owlman.
• Vibe makes a cameo appearance in Superman via a mural at the Hall of Justice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Video games

• Vibe appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Vibe appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
• The Arrowverse incarnation of Vibe appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains as part of the "DC TV Super-Heroes" DLC pack.

External links

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